Open Thread: Do You Agree With Florida Moving Up Its Primary?
Even with efforts by both parties to delay early presidential primaries and caucuses, states trying to exert heavier influence on the primary outcome are again pushing their contests into early January.
Under RNC rules, only Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina are allowed to hold their primaries or caucuses before Super Tuesday. Florida announced earlier today that it will move its primary to January 31, potentially prompting the other four states to leapfrog each other to earlier dates.
Do you think Florida made the right move and should have more of an influence in picking the presidential nominee? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
As it currently stands, the Iowa caucuses are set for February 6, the New Hampshire primary for February 14, the Nevada caucuses for February 18 and the South Carolina primary for February 28.
Iowa Republican Party Chairman Matt Strawn issued a statement indicating the four states' plan to stick together in their efforts to keep their early contest spots.
"The four sanctioned, early states have been very clear that we will move together, if necessary, to ensure order as outlined in RNC rules. If we are forced to change our dates together, we will," Strawn said. [...]
The chaos in the Republican presidential primary calendar could push Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses to January 2, said political scientist Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics.
After the decision was made official, Strawn added to Politico:
"The arrogance shown by Florida's elected leadership is disappointing, but not surprising. Equally troubling is to see this petulant behavior rewarded with our national convention. The consequences of Florida's intransigence must be swift and severe, including the refusal by the RNC to credential or seat any member of Florida's presidential primary date commission at the 2012 RNC convention in Tampa."
"Regarding the timing of the First in the Nation Iowa Caucuses, Iowa will remain first. Consistent with tradition, the final Iowa Caucus date will be announced once New Hampshire sets the date of its First in the Nation Primary."
Do you agree with Florida?
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Comments
Heck, why not? Move it up by a full year if they want to
Submitted by Galvanic on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 12:16pm.
The whole primary system is un-Constitutional, in as much as the voters are not actually electing anybody.
The Democrats and Republicans use taxpayer dollars to pay the expense of their candidate selection process, which makes their national conventions totally unnecessary.
But the Congress still budgets $100 million to each national convention, which is nothing more than week long booze-a-thon.
Pull our taxdollars out of the system and it will implode under its own largess.
THE SOLUTION: Online polling. Each party sets up its own online polling system to include eligiblity rules, at their own expense. Get rid of the primary system, and campaigns will shorten down to weeks instead of 12+ months, which will also reduce the amount of $$$ wasted.
You had me until
Submitted by richb313 on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 2:44pm.
Your comment was thoughtful and made some sense until the solution part. ON line anything as far as any elective process is just plain stupid. The winner will be the one with the best team of hackers.
I agree with taking all taxpayer dollars out of party politics. One has to consider then the results of such a move. The parties would not even consider voting for thier candidates they would simply select them.
A different approach would be open primaries with no party involvement except identification, if wanted. The top two candidates, regardless of party affiliation, would duke it out in the general election. Parties would still be allowed but removed from the elective process. Parties could still organize for mutual support but direct party involvement in the elective process would be forbidden.
This is just a thought, chime in with your ideas.
HELP!!! Anybody else not getting the comment box at the bottom?
Submitted by Dave. on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 8:42pm.
I can reply to existing comments, but I cannot post originals.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Dave
Submitted by bkeyser on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 8:49pm.
bottom right of the thread text, "Add new comment".
Took me a while to find it too.
Thanks, bk
Submitted by Dave. on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 8:51pm.
LOL - I thought I was cracking up for real there for a while.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Me too Dave
Submitted by Rukus on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 11:16pm.
I searched for it at the bottom, as usual before realizing it was between the bottom of the article and the first post. I liked it at the bottom but at least I know where it is now.
Good luck on the ALL DAWG fight tomorrow!
ROLL TIDE!!
DON'T GO GATS! (for this one time anyway)
GO SEC!
One Primary
Submitted by echojack on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 11:08pm.
With the mass communication that we have today, there should only be one primary nationwide. That way:
1. Every state would have an equal say in who the candidate is, and
2. The opposing party could not send shills from state to state to promote (or vote for) a candidate that is sure to lose.
Hold it in March, and if no candidate gets over 50% have a run-off in April with the top two or three.
