Too dumb to check: Virginia GOP to make primary voters swear a loyalty oath
posted at 2:59 pm on November 28, 2007 by Allahpundit
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Not to America. To the GOP.
The State Board of Elections on Monday approved a state Republican Party request to require all who apply for a GOP primary ballot first vow in writing that they’ll vote for the party’s presidential nominee next fall.
There’s no practical way to enforce the oath.
Virginia doesn’t require voters to register by party, and for years the state’s Republicans have fretted that Democrats might meddle in their open primaries.
Stupid not only for its unenforceability but for the assumption that it will actually deter Democrats so driven by partisan fervor that they’d vote in the Republican primary to sabotage the strongest candidate. Who is the strongest candidate there, you ask? Good question. The primary’s not until February 12, a week after Super Ultra Mega Tuesday, so no one’s been doing much polling. The more it looks like the early primaries might split, the more that’ll change. I did find this head-to-head rundown from Survey USA. Virginia’s been trending blue so it’s no big surprise who the strongest Republican is. The question is whether the Democratic primary is or will be such a blowout for Hillary that Dems can skip it en masse and vote for Huckabee in the GOP race. Anyone know where she stands there vis-a-vis Obama?
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Sounds very Hugo Chavezish to me.
MB4 on November 28, 2007 at 3:03 PM
“I swear I won’t fly a plane into any buildings”
The oath taken on 9/10.
right2bright on November 28, 2007 at 3:05 PM
Let’s see, the GOP in Virginia is home to a bunch of tax raisers and has been on the short end of some elections lately so naturally the way to get back on track is a loyalty oath.
Nice job idiots.
Drew on November 28, 2007 at 3:05 PM
Baby, I swear i’ll stop just in time. I promise.
Nine months later … … …
MB4 on November 28, 2007 at 3:09 PM
This is just stupid, I’m thinking of telling people I’m from California. Next thing you know they’ll want to pass a law requiring you to keep your pants pulled…Oh wait! They already tried that.
MB4 it’s not Chavezish it’s Marxbrothersish. Unfortunately these are the idiots we’ve put in office. Apparently they’ve got nothing better to spend my money on than childish tirades like this. Let’s not actually make any significant changes let’s just waste time on…oh well you get the picture.
Oldnuke on November 28, 2007 at 3:11 PM
I swear I’ll never type the word ‘grits’ again. Honest.
Limerick on November 28, 2007 at 3:11 PM
Another reason why I’m a Conservative without a party. I don’t like apparatchiks, especially in the Republican party. I expect party before country when it comes to Communists. Unfortunately, it appears to be a Republican priority, too.
I’m wondering when they’ll get around to mandating a Hitlerian salute.
OhEssYouCowboys on November 28, 2007 at 3:16 PM
I don’t know the law. But from what I know of American history, I would be surprised if it isn’t illegal to enter a contract to vote a certain way. If it isn’t illegal, I guess it being unenforcable is enough.
thuja on November 28, 2007 at 3:16 PM
Those are my principles. If you don’t like them I have others.
- Groucho
MB4 on November 28, 2007 at 3:18 PM
Question: Will a loyalty oath will stop a rEVOLutionary from voting 3rd party when Guy Fawkes defects to the UFOs n’ Hoes party?
Answer: Loyalty oaths aren’t in the Constitution.
BohicaTwentyTwo on November 28, 2007 at 3:19 PM
Rasmussen has a poll here from October 24.
All GOP candidates except Huckabee lead Clinton in Va.
BacaDog on November 28, 2007 at 3:19 PM
Yeah I used to live in the People’s Republic of Northern Virginia, but I finally escaped over the border and fled north to Pennsylvania. Its nice to now live in a land where 3 bedroom, 2 bath townhomes don’t cost upwards of $700,000.
Just another reason why after 2008 I’m dumping the Republican party.
matthewbit07 on November 28, 2007 at 3:20 PM
Well, this is what happens when State Party Committees are full of numbskulls.
Bad Candy on November 28, 2007 at 3:39 PM
This is a further example of why the Virginia GOP had a very, very, very long election night earlier this month. Virginia is trending democratic lately because the state republicrats are complete idiots. I have never walked into a polling place and only voted for local issues when a state delegate seat was up for grabs…until this year. Two years ago, the delegate from my district had a very easy time being re-elected; this year, he only squeaked through because his opponent had almost no experience (and by squeaked, I mean 51/49). In 2008, I will be voting against Queen Hillary. After that, if the Republican party doesn’t straighten up, I’m finished with them.
