Photon Torpedo Tube's Blog: March 2011

March 31, 2011

March 29, 2011

South Carolina Open Primary Election Law Unconstitutional

The South Carolina Governor is a Republican. The South Carolina House is controlled by Republicans. The South Carolina Senate is controlled by Republicans.

Why is it then that the Republicans will not enact a Registration by Party election law?

The answer is that some Republican members of the Senate and House are Republicans in name only (RINOs). As it is now, we have an open primary and any voter in the state can vote in our Republican primary.

The RINOs do not want to change the primary election laws to closed primaries (where only registered Republicans may vote for our party nominee) because the RINOs like it that moderate independents and Democrats are permitted to vote for them in the primary elections. That makes it harder for constitutional conservatives to vote them out of office where they can do less damage.

Because the legislature apparently will not act, the South Carolina Republican Party and the Greenville Republican Party have filed a federal lawsuit. The lawsuit was necessary because the RINO's election law scheme violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. Specifically, the RINO legislator's election law scheme forces Republicans into an unwanted association with Democrats and moderate independents in the election of our Party standard bearer. We cannot nominate truly conservative standard bearers when Democrats and independents enter our primaries and vote for the wrong primary candidates. That waters down our leaders and forces us to tolerate Republicans who do not truly believe in our Constitution or conservative, limited-government values.

The attorneys representing the Republican Party against the State have filed a brilliant legal brief explaining in detail the legislative election scheme (RINO Protection Scheme). The brief explains why the RINO scheme is a grossly unconstitutional infringment on our Constitutional rights of free association.

The issue of registration by party is of critical importance. In 2012, the State will conduct a Presidential Preference Primary. The RINO open primary scheme does preclude a voter from voting in the primaries of both of the main national political parties. That mitigates the constitutionally intrusive damage to some degree in the normal election year. However, in 2012, the Democrat Party has already announced it will not conduct a Presidential Preference Primary.

That means hoards of Democrat voters will cross over in 2012 and vote for the moderate Republican presendential nominee. We are proud of the fact that we are the "First in the South" primary. However, if RINOs in the Legislature continue to permit Democrats and moderate independents to come over and wreck the presidential preference primary, especially in a year when it is so important that we get rid of President Obama by nominating a conservative candidate, then we really should consider just letting Florida go first with their primary.

More importantly to us on a local level, the hoard of Democrats may also be voting for the RINO State Senators who may be challenged in Republican primary election contests. The RINOs in the State Senate are the biggest impedement to implementation of lower state taxes. They block rules that would create transparency in spending of taxpayer funds. They spend lavishly on their crony capitalism good ole boy network. They stonewall enactment of a fiscally conservative budget.

We Republicans cannot afford to dither. We need immediate action to enact a closed primary election law, registration by party.

March 12, 2011

Republican Party Delegate Form

Even if you were not elected as a delegate at the Precinct Meeting, you can still be one by first fully completing the Form A, which is linked in this sentence. Just check the second box at the bottom under paragraph 1 of the Form A.

Important note: the Form A must be signed by both your Precinct President and Secretary. You can find out in which Precinct you live by going to the State Elections Commission website link. More information is at my C4L blog post here.

Once you figure out your Precinct, if you do not know who the officers are, you may call Jan Williams, 325-3111, or the GOP HQ (864-271-1100) to find out how to reach your Precinct officers. If you cannot find out the names of your Precinct President and Secretary, or if you cannot get them to sign the Form A, then you must attend the make up meeting on March 22.

In any case, all Form A must be delivered with checks to the Greenville County Republican Party HQ (map at link) by the time of the make up meeting on March 22 at 7:00 p.m. To insure that your Form A and the state delegate form are received and processed, we recommend that you attend the make up meeting in person.

To run for election as one of the approximately 140 State Convention delegates from Greenville County, you will need to complete a Greenville County delegate form. I do not have a copy of that form, but you can acquire one from the Greenville GOP HQ (linked below), or by asking your Precinct President for a copy of the form delivered in the Precinct Packet.

Our goal is to have 90 percent of the Greenville County C4L members elected as County and/or State Delegates. Get your neighbors on board by having them complete the Form A. Shepherd their Forms A through the process by getting Precinct Officer signatures at the make up meeting. Call me and I will try to track down your friend's Precinct Officers. Let's get control of the voting majority at this upcoming convention.

It may take some extra effort to make it happen, but in these times, with American in so much trouble, it is critically important that our liberty-loving citizens become actively involved in the political process. The other side is actively organizing through groups like ACORN and SEIU and their graft-peddling public sector unions. We must organize and fight back or they will aim their darts at our precious liberties. Please, please, we need your help.