CQ Politics has an interesting piece on Republican Leader, my Congressman and a Great American -- John Boehner -- and his decision to get more involved in House campaigns that includes this bit:The minority leader also told his caucus that even though most state primaries are over, he and NRCC Chairman Tom Cole , R-Okla., will get more involved in the remaining ones by trying to head off divisive and potentially expensive primary fights for House nominations. There are two ways to do that — getting behind a candidate before a primary campaign gets underway in earnest to head off challengers, or actively backing one candidate if a contest appears unavoidable. The sources said Boehner didn’t specify which method he and Cole will choose.OH-18 is one such race that would have benefited from this strategy having been employed much earlier...
I really don't have a problem with the NRCC getting behind a primary candidate if that candidate is a conservative or if there is a large field to choose from...but I generally think that the suits in Dee Cee really don't know much about who the right candidate is locally. If they devise a method for evaluating which candidate to back, I could probably go along with this; but if it's which ever candidate scratches the most backs, forget it.
Primaries are often the only time real reform can come to the party and I am generally opposed to interference in that process by the national party structure.
