I am the only person not yet to weigh in on the Presidential Primary v Convention fight yet, so I will get the last word here.
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1. Did anyone actually READ the King v Burwell decision Thursday? Two relevant points here. One, we got Obamacare not because of Justice Roberts, but because we failed to make the argument necessary to beat Obama and repeal Obamacare. We actually participated in The People making bad decisions here. Which leads me to the second point, which is that the King decision mentioned Massachusetts’ Romneycare no less than 10 times in justifying Obamacare’s existence.
So what did Virginia do in 2012, by a very flawed primary? We nominated the guy responsible for the model for Obamacare. That alone should be a lock down argument against a presidential primary. It nominates losers like Romney and McCain who can buy a win. But you can’t buy love in a convention.
2. But in fairness, we only had two choices that year. Why? Because our primary system in Virginia is fundamentally broken. Democrats can participate (and by some surveys, up to 20% of  primary voters are crossovers). The burden to get on the ballot is sky-high. No party registration. They are expensive and state-paid. They draw at best 6% of Registered voters- meaning in actuality they are NOT that inclusive!
Until these dysfunctional issues are actually dealt with in the GA, State Central should never consider a primary again.
3. This is a delicate point, but one which bears thought. Many of the well-meaning Republicans making the case for a primary are trying to make the case that it will help us win.
I have already written at length about why ‘electability’ is a bunk criterion and very subjective, usually used to justify a moderate like John McCain or Mitt Romney who loses. But while I have deep respect for the well-intentioned folks who make this case, one has to question the value of their advice when many of them come from parts of the state where Republicans just don’t win. Typically when looking for advice on how to win, it might be better to look to folks from parts of the state where Republicans DO win- listen to their counsel and replicate that model.
All this is to say that what we KNOW is without a doubt, primaries have been sure losers for us for several years now. Let’s try something different to get a different outcome. Vote Presidential Convention in 2016, SCC.
