I'll get back to that is a moment. But first...
Something about our two party system has been nagging at me recently. With very few exceptions, come November voters have a choice between candidates from one of two parties (assuming both parties run a candidate in a given contest). Independents exist, but there aren't that many of them running and even fewer have a realistic chance. So it comes down to choosing between two candidates.
People tend to identify with one party or the other due to either agreeing with the positions of a party, disagreeing with the positions of a party, or both. Candidates do make a difference, but in general people have a party they vote for and will hard pressed to vote the other way.
Which all means that when the voting really counts in November, a good number of people are locked into who they're voting for. By virtue of there being only two choices and one of those choices is off the table because the person doesn't like the other party, that person's vote has been determined.
Now, time to bring this all together...
The current approach is great if you really like the candidate your party put up. It isn't that good if you're voting for someone who you don't really like just because the alternative from the other party is worse.
Which is where the importance of primaries comes into play. From a practical point of view, primaries are the only time when most people will have an opportunity to choose between candidates they could actually vote for in November.
So to address the topic being discussed at NLS, every candidate should be primaried for every race. The question of whether or not to primary shouldn't be which incumbents are doing a good job or voted the way we wanted for an important issue - they should all be primaried so the voters get a chance to be heard. A chance to say what they think of an incumbent and if that incumbent is upholding the voter's beliefs or not.
Ok, I know there are many real world problems with this: money being wasted "fighting" our own party, splitting alliances, and disrupting party unity. Not to mention, in Virginia at least, that anyone can vote in a primary so the other party would try to things screw up.
Since I'm a Progressive Democrat my ultimate goal is to make sure Republicans don't get elected. But in the process I really would like to vote for a Representative I believe in - not just a body who is not a Republican. And the only way that is going to happen is if each and every incumbent gets primaried.