Sunday, March 12, 2006
The 2008 Democratic electoral process
“City officials said the District is an ideal forum for candidates with its high percentage of African-American voters, and he says candidates should want to campaign in the city.
“A spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, Tony Welch, told News4 that the DNC opposes any early contests and is fighting a straw ballot in Florida for the same reason” D.C. Could Force Names Onto Primary Ballot
Well, that was then (2003), this is now. Apparently, the Democrats are altering their 2008 plans for the primaries and caucuses:
“The Democratic Party's Rules and Bylaws Committee yesterday dealt a blow to New Hampshire Democrats hoping to keep their coveted place in the presidential nominating schedule, agreeing by voice vote to a plan that would place one or two caucuses between the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 14, 2008, and the New Hampshire primary eight days later.”
Why?
“The proposal, which grew from recommendations by a commission studying how to make the nominating process more diverse….”
(For future reference: Diversity, The Children and/or A Women’s Right to Choose are always good guesses Democrats to Alter Caucus Schedule to Boost Diversity)
Of course, New Hampshire’s national identity has been pretty much tied up in its status as the first-in-the-nation primary and you would expect them not to take this too lightly:
“New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner has threatened that if a state caucus is added between the Iowa and New Hampshire events, he will simply move up the date of the Granite State vote -- a power granted him by state law.”
See also: The Union Leader and New Hampshire: NH Politics
But there could be repercussions:
“Should Gardner go that route, the DNC could refuse to seat delegates from his state at the 2008 national party convention”
Wow, that could throw the whole process into disarray – after all, NH accounts for approximately ½ of 1% of the delegates at the convention. But I’d want to see it just to hear NH Governor John Lynch do his best Willie Brown (albeit with a New Hampshire twang): “Give me back my delegation!”
“A spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, Tony Welch, told News4 that the DNC opposes any early contests and is fighting a straw ballot in Florida for the same reason” D.C. Could Force Names Onto Primary Ballot
Well, that was then (2003), this is now. Apparently, the Democrats are altering their 2008 plans for the primaries and caucuses:
“The Democratic Party's Rules and Bylaws Committee yesterday dealt a blow to New Hampshire Democrats hoping to keep their coveted place in the presidential nominating schedule, agreeing by voice vote to a plan that would place one or two caucuses between the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 14, 2008, and the New Hampshire primary eight days later.”
Why?
“The proposal, which grew from recommendations by a commission studying how to make the nominating process more diverse….”
(For future reference: Diversity, The Children and/or A Women’s Right to Choose are always good guesses Democrats to Alter Caucus Schedule to Boost Diversity)
Of course, New Hampshire’s national identity has been pretty much tied up in its status as the first-in-the-nation primary and you would expect them not to take this too lightly:
“New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner has threatened that if a state caucus is added between the Iowa and New Hampshire events, he will simply move up the date of the Granite State vote -- a power granted him by state law.”
See also: The Union Leader and New Hampshire: NH Politics
But there could be repercussions:
“Should Gardner go that route, the DNC could refuse to seat delegates from his state at the 2008 national party convention”
Wow, that could throw the whole process into disarray – after all, NH accounts for approximately ½ of 1% of the delegates at the convention. But I’d want to see it just to hear NH Governor John Lynch do his best Willie Brown (albeit with a New Hampshire twang): “Give me back my delegation!”
