We’re about to come to the end of primary season. The O’Donnell-Castle match-up in Delaware should just about do it, and then it’s off to the general. That race isn’t turning out to be very pretty either, but in terms of primaries, it’s time to think ahead to 2012.
Yes, 2012. Entrenched incumbent RINOs are going to take some time and advance preparation to remove, so those of you with RINO infestations should think ahead. But not before you sit down in the political locker room, run the videotape on this year’s primaries, and get a plan for improving the three things that need it.
1.) Vetting candidates: There’s a bit of trouble with O’Donnell in the Delaware race. If Castle wins the primary, a Democrat will win in the general. The only question will be proper labeling or the RINO brand.
If you want to hunt RINOs, check out the candidates first. You don’t wind up trying to put someone who’s going to make your life extremely difficult over the finish line. Catching trouble early can save you grief.
2.) Predetermination: The problem here is simple: one unpopular RINO, multiple conservative challengers. Unfortunately, all states can’t be blessed with a primary system like Utah’s, which forces a one-on-one contest between two candidates by weeding out the rest of them out prior to having one (see Bob Bennett as an example). The solution is predetermination.
The state’s Tea Parties will ultimately have to decide which candidate to back before the primary begins. However, to have a chance at getting rid of an entrenched RINO, there can be no plural candidates. Choose a candidate before a primary starts, and it will decrease the chances that an incumbent RINO wins a plurality victory against a split opposition vote.
Doing this may seem a bit cold, especially if the multiple opposition candidates are all decent people with solid conservative track records. But the alternative is a loss and being stuck with a RINO again.
3.) Getting candidates ready for the big show: Sharron Angle is an example of this. She made it through the primary, and then Reid went to work on her in the general. Due to some early gaffes from which she has not yet completely recovered, she’s running tied with a man so unpopular in his state that his son won’t mention his last name.
This can be avoided by helping candidates early in getting ready for the big show, which is the general election in November.
If a candidate is going to be facing an incumbent Democrat, one thing is certain: The Democrat will be very good at retaining their job. If your candidate isn’t ready, the Democrat will be retaining their job again that November. That means having some idea of the game plan in place prior to the end of the primary, or getting one if the Democrat is already on the attack. This also means letting your candidate know early on if they need to fix a gaffe problem, or finding out in a vetting process if there’s a problem that will have to be overcome (or disqualifies them).
Granted, I’m a blogger in a very tiny corner of the blogosphere churning out ideas at a keyboard. However, I’m presenting them as food for thought and suggestions that could help your state win in its next RINO hunt. Learn from the missteps and mistakes, and come the next round of primaries in 2012, your Tea Party group or grassroots candidate support could be that much more effective.