by If you are not a member of a political party, because you are too lazy or cowardly to commit, at least for one election, stay home.
I switched parties for one election, in order to participate in a primary. It took a few minutes in both directions. I made the effort and played by the rules.
Primaries are not run by America, they are run by the political parties for their members. I’m sick of “independents” creating mischief in the election when they didn’t make the effort to join a party.
Independents should stay home and watch Matlock reruns until next November!
Veteran educator Gary Stager, Ph.D. is the author of Twenty Things to Do with a Computer – Forward 50, co-author of Invent To Learn — Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom, publisher at Constructing Modern Knowledge Press, and the founder of the Constructing Modern Knowledge summer institute. He led professional development in the world’s first 1:1 laptop schools thirty years ago and designed one of the oldest online graduate school programs. Gary is also the curator of The Seymour Papert archives at DailyPapert.com. Learn more about Gary here.
Gary, I think you write this stuff just to get a rise of your readers. To answer your question: independents get to vote in party primaries if that state’s legislature has wisely decided they should. I live in Arizona, where independents may not vote in primaries. So our independent voters sit on the sidelines and watch the antiquated, irrelevant two-party system choose the Presidential nominees. Will your next post be entitled, “Why Don’t We Let Party Bigwigs Choose the Presidential Nominees in Smoke-Filled Rooms?”
Start another party then. That’s how our system works.
I have no problem with multiple parties. I’m really big by playing by the rules.
You are correct that legislatures are responsible for this mischief.