UPDATED: Welcome New Democrats!
I just wanted to amplify my comment last night that Republicans have until March 30th to change their party affiliation in order to vote in the September primary for Jack Markell.
It is a course of action I strongly recommend to anyone who wants to take part in choosing our next Governor.
The HUGE turnout numbers show that there is a real desire for change and although I don’t think it would be a catastrophy if John Carney got elected – I do think Jack Markell provides a more clean break with the failed policies of the Roof Ann adminstration.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Two items. First this from Dana Garrett:
According to a report on WDEL today, many Hockessin Republicans are showing up at the polls asking to vote in the Democratic primary. When they are told they can only vote in the Republican primary, they leave without voting.
I bet they aren’t showing up to vote for Hillary.
These
I heard Allen Loudell report of a “handful” of such people (as in a few), hardly “many” Hockessin Republicans. But then, consider the sources.
But I guess if they are too dumb to know they can’t vote in the Democratic primary as Republicans, perhaps they are in the wrong party in the first place.
*snark*
Many…few? It’s semantics really.
LOL. Yeah…a pound, a ton. It’s all just a matter of degree.
Jason…you sound like fear of the old guard pushing Carney to the top!
Loudell’s only actual direct (his initial) report on this, which was earlier this morning, noted a few as in 2 or 3 people. But I guess when hyperbole is your bag, this amounts to “many”. Again, consider the source. (I know you didn’t write the hype, J, you just quoted it).
Tyler, that’s true. Dana hyped it, Jason squared it. All in a day’s work ’round these parts.
How’s that deck, J?
Smitty –
I hate the old guard. And the worst part is that “life expectancy after age 72” is the health statistic that the United States is #1 in.
As an aside, I hope this primary serves to build support for numerous election reform proposals I plan to make in this year’s election, along the lines of :
1) Open primaries (or if closed, paid for by the party not the state taxpayers).
2) No restrictions on changing party affiliation at any time, even at the polling place….or, even better, no party affiliation tracking (of voters) at all, at least not by the government.
3) No party affiliations listed on any general election ballot.
People obviously are getting sick of these statutory restrictions based on party affiliation.
Is it the life expectancy of the US or the DE General Assembly and Governorships?
The fact of the matter is that the neocons have hung the moderate Republicans out to dry.
Let’s hope time proves it will be the other way around, nemsk.
I agree, nemski. On the national level, I feel as if I’ve been given the boot.
There’s no denying that, Smitty. But I think the neo’s will suffer more and more beatings in the days /years ahead, whether in or out of the party. Well deserved beatings.
“People obviously are getting sick of these statutory restrictions based on party affiliation.”
Who, people who want to mess around with the other party’s candidates? If you want to change your party affiliation, then do it because your beliefs have changed, or you feel your party has gone in the wrong direction and is never coming back. If you want to register as an independent to show what a free thinker you are, then feel free, but don’t expect to be allowed to screw around with the wishes of declared party members. No open primaries! You do have a point about the funding, though, but I would point out that it would give the party chieftains more leverage to bully the way the Dems did with the Michigan and Florida delegates.
Yesterday a Republican caller into Al’s show had to be schooled on the workings of our primary. Also a lot of outside Delaware columns about the Obama rally had interviewees lamenting that particular disadvantage.
I arrived at the polling place this morning at 6:50 am and I was second in line. By 6:55 there were about 15 voters behind me. When the poll opened, I was the second person to vote. As I left the poll at 7:02 the line snaked out to the parking lot.
I am encouraged by the numbers.
Just my two-cents.
I hear you, G Rex, but as long as the parties want statutory recognition and the whole system built around them they can’t expect all kinds of little statutory ways of controlling the way people can express their franchise in that system. If parties want free reign, let them have it and get the government out of it. No more state recognition and protection, at the expense of the democratic process and individual voter freedom. I mean, affiliation lock out periods?? Whatever happened to free speech??
Make party primaries either private or open to any voter. Why should the state be registering, tracking and controlling people’s political affiliations anyway, except to reinforce incumbency and party hierarchy control? There are just no damn good reasons for all this arcane control that can’t be just as easily and better addressed by private means with private resources, by PRIVATE party affiliations.
Back in the day, I used to be a Republican, the socially liberal, fiscally conservative kind — I imagine like many of of the Repbulicans that grace this blog. Heck my first vote was for Ronny in ’80.
But the association with the Christian Right (insert old joke about them being neither Christian or Right here) during the Reagan Dynasty was the beginning of the end for me. And now — forgetting about GWB’s foreign policy — with the current administration’s budgetary practices that are admittedly dreadful, the Republican party I once knew is gone.
