GOP Grassroots for Democrats

Idaho Democrats should all give a big wet, sloppy kiss to Rod Beck and the other 70 members of the Idaho Republican Party who have just filed a Federal lawsuit against Secretary of State Ben Ysursa, forcing him to close the Republican primary to just registered Republicans.  With this action, these "grassroots" Republicans will have successfully fractured the Idaho Republican Party; something Democrats in Idaho haven't been able to do in nearly two decades.

So why would this group, with the imaginative name "Grassroots Idaho GOP," want to destroy perhaps the most successful state political party in recent U.S. history?  I mean come on, every statewide office and all four congressional offices held by Republicans? 

Let's hop on over to FReeperville and see what we can learn.

So, dropping in on a June 3rd discussion, just after the Republican Party Central Committee voted 88-58 to close the primary, we find a FReeper named Delphinium with this comment:  [sic throughout] 

Well this last primary known democrats ran for county comissioners atleast 4 counties and the very popular encumbant conservative Republican lost to the known democrat because the crossover was so affective and so organised.

With a closed primary I know of several incidences where we could have beat the RINO encumbant.

I am a encumbant precinct person and in 2002 our county had an organised crossover by the local democrat party and I lost my Republican precinct to a known democrat. They did it for a joke while they were stealing our primary from us.

Oooooh, lions and tigers and RINOs, oh my!  From this delicate flower we learn that apparently:

1. Democrats are running disguised as Republicans—and winning.
2. Too many RINOs (Republican in name only) spoil the pot.
3. Democrats are "affective" and "organised."
4. Not sure how a Republican precinct person loses a precinct to a Democrat, but there it is.

Hmmmm, surely they've got more than these ramblings. 

Okay, here's more from July 11th and our delicate flower Delphinium again who seems to be some sort of leader in this group:  [sic throughout]

The Idaho Education Association is the Idaho Democrat Party, same thing.

They are responcible for planning many of these organised crossovers. Did you read the newspaper in Pocatello when Bert Marley told of how they deserted him after he expressed support for the "Marriage Amendment"

He claimed that was why the IEA planned the crossover to take Tom Luna out in the primary.

All this over homosexual marriage?

And if you look at the numbers, (undervotes) its obvious that was their "statewide" target. Fortunately they lost this year, but I am sure they are busy working for next time.

And rumor is that the dems in Idaho have recieved lots of $$ for George Soros to pay organisers in different areas of the state.

[Note to self:  Ask John Foster about some of that George Soros $$.]  So where were we.  Okay, so now with tin-foil hats firmly in place we check our secret decoder rings and poof, still not making much sense here.

Apparently the argument is that Idaho Democrats are so effective, organized and stealthy that rather than working their butts off trying to elect Democrats to office, they would rather work their butts off screwing around with Republican primaries thereby electing Democrats to office.  Therefore, Republicans must unite in preventing these effective, organized and stealthy Democrats from screwing around with the primary and electing all those Democrats to office.  Except...where are all those elected Democrats?  Hmmmm....

Okay, so let's try one more time.  This time we go to the group's official website where we find a copy of the official documents filed in Federal Court. 

Wow, looky here.  Boise Weekly's Bill Cope is part of the official lawsuit.  He'll surely be pleased. 

Cope wrote an opinion just before the 2006 primary election where he told 1st District Democrats that he was going to vote for Republican Sheila Sorensen in the congressional primary on the off chance that the Republican who won the primary went on to win the general election.  The lawsuit includes this column as an exhibit.   

[Full disclosure:  I voted for Sheila Sorensen, but I missed receiving the official marching orders from this official, official.  Probably lost in the transporter accident.]

So apparently now the argument is that upon urging from columnist Bill Cope, 1st District Democrats went to the polls voting en masse, boosting congressional candidate Sheila Sorensen to a third place finish in the Republican primary.  Hmmm, that's pretty damning wouldn't you say.

Okay so all kidding aside, this move by the Grassroots Idaho GOP can only be good for Idaho Democrats who would benefit from this constricting of the Idaho Republican party.  Kick out all of these supposed RINOs and "disguised Democrats," plus the voters who voted for them, and where do you think they'll go.  That's right folks, start planning for an influx of Democratic voters.

Comments

[W. Lane Startin]

The precedent is on Beck's side, too. Not only does this split the GOP, it will also give all parties (including Democrats) something concrete to base their campaigns on. While the current non-partisan registration system allows a voter to be as independent as they wanna be, it also makes campaigning something of a crap shoot (ask anyone who's done phone bank work in recent history). That element of uncertainty stands to be weakened, therefore Democrats have also been given a gift in the form of easier organizing.

Conservative Republicans also say this will stop Democrats "tampering" with their primaries. While Democrats have been known to vote in the Republican primary on purpose, the occasional organized efforts to do so almost always backfire and ultimately benefit the conservatives. It may be a strategy some Democrats use from time to time, but it's a pretty craptacular one if you ask me.

In all seriousness, I don't see why conservative Republicans couldn't leave well enough alone. They held all the cards with the current system. Doing this only stands to hurt them in many, many ways.

[MountainGoat]

Yeah, they just better be prepared to foot the bill for their private primary.

[Sisyphus]

Actually the "strategy" was alleged to have worked in IF and the rest of SE Idaho for many years. But Chenoweth and Sali have demonstrated that it can backfire.

I'm elated by the lawsuit. The Plaintiffs are a veritable who's who of the extreme right with Laird Maxwell's attorney Mr. Troupis the ringmaster of this circus. I agree with MG and think its an example of certain Republicans taking square aim at their own foot.

I just love Delphinium's McCarthyesque use of the term "known Democrat". While I have little sympathy for the moderates since they created this monster I applaud Delphinium's efforts to purify the party and invite the victims of the purge to our big tent. Despite what you've heard, we are devoted to our families, show concern for our neighbors and love our country.

[Binkyboy]

Wait a minute, I wrote a blog post encouraging people to vote in the Republican primary in 2006, why can't I be part of the lawsuit!

I just want attention, can't you tell?

[MountainGoat]

Just received a reply from the Executive Director of the IDP, John Foster, to my question regarding the George Soros $$.

Quote:
"Bwaaaaaaaaaahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahha!"