This Iowa New Hampshire thing

[Perky]

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PRIMARY_SCRAMBLE?SITE=CATOR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2005-11-28-21-09-43

I personally like the "retail" politics of Iowa and New Hampshire. But I do wish they were more diverse, but not along ethnic lines as much as along socio-economic lines. and urban-suburban-rural lines.


My idea is to continue the retail tradition but expand it to include a western state (New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona or maybe Oregon) and a southern state (South Carolina makes sense to me). The states need to be small

Someone who can win 3 of four those shows they have national appeal and will certainly have the momentum to lock it up.

If no one wins two then the dust settles with a super Tuesday...umm maybe.

I do wish it would start later like in mid march with the four states and then maybe a month of quiet before for fundraising and debates before a Big SUper Tuesday in May.. I think the later primaries are, If I am honest pretty superfluous and expensive. I get the notion that every vote counts and everyone has the right to be heard. But the party pays for the primary and that money could be used for get out the vote efforts in November.

Thoughts? Ideas?

[SCDem]

1. South Carolina is the first Southern State to have the primaries

we (not I because I voted for Dean) voted for Edwards, but I think Kerry was already in the bag even though only two states had had their primaries, NH and IA.

[shoelace414]

2. IA is a caucus

[SCDem]

3. The point was that only two states go ahead of SC

SC did vote differently than the two states but did that matter? No.

[Perky]

4. Yeah I know

The thing of it is.. that the press declare the presumtive nominee after thr first two. By grouping the first four or maybe five in a month (a first round?) and then having a quiet period, the hype eases. The other adbvantage is that calling the first group of elections "a bundle" means that a candidate could cherry pick just three where he decides to compete. This would lessen the power of Iowa while still giving it it first in the nation status.

[On the Road]

5. That's Not a Bad Solution, Actually

I like the retail politics also, and there's a danger it will disappear.

South Carolina could simply be moved up a few days so it's not a latecomer. A state like Idaho or Wyoming could be added a few days afterwards. Campaigning in four states is difficult, but it should be possible to retain the person-to-person style if the states are smallnot populous.

[HereSince1628]

6. If you put in a lot of travel requirements at the beginning it would

just put even more emphasis on having huge campaign chests at the get go.