Should be counteracted by major honest-to-goodness registration efforts. This primary gives a real chance to engage and register a bunch of new people.

"Dummocrat for a Day"

Ahh, the refreshing intellectual grandeur and civility of a right-wing radio host. Truly a wonderful thing to behold.

At least it's honest: Any Republican registering temporarily as a Democrat with the intention of interfering in the primary process truly is a "Dummocrat". (And they'll be making work for government employees while they do it!)

Does anybody with a brain or sense of decency pay any attention to Reinhard?

Remember the uproar when some Republicans (in Texas?) registered Dem. to vote in the primary as Rush or someone told them to, and then got to the polling place, looked at the ballot, and realized they had given away the chance to vote in a lower level (Congress?) primary they'd felt strongly about ?

Jim Bunn and some others are in an Oregon House primary in Yamhill County. Wonder how they would feel about people leaving the GOP--thus less GOP voters in their primary.

When you vote for a candidate that you don't really want to hold that seat, you're disrespecting Democracy.

So the headline should've been: Conservative David Reinhard and GOP minions hate Democracy.

I'd like to pass on some advice to Mr. Reinhard something I tell my children.

Just because something isn't illegal doesn't make it OK. If someone asks you to do something and says...its not illegal... but it doesn't pass the "eeewwww" test or the "ick" test, then don't do it.

Reinhard seems to agree there is something icky about what he suggests, but since its not illegal, what the heck.

If he were my kid, he'd be grounded.

This is not the party of Tom McCall, Mark Hatfield, or Norma Paulus. No wonder Norma Paulus said a few years back. "There is no one left in the Republican party I can talk to."

I'm with Nate. Also, Obama's already won. Moves like this just ensure that The Democrat Show is extended for a full-season run, so that every state's Democrats have a chance to turn out in droves. That can only help us. And Clinton's going to do whatever she wants to do regardless, which is to stay in the election until the superdelegates ultimately reject her.

I'm a NAV and intend to stay that way. I wouldn't cross into either party to vote in their primary uninvited and certainly wouldn't go with the intention of mucking things up. Who will win eventually? Who knows, it seems that the latest flap regarding Obama's clergy in his hometown church will turn some folks off.

Who leaked this news at such an interesting historic time? Was it HRC or McCain? Is it true or is it supposition?

This is politics. What's ethics got to do with it?

Who is more qualified is easy to answer..........I want someone with the viciousness and steel to go after our enemies........

I once told Reinhard that if he had been living in Germany in the 1930s he would probably have been a hack for the Voelkischer Beobachter, the Nazi rag. Nothing he has said since has caused me to change my opinion.

As for being led by someone with viciousness and steel to go after enemies, can anyone possibly imagine what South Africa would be like today if Nelson Mandela and Bishop Tutu were Reinhard's kind of guys? By comparison Iraq would be a peaceful haven.

The weird part is that in person, Reinhard seems like a fairly nice (if not overly bright) guy.

There were many 'nice' Germans who voted for Hitler turning a blind eye to his faults hoping he would back off from some of his outrageous positions. I haven't read any of Reinhard's drivel lately, but I presume he is with McCain and hasn't noticed the Straight-Talk Express going round in circles to keep up with the U-Turns out of McCain's mouth.

One other line from Dave's column stuck out for me:

When is it unethical to act in the best interest of the nation?

If he thinks the Rs have been acting in the best interest of America, he's more delusional than I thought.

"Ahh, the refreshing intellectual grandeur and civility of a right-wing radio host. Truly a wonderful thing to behold."

Have you folks listened to Mike Malloy, Randi Rhodes or Sam Cedar.

Mike Malloy on the air, "Jesus Christ, those God Damn son's of Bitches".

The weird part is that in person, Reinhard seems like a fairly nice (if not overly bright) guy.

I've always suspected that Reinhard developed that "nice guy" persona in grade school when he was learning to suck up to his teachers. Perhaps that is what triggers an instinct in so many people to dislike him.

