Civil Liberties
The Liberals’ Secret to Winning in Conservative States
By AAF | Sep 5, 2024
There is a threat to liberty that most overlook in American politics today. This problem has resulted in pro-liberty states adopting progressively more tyrannical and big government policies despite outspoken opposition from their citizens. Conservative strongholds caved to Faucism and destroyed businesses and careers during the COVID lockdowns. Those same pro-freedom states continually expand their budgets and expand government welfare programs.
So why are so many states with overwhelmingly conservative populations abandoning the principles of liberty? While there are many answers to this question, one of the most overlooked problems is the open primary. At a time when there are dramatic and often irreconcilable differences between political viewpoints, some voters have opted to exploit the open primary system by participating in the candidate selection process of the opposing political party to bring that party more in their direction. This manipulation distorts the democratic process, ultimately steering parties away from their core principles and leading to the election of candidates who do not genuinely represent the will of their party’s base.
One of the most significant threats open primaries pose is their potential to empower big government politicians. Politicians who favor expansive government policies, increased regulation, and the erosion of individual liberties can manipulate open primaries to gain an advantage. By infiltrating the opposition’s primary process, these candidates can push forward agendas that prioritize government control over personal freedom. For those who value limited government and individual rights, this is a serious concern. Open primaries can become a tool for expanding government reach, often at the expense of the values that closed primaries protect personal liberty, fiscal responsibility, and the rule of law.
The solution to this problem is a closed primary system which would require that a voter be a member of the political party to participate in that party’s candidate nomination process or primary election.
Closed primaries reinforce the principle of self-determination within political parties. Parties are private organizations with distinct ideologies, and their members have the right to select their candidates without outside interference. Allowing non-members to participate in the selection process undermines this principle, effectively diluting the voices of those who have committed themselves to the party’s cause. Closed primaries ensure that the candidates chosen truly reflect the values of the party’s constituents, not the whims of non-members who may not share the same commitment to limited government and individual rights.
Critics of closed primaries argue that they exclude independent voters, but this criticism misses the point of what primaries are meant to accomplish. Primaries are not general elections; they are a means for parties to select candidates who best represent their core principles. Independents and non-affiliated voters can still participate in the electoral process during the general election, where all voices are heard. The role of the primary is to protect the ideological integrity of parties, not to serve as a free-for-all where external forces can undermine the party’s mission.
Closed primaries are a vital defense against the encroachment of big government and a safeguard for liberty. They protect the integrity of political parties, ensuring that their candidates remain true to the principles that reflect the people who elected them. By restricting participation to party members, closed primaries help prevent the manipulation of the electoral process by those who seek to expand government power and erode individual rights. In the battle to preserve liberty, closed primaries stand as a critical bulwark against the forces of big government.
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