Now, if you feel that the parties should be able to choose their own candidate without interference, then select the candidate with a convention instead of a primary. There are serious drawbacks to this method as well, however it would get you what you want.

Me? I am going to stick with being in favor of open primaries. I am hoping that by allowing independents to help us pick a candidate, they might be more willing to vote for whichever candidate ends up with the nomination. This method has its flaws, but it is the better then the alternatives.

As for Ron Paul? Well I am not saying he should retire, his constituents seem to like him because they keep sending him back. Well, if that is the way people in his district think, I guess they deserve to have their point of view heard in Congress as well. I just do not want him to be President, and I do not want to empower his power to express his point of view by falsely inflating his level of national support. This would be particularly harmful in states like Virginia which still possess the power to be a battleground state in the General Election.

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I am not “encouraging Ron Paul.” I hope he retires, never to be heard from again. However, in the unlikely event that he somehow manages to win the Virginia Republican primary, it would certainly be a big black eye for Romney. Who knows, maybe it would even encourage Paul to run as an independent and split the conservative vote in the general election.

Personally, I am in favor of party registration and closed primaries because I think political parties should get to choose their own candidates without outside interference.

I could understand participating in the Republican Party to vote for the most acceptable Republican candidate (because the Republican might win) even if you had already decided you were going to vote for Obama in the General election. Any other participation only fuels the arguments of those who argue for closed primaries, and closed primaries would not be a favorable outcome.

Besides, Democrats should lead by example. Just because Rush Limbaugh called for something similar last time around does not justify it. I would hope we Democrats do not foolishly follow the leadership of Rush Limbaugh; we should know better.

Gingrich may actually be able to win the nomination as the last anti-Romney left standing.

Paul doesn’t look like he has much of a chance to get the nomination, but will be the only anti-Romney on the Republican primary ballot in Virginia.

If Romney and Gingrich each go into the Republican convention without a majority of delgates, Paul may have enough delegates to play power-broker and decide the outcome. That would certainly be entertaining!

Alternatively, Paul may even run as an independent. He has already announced that he will not run for re-election to Congress. This is his last shot.