I know this is not a perfect solution, but it is certainly better than what we have now. New Hampshire and Iowa don't reflect the view of the entire nation.
Me First!
Submitted by CobraMan on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 12:15pm.
This "Me First" attitude should end. Does it really matter who is "first?" The States should hold their Primaries in alphabetical order, with the first being held 6 months before the general election. They can then hold one every week until it's finally over. That will give the resulting nominee plenty of time to campaign for the general election.
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
It does to them
Submitted by Galvanic on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 1:11pm.
The theory is that the eaerly primary states get stroked by the candidates while the last primary states -- particularly the smaller ones -- don't get stroked.
Is that how it works in practice? I don't know.
Republicans Choosing the Republican Nomineee
Submitted by libBuster on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 12:16pm.
It's great to have residents of a large Republican State have some input into who the Republican nomiunee will be. New Hampshire and Iowa in particular have had way too much influence on the process.
I agree with that one. Two
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 6:29pm.
I agree with that one. Two small states, almost inconsequential.
Several years ago...
Submitted by ncstevem on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 12:24pm.
I read about a proposal that I thought was a good idea for the primaries. Can't remember who proposed it.
Start with 5 small states (population wise) which are geographically diverse and have their primary on the same day. Do the same thing 3 weeks later and continue to work your way to the largest states.
That way the primary winner isn't really decided until the end when the largest states hold their primary.
ncstevem,
Submitted by Agnostic on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 12:38pm.
Not bad but I would like to see the whole process shortened to save money and reduce the amount of time we have listen to the MSM blather on about what the votes mean.
5 states vote on Tuesday - Exit polls run by the party highlight voter concerns -
the following Friday has a debate among the candidates in the one of the next 5 states (rotate through on election cycles) with questions based on the exit polls and local concerns of the 5 states in this phase of voting.
The following Tuesday is voting day. Done in about 10 weeks.
Of course all of these ideas just bury ourselves deeper into the two-party only system.
The system sucks, the big
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 6:34pm.
The system sucks, the big states are screwed.
In a word, no
Submitted by pbthinker on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 12:26pm.
The purpose of the exercise is the get the right candidate. How this gets the Republican Party to that point is a mystery to me. I'd much rather Florida wait until March and let the candidates slug it out in the smaller states, make their mistakes, pick up some support so, by the time Florida votes, they have a good idea who the best candidate is.
Doing it this way, I can see another John McCain getting the nomination. We don't need that so Florida didn't do itself, nor anyone else, any favors.
The old way delivered McCain . . . and Dole ('96) . . .
Submitted by Galvanic on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 1:17pm.
The system doesn't always deliver the best candidate. It delivers the candidate who had enough cash and avoided enough hits to survive it. In the process, $ millions in campaign chests are wasted.
The major parties adhere to it because it doesn't cost them anything to run it, while independents like me pay for it.
NC does not hold our primary
Submitted by ricklail on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 12:27pm.
NC does not hold our primary until May. Usually the nominee is chosen by then. That is fine with me. That is only 5 months worth of BS ads I have to watch/listen to. Florida is a sovereign state. They can do what they want.
tradition
Submitted by Agnostic on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 12:29pm.
It seems odd that the liberal media is concerned about tradition
why I don't like Iowa going first
Submitted by Free Stinker on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 12:40pm.
Two words: Corn Ethanol
/// Sarah Palin Fan since July 11, 2007 /// خال
order of voting doesn't matter to me if...
Submitted by SouthJersey1953 on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 12:58pm.
As long as the rule is you MUST be a registered Republican to vote in the Republican Primary, I don't care the order. Where we have problems is when "anyone" can vote in the primary and non-Repubs chose the candidate they want (hence McCain).
BTW - Iowa and New Hamsphire being first never made sense to me.
I can't vote in any of the
Submitted by Beukeboom on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 1:53pm.
I can't vote in any of the two primaries here in Florida since I am officially NPA (No Party Affiliation).
Well, Beuke
Submitted by Blonde on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 2:03pm.
You have a couple of choices....
Pick the party that most closely aligns with your beliefs, and register with that party.
Change parties to vote in the primaries / general. I've done it before (voted against Ted Kennedy with my very first vote evah).
