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Bossy Monkey Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-07-04 02:01 PM
Original message
Would you/could you/ have you vote(d) in a Republican primary...
with the goal of getting a more beatable opponent in November? If you're in a place where you have to register by party affiliation, just treat it as a rhetorical question. Here in SC, the temptation is always well-nigh irresistable, as the Rs always trot out such an array of dorks that trying to give the most beatable one a leg up seems like a great idea. Don't think I could actually go through with it though.

Probably would be most helpful if you'd just answer yes or no in the subject line, then elaborate in a reply. I could make it a poll of course, but a simple yes/no question doesn't seem to me to rate the waste of bandwidth.
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demnan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-07-04 02:03 PM
Response to Original message
1. I wouldn't stoop that low
I don't even like to smell those vermin on a good day. Sorry not feeling very tolerant today.
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NMDemDist2 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-07-04 02:07 PM
Response to Original message
2. i did that from 1976 til 2003
Edited on Fri May-07-04 02:14 PM by AZDemDist6
i did it on purpose to vote for the moderate Repub candidate (my thinking was even if the Repub won, perhaps it wouldn't be SO bad if he was a moderate) then in the general election I would vote a straight dem ticket.

I changed my party prefernce in January to be a Democrat precinct committee person for this election.
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Bossy Monkey Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-07-04 02:19 PM
Response to Reply #2
4. Congrats on committeepersonhood (if that's a word:))! n/t
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NMDemDist2 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-07-04 02:25 PM
Response to Reply #4
5. committepersonness?? ahhh just call me PC hehehe n/t
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MallRat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-07-04 02:07 PM
Response to Original message
3. No, but almost voted McCain in 2000 primary.
Up until primary day in Massachusetts, I had considered voting for McCain in an effort to draw Bush deeper into a protracted primary battle and cost him some money.

Then I saw the polls the night before the election- Gore needed my vote: time to abort mission. I voted Gore so that he wouldn't be humiliated by Bradley.

In the end, Gore and McCain both won MA anyway.

-MR
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Gothmog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-07-04 02:25 PM
Response to Original message
6. In Harris County Texas you have to vote in GOP primary
If you want to vote for some of the judges. There are no Democrats on the state bench right now and if you want to have an impact on the local judicial elections, you have to vote in the GOP primary. I really had to do this four years ago when I had a chance to vote for McCain (even though Bush had locked up the nomination) and also vote to keep a right wing religious fanatic off from defeating a qualified and competent woman judge who would not take a stand on abortion. Luckily the competent lady judge won and the right wing religious fanatic lost.
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sybylla Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-07-04 02:34 PM
Response to Original message
7. Once, only with the goal of getting a more acceptable opposition
Edited on Fri May-07-04 02:42 PM by sybylla
If I lose, I prefer to lose to a candidate I can stomach.

Voted for McCain in 2000. If he were the puke in office now, I doubt we'd be in this mess - or at least I doubt it would be this messy.
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hughee99 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-07-04 02:46 PM
Response to Original message
8. I wouldn't
vote in a primaray for a canidate I had no intention of voting for in the general election. Somehow, to me, it doesn't seem right. I'd rather let the repukes nominate the person they think best represents their party, then let them lose in the GE. I don't know about you, but I would have been pretty upset if all the repukes had voted for Lieberman in our primary and he ended up being our canidate.
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MissB Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-07-04 02:48 PM
Response to Original message
9. I would
And I may do it in 2005, depending on who runs for Governor in our state.
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AntiCoup2K4 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-07-04 02:52 PM
Response to Original message
10. Voted McCain in the 2000 primary
Not because I thought he would be easier for Gore to beat, but because I knew returning the Bush Criminal Empire to the White House was the worst possible scenario. I could have lived with McCain and didn't have a real preference of Gore or Bradley - though I figured Gore would take the nomination as the almost-incumbent. I also voted for a moderate Repug in the Washington governor's race (1992 I think?) under similar circumstances - no preference on the Dem side, but a real fascist on the far right.
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Killarney Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-07-04 02:52 PM
Response to Original message
11. Yes and No
I wouldn't do it for sabotage (to pick the candidate that's easiest to beat) because I find that personally unethical to me. No judgment to others, I just wouldn't do it.

However, I would vote in a Republican primary to pick the guy that I'd rather have if the Dem loses. For instance, a McCain vs Bush thing... I would vote for McCain because if the Dem candidate loses, I'd much rather have McCain as Pres than Bush. KWIM?

I have never voted in a Republican primary yet.
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blindpig Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-07-04 03:08 PM
Response to Original message
12. done that
Voted for A Ravanel a few years back, he didn't have a chance and he also had a highly rated environmental voting record.
But how do you choose among the gang of facsist the gop is currently offering?
For that matter, the SC Democratic Party hasn't presented us with anyone to get excited about since I moved here 22 years ago.
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Bossy Monkey Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-07-04 03:23 PM
Response to Reply #12
13. For instance Charlie Condon over Beasley
I suspect the Confederates have forgiven Beez by now, and he might trounce Inez. Condon came in 5th in a 7-way race for goob two years ago. Don't think he could win in November.
Then again, the best strategy is to vote for any R from Greenville in a statewide race in hopes that Lowcountry antipathy toward the upstate is sufficient to get a D in office. The Rs know this, which is why they trot out clowns like Sanford.
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blindpig Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-07-04 04:30 PM
Response to Reply #13
14. gotcha
although there were some goobers at a recent repub debate in Spartanburg sporting signs which indicated that they ain't forgot nothin'.
But I'm out of this game, voted for DK.
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Bossy Monkey Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-07-04 05:12 PM
Response to Reply #14
16. Different primary; not sure when they're having this one, though
Edited on Fri May-07-04 05:13 PM by undisclosedlocation
Usually even Republicans are bright enough to put the primary date on the yard signs/billboards. Then again, they have all the money; they'll probably trot out special signs as the date draws closer.

Regardless, it's a different primary and you can vote in it if you want (not that I'm recommending such an action). To bely the subject line above, I looked it up. It's 6/8/04 according to the National Republican Swineherding Committee http://www.nrsc.org/nrscweb/races2004/sc/candidates.shtml (You mean that's not what NRSC stands for? My mistake!:P)
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karabekian Donating Member (287 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-07-04 04:41 PM
Response to Original message
15. open primaries would be good for democracy
nc
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Toucano Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-07-04 05:20 PM
Response to Original message
17. I tried it a couple of times.
It's futile. You also lose the ability to pick the strongest Democratic candidate in other races.

Funny thing, though. I first tried it when I lived in SC.
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Bossy Monkey Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-07-04 06:12 PM
Response to Reply #17
18. How 'bout if I add, "assuming there is no Democratic primary"?
Sorry, I sort of thought that this went without saying. My fault.
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Toucano Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-07-04 07:40 PM
Response to Reply #18
19. In my experience
it had very little impact on the outcome. Maybe if the race is tight, you could have impact. But it wasn't an affirming strategy.

Not much pride comes from telling your friends, "I voted for Bob Dole!" even after you explain yourself.:)

Plus, it is probably uncommonly rare that there isn't a single contested Democratic race during a primary. Whether it's city council, county commissioner, or school board member, there's some good Democrat who needs your vote.

Again, that's just my experience with it.
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