WASHINGTON (AP) — Bernie Sanders’ wife and adviser Jane Sanders says his campaign will do well in the remaining contests because they are open primaries, which she describes as “more democratic.”
In an interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Thursday, Jane Sanders noted that Bernie Sanders won Rhode Island on Tuesday, which was an open primary, allowing independents as well as Democrats to vote for her husband.
“If you close the primary and you only have people who have been in the Democratic Party for years, what you are doing is effectively shutting the door on the millions of people that Bernie has brought into the political process during this election,” she said.
She also said that his campaign intends to continue through the final contest in California, despite a revelation Wednesday that the campaign plans to lay off hundreds of field staffers and other aides.
Shutting the door for millions of people? Really? Voting shouldn’t be a thoughtless process. If you feel motivated to vote for someone, you should at least take arduous two minutes and find out how the voting process actually works. If it requires changing party affiliation, in most states that’s a very easy task. If you weren’t paying any attention to the election until a month before the primary, and find that the easy to learn rules prevent you from voting in a party election, than I have no sympathy for you.
The general election is where everyone gets a vote.
I don’t think it’s unreasonable for a Party to limit voters to party members. Otherwise, you give your political opponents an opportunity to tamper with the results.
For example, I might crossover and vote for Cruz in the Republican primary knowing he would be weak in the general.
This is a state issue and many states have adopted closed primaries to prevent mischief on the part of members of the other party. It also helps assure that individuals do not vote twice in competing primaries for the two parties. Bernie Sanders is running as a Democrat. As such, he (and his followers) are subject to the party rules in each state primary. In other words, stop whining, get of your butt, and find out what you need to do to support your candidate.
Tell ya what sweetie, next time we’ll amend the process just for you!
What she is advocating is the dissolution of the two party system. IOW let’s have regional primaries open to one and all, say one regional per week for 5/6 weeks, then the top two remaining face off in the general. So we end up with 5 weeks of electioneering prior to primaries, 5 weeks of primaries, then 5 weeks later the general. Sorry, will not work, look at the job loss, look at the advertising revenue loss, look at the power loss, look at the lost opportunity to bribe/purchase influence. Yea would make me happier but my opinion only counts at the ballot box, when I choose whom I would like to represent me.
Actually, in the party system the membership of each party selects the one membership feels best represents their viewpoints. To therefore involve individuals who elect, as myself, not to affiliate with a specific party a say is not justifiable. It is not all that hard to inform yourself as to your local election laws and to ask that within the year of an election to choose to modify your affiliation is not asking all that much. Thinking specifically about NY and the six month cutoff on affiliation changes, if I remember correctly from the time I resided in Upstate NY, the deadlines are mentioned numerous times in ads and news programs, so fault clearly lies with the individual.