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
I'm quite happy being an NPA
Submitted by Beukeboom on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 3:27pm.
I'm quite happy being an NPA in the state of Florida. I was initially a registered Democrat in Mississippi when I turned voting age when "conservative Democrat" wasn't such a rare breed. Over time, the Democrat party grew more and more liberal and pushed out conservatives within. I tried to be optimistic thinking it might swing back and more conservative would join the Democrat party but eventually I found that to be a pipe dream. Since I'm not too happy with the Republican party either (especially here in Florida) I felt it best to turn NPA.
Screw the RNC
Submitted by Blonde on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 1:25pm.
...and the horse they rode in on.
I am SICK TO DEATH of them picking primary candidates and meddling in local politics.
There ought to be a much shortened schedule, with perhaps five Super Tuesdays in a row, with a mix of big/small states....that rotate on a four year cycle.
If they want to "punish" any states, let them punish those states that allow cross over voting.
As a Floridian, I hope every Florida republican writes them a letter telling them they can stick it where the sun doesn't shine. No more money from us, ever.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
The "establishment" doesn't like us, Blonde.
Submitted by Newsbubba on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 2:00pm.
FL is getting much too red, and way too conservative for the RINO herd that thinks they run the party.
I've already called the two people I know on the RNC to tell them KMAGYOYO.
KMAGYOYO? Wasn't that an 80's
Submitted by Beukeboom on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 3:30pm.
KMAGYOYO? Wasn't that an 80's new wave pop band?
Oh wait...that was KAJAGOOGOO.
Nevermind.
Blonde
Submitted by Radical1979 on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 7:47pm.
Exactly. Primaries should rotate. I'm sick my vote being meaningless in choosing a candidate.
Something To Think About
Submitted by HardRightTurn on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 1:25pm.
Make it a moot point. Have every state vote on the same day the nominating convention ends. It would keep the suspense level extremely high and every candidate in the race right up to the end.
To more fully comprehend the Left, one must read “Leftism As Psychopathy” by John Ray, M.A., Ph.D. Caution, it might scare you a little bit.
http://jonjayray.tripod.com/psycho.html
Given how crucial of a battleground state Florida is...
Submitted by Phryj1 on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 1:46pm.
...if they want to move their primary up, they should be allowed to. The RNC shouldn't let arbitrary rules get in the way of allowing a critical state to participate in the primary process.
Unless the RNC actually WANTS to saddle us with another McCain. Sheesh, it's their election to win, and yet they seem determined to try and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Mark my words, if the RNC decides to punish Florida, expect 4 more years of Obama.
Progressives seem to be completely averse to facts and logic. Apparently, reality has a conservative bias.
Same day nationwide.
Submitted by Apachesam on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 2:11pm.
All states should have the primary on the same day. In all 8 president primaries I've been voting I and 80% of the American voters never have a say. I didn't even vote in the 2008 primary because McLame was already picked for me.
the game is up
Submitted by philthetruth on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 4:45pm.
move it all up, we need to get our bum pres out asap, our country is on the brink and I don't know how we ever got to this point, hopefully the game is up and right thinking people can enjoy watching the end of the hippy/lib experiment...
Did I miss the memo?
Submitted by Model850 on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 5:02pm.
This has nothing to do with Florida advancing its primary but this is the open thread, so....
Is it just some glitch here for me or did NB change the articles layout again? There used to be the comments box waiting at the end of everyone else's comments (or the end of article if there were no comments yet). I no longer see that. Now I have to scroll all the way back up to the bottom of the article just before the first comment to click the Add New Comment link, and when the comments box shows up it reads REPLY even though I selected NEW comment. (OK - Technically I am replying to the article itself but that's kind of picky.)
It's not a big deal of course. I just get a little cranky when something I'm used to changes, especially when the change apparently occurs for no more reason than change itself. What was wrong with the way things were arranged before?
Alright. Griping ended.
Model
Submitted by Blonde on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 5:22pm.
That's the way NB used to be before the last "big" upgrade.
Personally, I didn't like the comment box at the bottom of the page, as I'd often click Save instead of Home....I know, I'm blonde, what can I say?
