Why I share everyone's frustration with the Cuellar/Rodriguez race, I think taking aim at Open Primaries is exactly the wrong thing to do. I have been working in Oregon Democratic politics for 10 years now including being the campaign manager for a U.S. Senate race in 2002, two Secretary of State races, 4 statewide ballot measures etc. So my "progressive" credentials are there.
And...I support Open Primaries.
Here in Oregon I am engaged actively in the Oregon Open Primary Campaign www.oneballot.com and if Texas had what we are proposing then Cuellar and Rodriguez would be running off in the general right now (no 50% rule in our proposed measure - just the top 2 regardless of party).
30% Of Oregonians are registered as Independents now. It is the fastest growing group of voters both here and nationally. As progressives we would be better off embracing them instead of fighting that trend.
As I see it, a true open primary campaign can only make the Democratic party more progressive and stronger if established Democrats are forced to defend their DINO ways in a general election against another Dem in a district where they have traditionally just coasted in the general cause the district is so heavily D. We all know that a different set of voters come out in the fall versus the primary. Younger, less affluent, more diverse etc.
Secondly - an open primary system like we are proposing in Oregon would be the death of the Christian Right's stranglehold on the Republican party right now. They have thrived in large part because a pro-choice, pro-environment, pro-whatever Republican has no chance in the current closed primary system to make it out of the primary cause of the domination of a select few of extremists over that process. Suddenly, we would see these Republicans be forced to defend their extremists position against another moderate Republican in a general election from a heavily R district OR the pro-choice Republican would have a real chance at getting into the top two versus a Dem in a swing district.
In the end however I really could care less if this is "good" for the Democratic party. What have they really done for us lately? Just like the Blog world shook up traditional party structure by giving a voice to people like you and I - it is time we shake up the complacent Dems by forcing them to defend their politics. It is also time to send the radical right wing back to a level of power more on par with their 15% status.
Finally, if you care more about ISSUES than PARTY label then you definitely should support the idea of an Open Primary. Removal of the radical right wing and replacing them with moderate R's can only mean that the issues we all care about will have a greater chance of being addressed. Preogressive Dems challenging DINOS in general election can only mean good things for the ISSUES we all care about.
Imagine a world where there are "issue caucuses" instead of "party caucuses". Imagine where every issue would not just break down along party lines because radical right wingers like Tom Delay dominate the party structure and wield way to much power over moderates who actually care about issues.
Is the Open Primary a silver bullet? Obviously not. But it can help shake up a structure way passed it's prime and hopefully begin a conversation in this country that goes beyond whether a D or an R is behind your name.
Again I invite you to our website. www.oneballot.com
Updated - hey everyone commenting in this diary. Please hit the recomend button. We have a good discussion going with interesting questions and ideas. It would be cool to see the larger Kossack community think about this.
