Afraid to alienate New Hampshire?

[BOSSHOG]

Per NPR some candidates will shy away from Michigan and Florida who want to have their primaries earlier for fear of alienating New Hampshire and other traditional early state primaries. Fuck New Hampshire. Obviously New Hampshirites think the primary god died and left them in charge of scheduling. Who and when primaries are held needs a good overhauling and since New Hampshire has had their turn for years and years and years, they shouldn't be considered for good slots in the future, until the 22nd century.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. A little like insulting Belgium. And don't forget Poland.

insulting a STATE? Other than most of Texas and certain parts of Misery, Kansas and Colorado, I am generally against it.

[BOSSHOG]

2. How bout I move up the Mississippi primary to next week?

How terribly bad would New Hampshire be insulted by that? They should not have a lock on the first primary. There is way too much at stake to ensure about 98% of the country does not have first dibs just because some folks are so fond of themselves.

[PATRICK]

8. Hamstrung caution

Expect this a lot more as new Dem leadership or things just coming apart at the seams affect all the issues the party suppresses as divisive or difficult. Sure it is tough to tackle the whole election primary reform package even by subsections when you want a smooth path to a CHANCE at victory. The trouble is that states are going for it in switching primaries and launching shots against the electoral college. When that happens the results are chaotic and counterproductive but that signals how much better it would have been to hash out a new party front to reform that would set the pattern for renewing democracy and representative elections for the nation.

In this case, the champions of caution and "tradition", going so far as to invoke divine Providence, are the ones causing the divisiveness and evading responsibility for reform so much as to even guarantee that GOP election fraud will go unheralded and unhindered. Maybe I am wrong but I see Dean bridging the fissures like a giant on this one. If the DINO DLC had its way the party would dissolve into cautious chaos for 2008 and reforms would be pushed and corrupted by GOP encouragement and enablement of state Dem
reformers.

Now as to the perfect primary plan or tradition.... yes it would take a heady summit and brouhaha which might point to simple solutions that would not favor some states over others. When would some of the current footdraggers allow that to happen? When forced to.

[Ninga]

3. It is about money, the cost of running one single TV ad in a major Michigan media market.

Period.

What is the best way to cover a state like Michigan? Oh i get it, you would drive from Traverse City to Ann Arbor, then Bay City to Detorit, then how about Grand Rapids, or Big Rapids....

OY VEY why don't you get it !!

Michigan and Florida are huge states that require tons and tons of TV in order to get the message out.

Michigan will only get the attention from the candidate who has the most money.....now that is a sure fire way to pick a candidate isn't it?

[BOSSHOG]

6. Okay, obviously

there is no reason for the rest of us to vote. Lets let New Hampshire pick our presidents from now on since its cost effective. I find the cost of liberty irrelevant. I find the notion that citizens of a small state self absorbed in their own assumed importance appalling.

[Ninga]

9. Perhaps you know who you are going to vote for, and have for the past 100 years, but what

about the Michigander who hasn't made up their mind yet?

What is your practical answer to the money problem?

In order for there to be one, national, primary voting day when would we vote? Jan, Feb, Mar, June??????? When.

Practical answers please.

[BOSSHOG]

15. Rotation of primaries

Cut the country in four pieces geographically (take vertical slices relative to total citizenry with a goal of approximate equality of numbers.) Areas one, two, three and four.

2008 - primaries will be held in order 1,2,3,4
2012 - primaries will be held in order 2,3,4,1
2016 - primaries will be held in order 3,4,1,2

and on and on

So Michiganders don't know who they are going to support but New Hampshirites do?

Is there a money problem? Candidates don't spend money in New Hampshire?

I do not favor a national primary, refer to my plan above.

Given the opportunity I would vote for General Clark, who is not running however my primary is late and irrelevant. I'd love for a citizen of New Hampshire to experience that feeling. To have the nomination a done deal before their state had a primary But apparently primaries aren't about liberty, they are about money. I hope I have been practical enough.

[cali]

26. I've had that experience and I support

the current schedule, and your suggestion is a recipe for disaster.
As for money, no they don't spend a lot there. It's largely retail politics, and advertising is cheap.

[BOSSHOG]

29. Please

share with me the disaster scenario. I will get to vote before a New Hampshirite might? Thats a disaster? And if a candidate is spending just a teensy little bit of money in New Hampshire, is he/she spending money elsewhere? In California? Other soon to be primary states?

But I must agree, spending money to campaign in Mississippi would be teensy, weensy as well. Maybe the travel costs might be a pinch more then New Hampshire, but what the hell, we are only talking democracy here. Or as one might surmise, the vote of a New Hampshirite is a fuck lot more valuable then the vote of any other American. That thought pisses me off. Damn, you're right again, that is a disastrous scenario.

Thanks for solidifying my thoughts on the subject. Fuck New Hampshire, regional primaries full steam ahead. Unless of course you think your vote is not as important as a New Hampshirite. Obviously they think you and your vote aren't worth a flying dog fuck.

[cali]

4. I appreciate the small scale of NH politics

NH is small both physically and population wise. Unscripted and frequently revealing moments happen regularly. It's also a state with high citizen participation and savvy voters. Now that Nevada and SC have been added to the early grouping of states, I think the Iowa, NH SC, Nevada grouping works well.

[Ninga]

5. A voice of reason. Thank you. All of us would like to be in the top tier states

to vote early, but it is just not practical nor affordable for the candidates.

It is what it is.

[cali]

7. I actually could care less that

I'm in a late primary state. I don't even get all this fuss about going first. Well, I get it from the state's pov, but not from individuals' pov.

[dbackjon]

31. And the rest of us are all just ignorant bumpkins??

Again, Screw NH and their self-absorbed voters.

