FDR was a big fan of primaries

[Hippo_Tron]

Excerpted from President Roosevelt's fireside chat on June 24, 1938

http://millercenter.virginia.edu/scripps/diglibrary/prezspeeches/roosevelt/fdr_1938_0624.html

"Fifty years ago party nominations were generally made in conventions -- a system typified in the public imagination by a little group in a smoke-filled room who made out the party slates.

The direct primary was invented to make the nominating process a more democratic one -- to give the party voters themselves a chance to pick their party candidates.

What I am going to say to you tonight does not relate to the primaries of any particular political party, but to matters of principle in all parties -- Democratic, Republican, Farmer-Labor, Progressive, Socialist or any other. Let that be clearly understood.

It is my hope that everybody affiliated with any party will vote in the primaries, and that every such voter will consider the fundamental principles for which his or her party is on record. That makes for a healthy choice between the candidates of the opposing parties on Election Day in November.

An election cannot give the country a firm sense of direction if it has two or more national parties which merely have different names but are as alike in their principles and aims as peas in the same pod."

The only comment that I will leave is that this is just more evidence that Senate primaries are NOT unprecedented, yet people seem to act like they are.

[bluestateguy]

1. His purge campaign was mostly a failure in 1938

His efforts to purge Southern Democrats from the party in primaries backfired. Southern Democrats made it clear that they were still very much in charge of the party that year.

[MarkDevin]

2. FDR was a far-left wacko. Long live the DLC!

:sarcasm:

[MrBenchley]

3. FDR was hated by the far left of his day

But don't let any facts get in your way....