Must Win?

Rush made a good point on his show this morning. Even though only one caucus and one primary have been completed, the mainstream media is breathlessly telling us that Mitt Romney "must win" in Michigan or his race is over, or Fred Thompson "must win" in South Carolina or his race is over. After Fred's performance in the debate last night, it looks to me like he's just getting started. With Romney, the media may be right. I'm not sure he's going to win anything except Wyoming.

Be that as it may, why are any states "must wins" with so many primaries yet to go, and why haven't I heard any "must win" scenerios for John McCain, Mike Huckabee or Rudy Giuliani? What do Romney and Thompson have in common that differentiates them from the other three? It's call conservatism and by telling us their race is over based on one state's results the media is hoping to dampen the enthusiasm for conservative candidates. They like the other three because of their generally liberal social views. The last thing the media wants is for a true conservative like Thompson to be matched up to Obama or Clinton.

I have many beefs with John McCain - they're almost too many to mention (though many of them can be found here). Seeing his new Michigan ad doesn't bring me much comfort:

(CNN) — Republican John McCain launched a new ad in Michigan Friday that stresses his bipartisan credentials in a state where crossover voting may play a major role in the presidential primary outcome.

In the 30-second spot, "Endorsed Michigan," an announcer reads from recent editorials in The Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press that praise the Arizona senator as a "straight shooter," "a conservative who has worked across the aisle," and a Republican with "broad appeal to the middle of the electorate."

There is no party registration in Michigan, and registered voters can cast their ballots in any primary. Since national party penalties have meant that most of the Democratic presidential field has pulled there name from the ballot – and none of the major candidates in that party will be campaigning in the state – Democrats and independents may play a far greater role in next Tuesday’s GOP primary than they do in most cycles.

You have to understand that to the press and the Democrats, "bipartisanship" means Republicans agreeing with Democrats, and McCain has done plenty of that. He's not running to win among Republicans - he's running to win the Dem and Independent vote.

I don't understand why the parties allow open primaries. Why haven't they gone to court to get those stopped? In California only registered Republican voters can vote in the GOP primary, yet in many states anyone can vote in either primary. Californians actually voted down an open primary law a few years ago.

I previously posted about efforts in Michigan to get Dems to vote for Romney, and these kinds of shenanigans are common in many states. Why should non-Republicans get to choose our nominee? It's just stupid.