What Stinks about State Primaries?

Kentucky has a closed-primary where the party loyal--Republican and Democrat--can vote for his/her candidate.

Some states, like Wisconsin, for example, have an open-primary, in which any Republican, Independent, Democrat, Socialist, Libertarian, Tom, Dick, Harry, or your dead grandmother can cast a vote in the Democratic (or Republican) race. That just seems unforgivable. What's the point of voting if the "enemy" can directly influence the outcome? Republicans understand what is at stake in this election.

I believe completely that you can sway an election, if one party's voters vote in the opposing party's primary. It's very conceivable, if not plausible. It is possible that opposing party members would vote for someone they believe their party's candidate can beat in the general election.

Republicans, in Wisconsin, and elsewhere, know that John McCain will be their party's nominee. If I knew that fact, I might want to do some meddling in someone else's affairs. After all, the door is wide open to anyone with a heartbeat and a signature.

So, let's get real about the prospects of this year's general election. A freshman senator, with about zero experience, going up against a seasoned, what-the-country-is-used-to veteran--in armed service and politics. Hmm...it sounds suspicious to me.

In Kentucky, if I want to vote in the Republican primary, I have to literally change my political party affiliation weeks in advance. I can't show up and say, "Surprise! I'm a Republican for the day." And they pat me on the back and say, "Good for you! Come on in. There's a voting booth, on the Republican side, just opening up." What a tangled web I could weave with that kind of power.