open primary vs. closed caucus

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Daglord

Posting Machine
Jan 26, 2015
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I'm (somewhat) new to this so TME...

Does the closed caucus seem outdated to anyone else? Seems to me that it’s set up to stifle any independent or grassroots movement & favor the more establishment candidate. What is the reason for still keeping a closed caucus?

In addition, do you think a closed caucus discourages the ‘undecided’ (but registered) voter from showing up? perhaps out of fear of being hounded by the other parties’ reps? I know I would much rather do my research on my own than in the shark tank like atmosphere of a caucus. does a closed caucus encourage peer pressure, front-runner voting? does it help getting people to step into their party's preferred line?

What about it being a set time as opposed to open all day/night? does that give an advantage to the 9-5’ers & put 2nd & 3rd shift @ a disadvantage?

On the other hand…

Does a closed caucus promote a more informed vote? I assume if you are registered with either party you have more than just a passing interest in politics & have been paying attention to the issues/policies. Does a closed caucus weed out all the people who might be voting for Trump because of his celebrity or Hillary simply because she is a woman? I've been seeing/reading a TON of uninformed trump voters so this might not be such a bad thing ;)

It’s no surprise, or conspiracy (LOL, though Bernie might have a legit beef imho) that trump didn’t win IA. I imagine a good portion of his supporters are unregistered & have no plans on doing so. In fact, his numbers in IA were better than I expected.

I was also surprised to see Rand drop out after IA & not give NH or SC a shot. He has never really had the support of the GOP & is considered anti-establishment for the most part. That Paul name is also a bitch to carry around in some GOP circles (& rightfully so).

I know the caucus & primaries don't mean much in the grand scheme, but they can encourage/discourage a candidate from continuing to run. is there really any good reason to have a closed caucus as opposed to an open primary?

#StillRanding.