[Vinca]

33. Thanks, Cali. I think the smallness of New Hampshire makes it

possible for all candidates to have a chance to break out of the pack. Some can't afford the larger states and a nationwide primary would go to the candidate with the most money. If money is the criteria, you might as well just check the bank account balances before the primary starts and name the winner. If it hadn't been for New Hampshire, I don't think Bill Clinton would have been the "comeback kid." I think the last election was unusual with Kerry coming out of New Hampshire so strongly it obliterated other primaries. That's unlikely to happen again.

[RaleighNCDUer]

10. Want to revamp the primary system? Fine.

Do it for the NEXT election. The rules are already set and agreed to for this one.

There is no compelling reason why New Hampshire and Iowa should have precedence over, say, Mississippi and Vermont. The only criteria for the early primary should be that it is in low-delegate states, where the messages of 2nd tier candidates are not automatically overwhelmed by the machines of the big money candidates. Wyoming and Maine? Why not. Arizona and North Dakota? Sounds good. New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas? No way.

[cali]

12. Well said,

though as a Vermonter, I don't want an early primary date. NH gets swamped with candidates. That's close enough.

[Ninga]

14. OK, I am going to try this ONE MORE TIME> IT COSTS TOOO MUCH MONEY FOR A

CANDIDATE TO CAMPAIGN IN A BIG AND EXPENSIVE MEDIA MARKET LIKE MICHIGAN.


SO A FIRST OR SECOND OR THIRD PLACE WIN IN ONE OF THE SMALLER STATES, WILL GET THE MONEY ROLLING INTO THE CAMPAIGN SO HE/SHE CAN COME INTO YOUR BIG FAT STATE. !!!

GET IT?????

NO, I DO NOT THINK YOU DO.

[RaleighNCDUer]

20. Did you reply to the wrong post? Because I think that we are

agreeing. Keep the early primaries in the small states, so to ensure better competition between the lesser known and better funded candidates.

[sandnsea]

24. Uhm, all DUers get this

and have gotten it since their first presidential primary vote. Some may disagree with the procedure, but they still get the purpose of small state primaries.

[MichiganVote]

32. Sure I get it. All the nightly news publicity about not coming to the BIG states is totally ignored.

Really. Who knew all a candidate had to do was stand on the proverbial high horse and declare NH the primary winner, garner national attention and run with it. So what if an entire legislature and a Democratic governor performed a bi-partisan coalition to legally move a primary date forward.

[mitchtv]

18. Thanks for nothing , small stater

Let me say it again ROTATING, REGIONAL PRIMARIES. It is fair to all, not just small states. What? Californians should cede any decision making to the flyover states? NY NJ??

[RaleighNCDUer]

22. That just guarantees that the well funded candidates will overwhelm

their opponants. Well funded = corporate. It means more of the same, no impetus for change. Small state early primaries allows lesser known candidates to shake things up. If their message catches on, they will get the funding to compete in the later, bigger primaries.

What do you mean by "rotating regional primaries". Give the first primary to the Southern Region (campaign only in Florida), or the Western Region (campaign only in Texas), or the Pacific Region (canpaign only in California), or the NorthEast Region (campaign only in New York). Snag the huge numbers of delegates early on, and crush the competition. That sounds like democracy to me.

[mitchtv]

25. so it's better to have the small states that turn red

decide, while the millions of Dems in the large states just send money? and wait? No F'n way. you don't like that then all at once enough of this catering to states we can't even carry. You people want to run all over the large stateS. Maybe it should be CA, NY, TX, FL, MA, NJ, IL, MI. I am so glad tha CA moves its primary foward. having NO say was pretty depressing all these years

[cali]

27. whine much? Waah, I wanna be first. My vote doesn't count

I'm from a big blue state, so I'm entitled. What bullshit. You don't have to vote as NH or Iowa votes.

[Link93]

11. I agree with your post.

Traditionalism is not usually a good thing.

[Raven]

13. I live in NH and love the fact that we get so much attention and

are able to see the candidates in the flesh BUT I don't think it's at all fair. It is a shame that so many states get ignored and that so much attention is paid to a state that isn't exactly representative of the population of the country as a whole.

[Ninga]

17. It is cheep to campaign in your dinkly little state, so get over it. It is not because

you are more important than anyother state.

It is because you are afordable, reachable, and small and cheep.

[cali]

19. I disgree.

No NH isn't representative, but as I pointed out it has an engaged and savvy citizenry, and now that SC and Nevada are early, representation of latinos, urbanites, blacks, southerners and westerners, are in the the mix.

NH is like a laboratory, and it gives candidates without a shitload of money and name recognition, a chance.

[Raven]

21. Good point. I hadn't considered the expense. Probably a more

level playing field here. And of course we are savvy!

[sarge43]

16. Well yes, Graniteheads are used to being insulted and they

generally don't give a rodent's patoot one way or another.

What I like about NH having the first primary is the candidates have to drag their sorry carcases upcheer and endure our winter weather. Something deeply satisfying about the next Leader of the Free World getting a face full of sleet (wind chill minus 10F) while trying smooze a knot of plow drivers who, trust me, are not impress. Then, there's skulking around, say, Alton Bay looking for a diner where someone, anyone, will bother to look up from the coffee and jacks and give them the time of day.

It's a Come to Jesus moment and should remain their first test of reality as most of us live it.

[yella_dawg]

23. I'm from Texas

Screw New Hampshire. Just on principle.

Actually, I lived there for five years and loved it. But I'm so sick of mindless Texas bashing. Bush is from Connecticut.

[Red Zelda]

28. NH?

Live free or just go fuck yourself.
One National Primary ... Let's do it.

[dbackjon]

30. AMEN!!