The headline caught my attention, “Democrat Voter Registration Jumps.” Imagine my glee as I thought of all the citizens motivated to vote by years of short-sighted conservative policy. At last, the democratic candidates (particularly Obama) were inspiring Americans to affect positive change; galvanizing them into the support of awesome campaigns and rousing them out of their apathy! I took comfort in the thought that many Americans cared enough about the fate of their nation that they were interested in exercising their right to vote and getting a truly worthy president in the White House. But recognizing my tendency to jump to conclusions, I tentatively read on and realized that my naivety had in fact given me the wrong impression.
It turns out that “some Republicans are switching parties, with the encouragement of local conservative pundits, to vote for the weaker Democrat [in Oregon’s presidential primary], thereby extending the primary race in hopes of sabotaging the party in the national election.” How sneaky is that? I guess that’s par for the course in the world of politics, but it still gets my goat. They call it the ‘Democrat for a Day’ campaign and it’s been encouraged in states where primaries are only open to party members--states like Oregon and Texas, where even though “the impact of Republican crossover voters is undetermined, many observers think it helped Clinton, then the weaker candidate, win by a slim margin.”
However, a Republican who switches parties for the primary may end up shooting himself in the foot. By reregistering as Democrats “in order to sabotage the presidential primary,” Republicans “will ultimately miss out on voting in the party's local primary elections.” Here in Oregon, Congresswoman Darlene Hooley is stepping down. Who will take her place? “There are also tough Republican races in many of the open House seats in the state” and Republican voters won’t be able to vote for members of their party in these elections.
So what’s more important to conservative Oregonians? A Republican president or more right-wing representation in the state legislature? I guess they’re choosing their battles…
Oh yeah, Beth wrote the article that I’m quoting. She smart.
It turns out that “some Republicans are switching parties, with the encouragement of local conservative pundits, to vote for the weaker Democrat [in Oregon’s presidential primary], thereby extending the primary race in hopes of sabotaging the party in the national election.” How sneaky is that? I guess that’s par for the course in the world of politics, but it still gets my goat. They call it the ‘Democrat for a Day’ campaign and it’s been encouraged in states where primaries are only open to party members--states like Oregon and Texas, where even though “the impact of Republican crossover voters is undetermined, many observers think it helped Clinton, then the weaker candidate, win by a slim margin.”
However, a Republican who switches parties for the primary may end up shooting himself in the foot. By reregistering as Democrats “in order to sabotage the presidential primary,” Republicans “will ultimately miss out on voting in the party's local primary elections.” Here in Oregon, Congresswoman Darlene Hooley is stepping down. Who will take her place? “There are also tough Republican races in many of the open House seats in the state” and Republican voters won’t be able to vote for members of their party in these elections.
So what’s more important to conservative Oregonians? A Republican president or more right-wing representation in the state legislature? I guess they’re choosing their battles…
Oh yeah, Beth wrote the article that I’m quoting. She smart.
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