LarryinVA on November 28, 2007 at 3:46 PM
The Young Republicans on my school (Oregon State) seemed like a much gutsier, more intelligent crowd than the folks in California, so much so that I was actually considering re registering Republican instead of Independent. And then the party goes and pulls a stunt like this. Well they can kiss my a$$! My allegiance is already sworn to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, not some lifetime party hack. The US attained supremacy by NOT adhering to strict party ideology. We’re the only nation on the planet to take pragmatism and make it an official philosophy, for goodness sake! Republicans will never be taken seriously by the Conservative base if they keep pulling stunts like this.
Looks like I’ll be staying an Independent after all.
Militant Bibliophile on November 28, 2007 at 3:55 PM
on my school = at my school.
Militant Bibliophile on November 28, 2007 at 3:56 PM
Go Beavers!
MB4 on November 28, 2007 at 4:02 PM
There’s probably a lot of folks here that don’t understand the nuance there. Northern Virginia versus Rest of Virginia. NOVA vs. ROVA.
That makes
twoa lot of usOldnuke on November 28, 2007 at 4:02 PM
You don’t want to be from California, nuke. Here you need a special license just to buy a Coke. People who sneek across the border from Mexico get in-state tuition. The mayor of LA is a member of MECHA. The Attorney General is a dope smoking loon who wants to sue auto companies for violating global warming rules that haven’t been written yet. The Governor, who ran as a Republican to oust the Dem recalled for fiscal responsibility, has run up the highest budget deficit in history (tens of BILLIONS). Virginia may be goofy, but there just copying what they see on TV about CA.
peski on November 28, 2007 at 4:05 PM
Caning and oath taking are still alive and well in old Virginee?
Hening on November 28, 2007 at 4:09 PM
You know what? The Virginia GOP has far bigger problems than this nonsense. They are demoralized the way a Bush-hating sexual pervert was able to steal George Allen’s Senate Seat. They are disgusted with RINO John Warner’s treason. They are watching a decent state turn blue because of the increase in liberals in Jim Moran’s realm of Northern Virginia. Etc.
If I were them, I would be more concerned about mobilizing the base to stop the madness instead of stupid crap like this.
highhopes on November 28, 2007 at 4:10 PM
Yeah, I know. I’ve calmed down now and regained my perspective. I lived in California back in the 60s. I liked the weather and we’ll stop there. Lucky for us right now there are enough of us in ROVA to counter the tools in NOVA but the margin is getting smaller.
Oldnuke on November 28, 2007 at 4:16 PM
Another reason why I’ll never register as a Republican or Democrat. I’m staying Independent.
mram on November 28, 2007 at 4:23 PM
Well, I guess I’ll be voting in the primary just so I can stick this ‘oath’ to ‘em – I may live in Hampton Roads now, but by November of next year I’ll be a Maryland resident again (yay military orders!).
The GOP died for me with the whole amnesty debacle. This BS party loyalty shenanigan is just a cherry on the crap sundae in my book.
the goddess anna on November 28, 2007 at 4:25 PM
In Virginia when you register to vote you don’t specify any party, you just register to vote. Anybody can vote in any primary. That’s what this whole thing is about. The Republicans are afraid that Dems will mess around in the Republican primary.
Oldnuke on November 28, 2007 at 4:28 PM
This is ridiculous. I remember in GA, Dems would frequently target Newt in this manner. Open primaries, buds, get used to it.
RW Wacko on November 28, 2007 at 4:47 PM
The simple solution to this is the one that other states have: require that people be a registered party member to vote in the primaries. That way Democrats will have to sacrifice a vote in the Democratic primary in order to futz with the Republican primary.
Is it just me or does this sound like it is about 98% motivated by the ability of Ron Paul’s campaign to bring in voters from outside the GOP? I’m switching my registration for that reason, and I’m damn sure not going to take an oath of loyalty to the GOP. They can keep me if they earn it with their candidate and platform in 2008.
Mark Jaquith on November 28, 2007 at 5:03 PM
I am a Virginia native and a lifelong GOPer. This just makes me sigh. It brings to mind Tallyrand’s quote: “It was worse than a crime, it was a mistake.”
bopone on November 28, 2007 at 9:47 PM
Wow. This state’s GOP organization is an embarrassment. Not only will I not be sending them a check this year, I’m considering just not showing up to vote that day, and I always vote.
We are a purple state now, and with moves like this I expect it to go blue.
Defense Guy on November 29, 2007 at 11:08 AM
So the question is: why didn’t they do this?
This is a big question. They aren’t stupid.
I withdraw that statement.
Unless there is some reason they do not want their own people locked into voting GOP in the primaries why would it matter?
Would the oath to vote be a public record?
If the loyalty list was not public record it could preserve anonymity for those vultures who live off fat juicy government contracts and maintain nests in Virginia. Party affiliation can be a lonely thing at contract time
It can hurt when you are running for dog catcher too
entagor on November 29, 2007 at 12:02 PM
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