First it was Rush Limbaugh, now Reinhard -

Two peas in a pod -

So, who wants to support an open primary now? Obviously, those who want to play in the others sandbox and create situations where the process is tricked to do things against the will of the voters.

I want someone with the viciousness and steel to go after our enemies.

As I recall from a comment by Reinhard some time ago, it seems he lacked "the viciousness and steel to go after our enemies" when he was eligible to join the military. The last I heard his kids passed up the chance to display "viciousness and steel to go after our enemies" in Iraq. Another chickenhawk.

Year ago, I switched parties in the primary to vote for Norma Paulus over Denny Smith in the governor's race. No one told me to do it and I don't think my vote mattered much in this case.

I guess the difference is that I voted for the stronger of the two candidates.

Reinhard influences maybe a few hundred people, if that. So not to worry.

The best part is at the end of the article, where he gives advice on how to be a Democrat. His advice includes the line, "Avoid meeting actual Republicans lest your stereotype of Republicans be shattered," and then proceeds to list a number of stereotypes of Democrats. This sort of self-defeating argument is the hallmark of his style. He comes across as not too bright, perhaps the reason his writing isn't so much inflammatory as it is mildly itchy. I suspect they keep him around because he causes people to furiously write letters.

"Avoid meeting actual Republicans lest your stereotype of Republicans be shattered,"

Which leads me to believe he never met anyone who campaigned for Tom McCall, admired Norma Paulus and Clay Myers, knows someone who voted Bush/Hooley in 2004, admires St. Sen. Frank Morse.

Of course, none of those are the sort of people David R. probably associates with.

Victoria Taft is just one more right wing, bellyaching malcontent radio "entertainer" throwing red meat to the poor rabble who listen to her. Pathetic really. She, Herr Reinhart, and all the other regressive media bullies are, at their heart, fascists of the first order. They’re the moral descendents of all of America’s conservative hate-mongers. Imagine for a moment (it’s not hard to do) a broadcast by this knuckle dragger from, say, Little Rock, in about 1957 or so.

“Welcome, Gov. Faubus, to the Victoria Daft Show”

“Thanks for havin’ me here, Victoria.”

“So tell me, Orval, what’s up with all these uppity colored folks?”

“Well, Victoria, a bunch of communist agitators from New York have come down here and stirred up our Negras, and we’re not going to stand by and allow our white American way of life to be trampled by a bunch of Yankee carpetbaggers. I don’t care what they say in Washington or the Supreme Court. These people are outsiders trying to ruin our precious southern conservative heritage. And if we let them in the High Schools, the next thing they’d want is to teach evolution and then it’s on to promoting miscegenation.”

“Oh, no, we can’t have that.”

“We’ll stop ‘em, Victoria – you can bet on that.”

“Gee, that’s great, Orval. You know all the good conservative people of Arkansas stand behind you.”

Ah, yes – conservative talk radio from the archives.

What pleases me is that they have to actually put the stain on their soul that they registered (D). All that said, the Democratic Party does invite all the NAVs and (R)s that mean something by it to come participate. You have about a month to come over. If you can honestly look at either (D) presidential candidate or (D) senatorial, or even State Leg candidates and tell me their is an unappreciable difference between that (R) and (D) you are too cynical for anything I have to say. And I do believe that Primaries are huge in effect. The investment in that (D) means you can help direct the direction of the Party.

Just to be clear, I've poked at Kevin about ... a lot of times to come over. We frequently don't see eye to eye, but I'm convinced he'd be a real asset. How's that for inclusiveness?

From the Boston Globe this A.M.:

For a party that loves to hate the Clintons, Republican voters have cast an awful lot of ballots lately for Senator Hillary Clinton: About 100,000 GOP loyalists voted for her in Ohio, 119,000 in Texas, and about 38,000 in Mississippi, exit polls show.

