Markos Moulitsas, founder of Daily Kos, has this commentary in the January 4 edition of The Hill, one of the publications intended for members of Congress and their staffs, and others who are especially interested in legislation and politics. The article advocates that presidential primaries be closed to non-members of the parties.
Ballot Access News
Edited By Richard Winger
All primaries should be closed to members of other parties and to independents unless a particular party wishes to open its primary up to other voters.
The freedom of association of individuals to join together in groups that is guaranteed under the Constitution is violated by open primary laws of several states. Such laws are unconstitutional and should all be struck down. Of course, mandatory closed primaries are unconstitutional by the same principle.
“Top-two” laws are worst of all as their intent is to create a one-party state by pretending to be an open primary. Such laws violate the principles of free association and eliminate free elections. They lead to a single, state-controlled party with a single primary, the end of free elections, the end of true democracy and eventually to the end of liberty. Don’t be fooled by the evil, f a s c i s t supporters of “top-two” and other such attempts to subvert the constitution and the principles of liberty.
Gee again — PUBLIC Electors nominate PUBLIC candidates for PUBLIC elections — totally subject to PUBLIC LAWS.
Sorry – NO mention in the U.S.A. Constitution that X percent of ALL PUBLIC Electors have a magic right to nominate any candidates for any public offices.
P.R. and App.V. — NO super-dangerous and moronic party hack primaries are needed any more — akin to the pre-1888 party hack dictatorship conventions or the time of NO secret ballots — with threats, bribes and punishments.
Firstly, all parties (major and minor) should pay for their own primaries and/or caucuses. Or there should be equitable public funding for partisan candidate nomination processes.
Then they can decide to “close” whatever they want.
The major parties do pay for their own caucuses.
How many party hack EXTREMISTS are being nominated in the party hack caucuses, primaries and conventions — especially since 1992 ???
— the more or less end of the Great Depression I / WW II generation of voters.
ANY body notice the EXTREMISM resulting from the 2006-2008-2010 *wave* elections ??? — especially in the ANTI-Democracy indirect minority rule gerrymander Congress.
— with each 50-56 percent party hack gerrymander gang /oligarchy acting as if the gang / oligarchy got 100 percent of the votes in a gerrymander election for its extremist agenda.
P.R. and App.V.
The major parties use publicly funded primaries to place their candidates on the General Election ballot. Minor parties use petitioning or conventions to place their candidates on the General Election ballot. Either major parties should pay for their own primaries or minor party conventions/petitioning should be publicly funded.