How to avoid `Kuchelcide'

Someone wrote to the paper to say that extremism is really idealism. Maybe so. But does anyone remember 1964 in California?

There was a U.S. senator named Tom Kuchel, a moderate Republican. He was beaten in the primary by a conservative, whose name I've long since forgotten. The conservative was beaten in the general election by a liberal Democrat. I think it was Alan Cranston. The Democrat was in office for many years after.To prevent a party from committing "Kuchelcide," voters in primaries should be allowed to vote for one in each party. That should keep extremists of either the right or left in check.

John D. McGowan

Hurricane