I didn't post last night about the MS Senate race because I wanted time to digest the results and not spend my time posting things on here that would devolve into something not exactly family friendly. After thinking about it though I have come to a few conclusions.
First off no one should ever try to defend and open primary again. Ever. Don't do it, don't try it. Primaries by their very nature are suppose to be for that party to decide who their nominee is. If someone who is not a member of that party gets a say, then why have them? Why not let everyone go to the general and see what happens. No one would go for that, yet we allow that very thing to happen with every open primary.
Second, there needs to be some form of filing you have to make at the ballot that states under law of perjury that you were not paid or otherwise enduced to vote for a particular cadidate or ballot initiative. I realize it would only be and excess to laws that already exist, but maybe just maybe seeing the penalties in black and white would discourage some from going through with it.
Third, when there is proof, of people violating election laws it should be investigated and prosecuted. People continue to do this because no one is ever really charged and arrested for it. Yes, there are token ones that are done when the issue becomes so big it can no longer be ignored, however, all issues should be prosecuted.
Losing sucks. There is no way around it. I can handle losing though. When losing outright and fairly it happens. People need to understand that and be able to accept that it happens. I cannot accept being cheated. I personally have no direct interest in the race in MS. I don't live there, am not allowed to vote there because of that fact, and thus it should not affect me.
The problem becomes that all of the Senate now sees the purpose of affecting everyones life. It is no longer what is best for my constituency, but what is best for me and my donors. Since the big donors seem to want things that will affect all of us, all of these races become important.
Did Cochran cheat? Maybe, maybe not. I know he didn't win by the spirit of what a primary should be. That is what should be taken from this. All tricks aside, we need to close the primaries or risk this happening over and over. The establishment likes the way it is. Every sat back and wondered why? They just proved how they will beat us. Used liberal dems to scare voters and beat back the Tea Party and conservatives in general. This favor from dems will not go unpaid. The establishment is already trying to say the Cantor was an outlier, amnesty is good, Obamacare just needs some tweaks, and you should shut the hell up and go away.
Don't let them win. Sure we will lose some. We lost this one, we will lose more. The secret, and they know it is, we don't have to win all the time. But every time we do, the attention will get brighter.
Your local areas is where we have to win. Get primaries closed. Get conservatives in local offices, start working state offices, push back hard. Show them we will beat them from the ground up. It took us decades to get here. We have to play long ball. I realize we need to stem the tide, but we have to do it when we can. Keep forcing their hands. Keep making them come out and admit who they really are. Never give them a pass. Every elected official should be primaried by a serious contender every cycle. Never let them relax.
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