So Much For "Operation Chaos"

Long ago, when the 2008 Democratic Primary stretched out for so long that even hard-core politics-lovers where saying, "Enough already!," there was an odd, simultaneous occurrence: many registered Republican voters were either not voting their party, or not voting at all.

Right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh saw this as a problematic story; it was going to hurt the myth that America was a conservative-minded country (at least Limbaugh's brand of conservatism). Also, it would further illuminate the dissatisfaction people have with President Bush, whether your talking personality, policies or production.

So Rush decided to do something that was both sneaky and simple: claim that those Republicans who were voting for Democrats (particularly in the 2008 Democratic Primary) were doing so because they wanted to make the process last as long as possible. The goal: discombobulate the Democrats while giving the "presumptive Republican nominee" a chance to get on his feet.

There were two interesting things about Limbaugh's theory. One, it was an outright lie. Two, when people who listened to Limbaugh decided to actually vote against their own desires, the whole "operation" backfired miserably.

What Limbaugh and other may not have known was that this occurrence was just a small sampling of what's to come. Check this NYT article:

Well before Senators Barack Obama and John McCain rose to the top of their parties, a partisan shift was under way at the local and state level. For more than three years starting in 2005, there has been a reduction in the number of voters who register with the Republican Party and a rise among voters who affiliate with Democrats and, almost as often, with no party at all.

While the implications of the changing landscape for Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain are far from clear, voting experts say the registration numbers may signal the beginning of a move away from Republicans that could affect local, state and national politics over several election cycles. Already, there has been a sharp reversal for Republicans in many statehouses and governors’ mansions.

In several states, including the traditional battlegrounds of Nevada and Iowa, Democrats have surprised their own party officials with significant gains in registration. In both of those states, there are now more registered Democrats than Republicans, a flip from 2004. No states have switched to the Republicans over the same period, according to data from 26 of the 29 states in which voters register by party. (Three of the states did not have complete data.)

In six states, including Iowa, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, the Democratic piece of the registration pie grew more than three percentage points, while the Republican share declined. In only three states — Kentucky, Louisiana and Oklahoma — did Republican registration rise while Democratic registration fell, but the Republican increase was less than a percentage point in Kentucky and Oklahoma. Louisiana was the only state to register a gain of more than one percentage point for Republicans as Democratic numbers declined.

I doubt Limbaugh has a two-word nickname or soundbite to explain this shift, so allow me to let Republican Dick Armey chime in:

Democrats have always had extremely broad multifaceted registration programs.

"Multifaceted registration programs," you say? Yeah, I can see how that could give someone an advantage. Better than demanding that you identify your political allegiance or buy a silly campaign prop.

So while one candidate is organizing and inspiring, the other one is complaining about the competition and trying to define himself:





I did say, "Trying to define himself."