Reading over the article in the Northwest Arkansas Times on Sunday – “GOP Shuns Candidates Who Voted in Primaries” – concerning the decision by the Washington County GOP to essentially bar any candidate who has ever – ever, I say! – voted in a Democratic primary.

Washington County party chairman Jim Reavis got a resounding “No!” when he asked members of the party in February if they should should allow such folks to vote as Republicans.

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The feeling in the South has long been that if you want to be elected, you run as a Republican. Then again, sometimes people honestly change parties – such a blanket refusal to accept those who who come to the Republican party out of their honest beliefs is so short-sighted it is comical.

And more than a little bigoted.

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But then, it’s all about keeping the party “pure”, isn’t it?

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Then again, even the most paranoid among us have some reason to be wearing their tinfoil hats

Way back in the Olden Days – the election of 1990, to be exact – a local Republican JP convinced several of us to run as Republicans so that we might “liberalize” the local branch of the GOP.

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Not only did we lose, but we fooled absolutely no one in the GOP.

Not sure anyone from that crowd is around today though.

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*****

Quote of the Day

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“Beware of unearned privilege. Standing and status account for nothing. Be people of humility, discipline and compassion.” –  Lowell Grisham

rsdrake@cox.net

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