The nomination of Alvin Greene as the Democratic nominee for the US Senate in South Carolina against Republican Senator Jim DeMint is excellent evidence of the need for strong political parties, despite all of the attacks on parties evident in this year of disillusionment with politics on the part of many Americans!
The fact that South Carolina has an “open primary” system had led to shenanigans such as this one, where an unknown candidate is likely being put on the ballot by the dominant political party’s funds, and many registered members of the party “cross over” in the primary to set up the weakest possible candidate to oppose their favored nominee in their own party! An investigation has begun into what seems likely to be a GOP ploy, which would not be surprising, considering the history of the Palmetto State! 🙁
There is no way to explain such an inarticulate candidate, with no money, no campaign organization, no website, no campaign appearances, and no substance in his views, to have, somehow, won a nomination for an office that he is obviously unqualified for by any measure one employs!
How is Alvin Greene to conduct a campaign against Jim DeMint and take part in debates, when he cannot even explain in very basic terms how he has organized and run a campaign as the “stealth” candidate, coming literally out of “nowhere” to become a nominee for the Senate? 🙁
As bad as other nominees and winners of Senate elections have been in the present and past, Alvin Greene would likely stand out as the absolutely worst nominee ever offered on a fall ballot for the Senate in many decades, and possibly ever in the history of elections! The Democratic party wants him to withdraw, which he refuses to do, and it makes one think that he is indeed part of a corrupt “Republican plant”, making a mockery of the whole election process! 🙁
So, to say that “open primaries”, and the decline of strong parties that is being pushed in California, and already exists in Washington State and Louisiana, is a good thing is subject to much greater scrutiny!
It makes one wonder if democracy is being served with the call to deemphasize political parties, or whether it is promoting a lack of responsibility and commitment to principles that political parties have represented in the over two hundred year history of parties in our political system!