“None ofthe Above”
I doubt I’m alone in thinking that candidate would win many political contests. Unfortunately None ofthe Above rarely runs for office.
None ofthe Above’s backers, disappointed at never seeing their candidate’s name on the ballot, have said “None of the above” to the political parties fielding those candidates who would lose to candidate None ofthe Above.
The Democratic and Republican parties most certainly have the right to limit voters in their primary elections to those who have sworn fealty to the party. One could even say it is their duty to do so to maintain the integrity of their parties. Such is the argument for closed primary caucuses and elections.
However, millions of voters, independent, non-affiliated, Democrat, Republican, Green, etc., have caucused and voted for candidates outside the traditional party structures in open primary processes. Many of those voters have little or no loyalty to party and instead support the candidate regardless of affiliation.
Both parties will soon decide which candidates will bear their flags into the general election. Do either of them realize how strong the “none of the above” constituency is? Do they truly expect the primary voters who threw their support behind nontraditional candidates to meekly fall in line behind candidates they rejected during the primary process?
I fully expect both parties to nominate a traditional party candidate. One of those candidates will win.
But only because None ofthe Above wasn’t on the ballot.