Leaders of the state Republican Party voted Saturday to endorse a return to a party primary system for federal elections, though with a major change from the way the system worked in the past. They also rejected a suggestion to recognize April 2011 as Confederate History Month on grounds it would be harmful to the party's image.
During a sometimes raucous meeting of the Republican State Central Committee, the governing arm of the state GOP, party leaders called on all Republican legislators to consider adopting an amended closed-party primary system for federal elections. That would reverse what a majority of GOP lawmakers supported during this year's legislative session.
The resolution urged a return to the party primaries the state has had for the past few years, but with a major change: elimination of party runoffs, so that whoever gets the most votes in the party primary would win a place in the general election even if he or she did not receive 50 percent of the votes.
Under the present system, each political party that fields at least two candidates in federal races, meaning for the U.S. House and Senate, must have a primary. If no candidate gets a majority, the top two finishers advance to a party runoff. The winning party candidates then meet in a November general election.
The system allows each party to determine whether voters registered as independents can vote in their primaries. The state Democratic and Libertarian parties allow them to do so; the state GOP does not.
Under the resolution adopted Saturday, each party would hold a primary and the candidate with the most votes would go on to a general election against the other parties' candidates and any candidates running as independents.
Ross Little, one of the state GOP's representatives on the Republican National Committee, called on the Legislature to reverse itself. "The closed (party) primary is extremely important in grass-roots politics, building party strength and registering more Republicans," he said.
At the urging of Harahan Mayor Paul Johnston and Keith Hall of Gretna, both members of the committee, the board voted almost unanimously to postpone indefinitely action on a resolution recognizing April 2011 as Confederate History Month, coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War.
The resolution said that while Louisiana residents are "thankful" for the "permanent eradication" of slavery, the party should not forget the contributions of Confederate soldiers and sailors and called on all citizens "to engage in historical study of the events of the years 1861 to 1865, and to solemnly contemplate that time in our history."
An earlier version of the resolution had called on Jindal to declare April as Confederate History Month and pointed out that former Govs. Mike Foster, a Republican, and Kathleen Blanco, a Democrat, regularly signed similar proclamations. That language was deleted before the resolution reached the floor for debate.
Johnston called the measure "a racist issue" that will hurt the GOP in going after minority voters. "They are going to tear us up on this in the news media," he said.
Nathan Curtis, a Lake Charles committee member, urged passage of the resolution, saying that "this is part of our history. ... There is nothing in here remotely resembling supporting slavery."
Ed Anderson can be reached at eanderson@timespicayune.com or 225.342.5810.
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Poster Comment:
The Party of Lincoln can go straight to hell, I'm through with those bastards.