So, I ask you this, how can the moderate Republicans save their party? Yes, I believe it is worth saving.
“I heard Allen Loudell report of a “handful” of such people (as in a few), hardly “many” Hockessin Republicans. But then, consider the sources.”
“Loudell’s only actual direct (his initial) report on this, which was earlier this morning, noted a few as in 2 or 3 people. ”
Consider the source is right. When “handful” doesn’t work it becomes 2 or 3 people. ”
LOL. Guess not many people are showing up to vote for the racist. Some bitterness is setting in.
I worked tonight at a Hockessin polling place as a party greeter. I was handing out generic Democratic lit to people after they voted, so I was asking which party they belonged to. I was surprised when Republicans wanted to talk about Obama. I probably talked to 80-100 people in the two hours I was there and at least 12 Republicans asked for Obama information. I didn’t have any to give them and we weren’t allowed to talk about candidates, but I gave them my card and told them to call tomorrow. This is fun! If they actually call I can talk to them about Obama AND Markell. Whoo Hoo!
Then I ran out of lit and got cold so I came home to blog with you guys.
Nice work Rebecca.
Rebecca, as you know your report is similar to others around the nation. The Obama Republicans is a real phenomenon and well known.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/08/24/obama_gop/
Unsurprisingly, only the most ardent Hillary supporters and the supporters of the racist Ron Paul are inclined to deny it.
Gosh, I guess I should apologize for the confusion. I was repeating what a caller told me — that “some Republicans,” meaning more than one but an indeterminate number — had asked if they could vote in the Democratic primary. Don’t know where the “many” came from.
G, I admire your spirit, and I understand the reasoning behind closed primaries — both parties fear the other would try to sabotage legitimate candidates. But much of the nation tossed that philosophy in the post-Watergate era. It’s yet another area in which the people who run Delaware would rather not have the input of the hoi polloi — and if they must put up with it, they’re going to limit it as much as they possibly can.
I was reading this morning about the Europeans during the Venetian Republic in Venice. Here is what happened. The “liberal” venetians became the greens and the older familes became the “reds” at every convention they wore the colors of their “brand.” In the end they forgot that being part of the Venetian republic meant being Venetian first and what they did was first the greens massacred the reds, and then the small band of reds came back with an army and massacred the greens. Both stayed at war for several years and at the end there was no more Republic and Napoleon took the whole area over. I like being in the United States of America becuase we must never become like that and I do not like or think that being a “party team” is going to help our nation in the long run. I do not like European power politics. You guys need to read history to discover just how disasterous they are. If we are to become like that, it will be profoundly sad. We should please ask our families to understand this, there are values that are fundemental to the Democratic party that are not so different from someone from the other’s party point of view. So I think ending the power politics is probably the right way to go right now. Anyone want to comment?
Here’s Paul Smith reporting on his experiences working the polls in Elsmere:
2) We had a few Republicans leave without voting because they weren’t allowed to vote for a Democrat, not liking any of the GOP candidates
3) We had a lot of party changes at the polls yesterday. Virtually all of them to Democrat.
“I was handing out generic Democratic lit to people after they voted, so I was asking which party they belonged to.”
Well I know at my poll the person doing that got a least two answers he didn’t like when he asked if we voted Democrat
“Not even with a gun to my head.” (mine)
“None of your damn business” (wife’s)
“Unsurprisingly, only the most ardent Hillary supporters and the supporters of the racist Ron Paul are inclined to deny it.”
Well I am in neither camp. And I am dubious of this .
I suspect the few examples of it are more about “keeping up with the Jones” and being part of the latest fad, than actually making real idealogical changes. I was listening to a bunch of people at work today cackling on about Obama’s victory. They could have been talking about Britney Spears or the latest episode of “American Idol”. When one participant actually started asking about issues…no one seemed to really know where Obama stood on them, or what he would do. Kind of funny…if it wasn’t so sad.
We had a lot of party changes at the polls yesterday. Virtually all of them to Democrat.
Thank you GWB.
… and these Republicans aren’t switching to Dem just so they can vote for Carney. Go Jack!
And if the super delegates over rule everyone…what party will they go too? I agree with Jason time to reach out to these super delegates, and tell them what the voters in Delaware spoke! And while at it…tell us exactly how “you” became a super delegate…is that in the Delaware consitution or something the party made up to control the vote?
And if the super delegates over rule , what party will they go too? I agree with Jason time to reach out to those so called super delegates and tell them the voters have spoken. While at it, tell us exactly how “you” became a super delegate, is that in the Delaware Constitution or did the Party make it up to control the vote?