The 314 people who read Reinhard's dribblings pale in comparison. Of course, when you throw in all of KPAM listeners that adds a couple of thousand... so this could have a serious... oh, right, never mind.

Rush and other rightards urged the same thing in Texas and Ohio--vote for Hillary.

This would be a moot point if Hillary Clinton would finally acknowledge the fact that she's lost and withdraw from the race.

How is her continuing candidacy doing any good for the Democratic party?

I remember similar shenanigans a few years back with Ralph Nader, but the response from Democrats is so different. Back then, folks used Republican support for Nader as yet another platform to attack him as a spoiler. And when Democrats (including the county chair) encouraged folks to actively sabotage Nader's nominating convention, I don't recall those folks being attacked as "haters of Democracy", like Reinhard is here.

You guys shouldn't be so hard on the right wing radio whack jobs. They are crucifying John McCain. Probably going to be a big factor in getting Obama elected.

Victoria Taft should have her picture in the dictionary, under "blonde".

When Kos supported a similar move in the Michigan primary I found it equally distasteful, but ultimately I don't think this is the sort of action that turns elections. I think that, more than anything, it's emblematic of the total collapse of the Republican party. When you're reduced to petty vandalism to feel better about yourself, you've got real problems.

This concept is an embarrasing one for those of us on the "right". I support candidates I want to vote for, and wouldn't dream of switching parties to vote for a candidate that I don't like or trust.

This sort of logic makes the GOP look desperate and is one of the reasons they have lost people like me from their ranks, leaving us with "no where to go"... I.E. Registering as "Non-Affiliated".

I like Victoria Taft, respect the humor in this idea, but I could never fathom this being a serious consideration for real conservatives and true Republicans.

It's all a little bit too embarrassing to think about. This concept actually makes me consider that it might be time to adopt "open primaries"; a notion that I have never supported in the past.

FYI, I registered "D" about a month ago. I'm one of y'all now. My intention is to reregistered NAV this summer. But the reality is that I'm a creature of habit. Much moreso than most. And having had a few months to get used to wearing the "D" I may just decide to leave it as-is. We'll see.

I'll be following in your footsteps from NAV to "D," Kevin, but I'll return to NAV after the primary. There are just too many problems with the party for me to stick around.

Mr. Reinhard should be careful what he asks for. With the lack of anything positive coming from Republican officeholders and candidates, many Rs who switch their registration to D in order to play games may find their new party affiliation feels better than they expected and stick around.

My husband's been registered NAV for many years. I'm a registered Democrat for decades.

Yet every time the Democrats call, they ask for my husband. Every Single Time.

It's a little weird.

Since I'm a registered Democrat who never hears from the party, I doubt these new NAVs have anything to worry about.

I'm trying to talk my husband into registering Democrat to vote for Obama.

Stop the italics?

Nate Currie had it right, and Ryan Healy named Markos Moulitsas Zuniga as having recommended the same tactic for Democrats in Michigan--vote for Romney, and prolong the McCain struggle to secure the Republican nomination.

I spoke against the tactic on DailyKos (as "JTML"), and I don't think it'll have any measurable effect here in our Democratic primary.

Chris, about this: "that the D packing of the room to prevent Nader getting on the ballot was at least equally anti-democratic "

was that sanctioned by the Democratic Party? Or was it some activists who made a short drive to the place where the meeting was being held?

My view is that one reason so many people tune out politics and often register NAV is that there is too much stereotyping, as if the actions of individuals speak for a whole political party.

David Reinhard demonstrates by his comments that he is an ethically challenged person. He should receive his just desserts. He should be treated like the dirtbag that he is. The Republican party in Oregon is just about ready to be tossed out with the trash. Reinhard should jump in the barrel with the rest of them.

By the way, I have written KPOJ and asked that Malloy be dumped or get some medication.

Bill Bodden asks "Does anybody with a brain or sense of decency pay any attention to Reinhard?"

No, just Republicans.