Upgrading site again, I think. Hence the boggy speed.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
The Official Herman Cain criticizer.
Submitted by upcountrywater on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 5:07pm.
Democratic strategist Cornell Belcher
What Herman Cain said was a racist, bigoted statement and it should treated like a racist and bigoted person who makes those racist and bigoted statements.
Then this howler, that slid in safe.
BELCHER: Well -- well, liberals didn't have a history of Jim Crowe or slavery so it's different.
You Didn't Build That.
Cut their convention delagates ...
Submitted by Fredy on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 5:12pm.
... to ONE!
Only the 'richest' candidates can afford to pay for advertising in a large state.
Since Florida only wants to cater to the 'richest' candidate, they should only get 1 vote for that candidate!
I don't think so, Fredy
Submitted by Blonde on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 5:20pm.
Your little solution deprives me of my one vote. My vote is equal to that of any other citizen, and no one has the right to devalue it, certainly not some group of party hacks called the RNC.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Too early
Submitted by WDouglas on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 6:24pm.
We have a General Election where everyone votes on the same day then why can’t we have a Primary Election where everyone votes on the same day? Some of these states that vote early could be voting for individuals that later may be found unqualified and withdraw for personal reasons or miss out on voting for someone more qualified who later joins the race. I think that has happened a few times in the past. Too much money and time is wasted on just a few states and candidates only concern themselves with matters that pertain to those states and not on the country as a whole where they should be. Candidates are running for President of the United States not President of Florida or New Hampshire, etc.. We wouldn’t have stupid ethanol subsidies if candidates didn’t have to spend so much time in Iowa for instance. My vote is for Primaries in May or June and Conventions in July or August, January is way too early.
It is expensive to run a
Submitted by deerjerkydave on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 6:25pm.
It is expensive to run a campaign and it become onerous when a candidate has to compete in too many states at once. The better solution is to let states take turns as the primary states.
------------------------
"The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the Federal Government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State Governments are numerous and indefinite. -James MadisonAll the primaries should be
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 6:43pm.
All the primaries should be held on the same day regardless. The system they have now is ridiculous letting a few states essentially pick the candidate. We can have two votes, one to winnow the field down to say 4 candidates and then another to choose who runs. I am in Texas and when I get a chance to vote the field has dwindled to a few.
One thing that gets me is the GOP can just choose a candidate and all this seems to be window dressing. Is there any law or statute saying that any party has to have elections or delegates, cant they just choose?
Uh
Submitted by bkeyser on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 8:57pm.
Ooops. Looks like some money is owed.
I only agree with Florida in
Submitted by Bull Moose Prog... on Sat, 10/01/2011 - 2:09am.
I only agree with Florida in that the current system is bad. I live in the Pacific Northwest and we are completely unrepresented in the primary process. I also disagree with all states voting at the same time, as we don't need more rich candidates disenfranchising the smaller rural states.
What we need is small states from each regional block going first in rotation with bigger states that can seal a nomination going later. That way every vote gets competed for, the smaller states first to show some success and then the big states later to seal a victory.
Early primaries would normally favor Democrats
Submitted by gopcongress on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 12:13am.
Early primaries generally favor democrats. The reason? It gives the mainstream media a single target to try to take out as opposed to a whole field.
Keep in mind that during the primary season, the focus is on trying to get the most liberal candidate nominated. They will go to great lengths to lambaste conservative frontrunners, to put out the most milquetoast candidate. They KNOW that tepid candidates like McCain and Bob Dole do not energize the GOP base.
Now, once the GOP candidate is chosen, then the press can hone in on destroying him or her. With earlier primary elections, the frontrunner is determined much earlier. Even if the nomination is not done until late summer or early fall, the most probable candidate will be known.
To that end, the mainstream media will do all it can to promote Obama, with family puff pieces and softball questions, while preparing a much longer barrage of gotcha questions for the GOP candidate.
With later primary elections, the media would be dilluted in its coverage until a viable candidate emerges clear of the pack. But in general, the earlier primaries are finished, the earlier candidates are determined, and this allows the media to strategize to take out the GOP candidate much more effectively.
"The news and truth are not the same thing." -Walter Lippmann (1889-1974) FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER