Does anybody else feel like the elction is in Nov. 07 instead of 08?

[AlCzervik]

everything is happening so early. too early imo.

[TwilightGardener]

1. Yes--way early. First debates this week--my God, WTF are they

going to have left to talk about by the time the primaries roll around?

[1620rock]

2. The stakes are high.

[AlCzervik]

3. you don't say?

[regnaD kciN]

4. Would that it were so...

That would give Chimpolini one less year to screw things up beyond repair.

[liberalnurse]

5. The Balance of Power has been

brought back to center....The Democratic Party has tremendous momentum as well. The people spoke loud and clear in November....so the GOP is going full court press in effort to revive the illusion of this war.

[Connie_Corleone]

6. Even the public is paying attention earlier than usual.

I think most people are so sick of this idiot in the white house that they can't wait to get someone new as president.

[Bluzmann57]

7. Too early indeed

I am afraid that by the time November '08 rolls around, people may have candidate fatigue and just say "screw voting, I'm sick of it!". I hope I am wrong this time.

[mmonk]

8. Better to keep people busy as little bees

than to concentrate on the real dark problems it has and what it has become.

[CK_John]

9. There may be no bees in Nov 08 to keep people busy. n/t

[Golden Raisin]

10. YES - and I'm putting up my Christmas lights tomorrow.

[Freddie Stubbs]

11. The primaries will likely be over for all intents and purposes Feb 5

[salin]

12. and some of us won't get to "vote" until three months after that.

I say push all primaries back and don't start until March or later.

[Freddie Stubbs]

13. The die is already cast on the early primary

The only solution for those in late primary states is to push your legislators to move the primary up.

[salin]

14. I know the die is cast... just wish it had been

cast in the other direction. Way too early, imo. Maybe they will next start moving into the year before the election (okay I am being sarcastic with that comment.)

As per my state - the politicos seem to like the late date and resist any calls for change. :shrug:

[L. Coyote]

15. What is the soonest a recall of a war-supporter could be voted on?

Perhaps we could have a few 2007 elections if we recall, a la Pete Wilsion in California, those Senators voting for the Bush's illegal Iraq War to continue.

[Freddie Stubbs]

16. Never

Members of Congress are not subject to recall.

[L. Coyote]

19. US Constituition: "shall be prescribed in each state..." Am I wrong here?

Section 4. The times, places and manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by law make or alter such regulations, except as to the places of choosing Senators.

The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.

Section 5. Each House shall be the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of its own members, and a majority of each shall constitute a quorum to do business; but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the attendance of absent members, in such manner, and under such penalties as each House may provide.

Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two thirds, expel a member.

Each House shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such parts as may in their judgment require secrecy; and the yeas and nays of the members of either House on any question shall, at the desire of one fifth of those present, be entered on the journal.

Neither House, during the session of Congress, shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting.

Section 6. The Senators and Representatives shall receive a compensation for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the treasury of the United States. They shall in all cases, except treason, felony and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any speech or debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other place.

No Senator or Representative shall, during the time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil office under the authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time: and no person holding any office under the United States, shall be a member of either House during his continuance in office.

[Freddie Stubbs]

20. And the Constitution also set Represetnatives terms for 2 years and Senators for 6 years

It does not give states the power to change the length of terms or remove them once they are elected.

[L. Coyote]

21. Arizona Constitution, REMOVAL FROM OFFICE, Officers subject to recall; petitioners

This seems rather clear to me. Senator Kyle can be recalled.

Arizona Constitution:

1. Officers subject to recall; petitioners

Section 1. Every public officer in the state of Arizona, holding an elective office, either by election or appointment, is subject to recall from such office by the qualified electors of the electoral district from which candidates are elected to such office. Such electoral district may include the whole state. Such number of said electors as shall equal twenty-five per centum of the number of votes cast at the last preceding general election for all of the candidates for the office held by such officer, may by petition, which shall be known as a recall petition, demand his recall.

.....................

2. Recall petitions; contents; filing; signatures; oath

Section 2. Every recall petition must contain a general statement, in not more than two hundred words, of the grounds of such demand, and must be filed in the office in which petitions for nominations to the office held by the incumbent are required to be filed. The signatures to such recall petition need not all be on one sheet of paper, but each signer must add to his signature the date of his signing said petition, and his place of residence, giving his street and number, if any, should he reside in a town or city. One of the signers of each sheet of such petition, or the person circulating such sheet, must make and subscribe an oath on said sheet, that the signatures thereon are genuine.

5. Recall petitions; restrictions and conditions

Section 5. No recall petition shall be circulated against any officer until he shall have held his office for a period of six months, except that it may be filed against a member of the legislature at any time after five days from the beginning of the first session after his election. After one recall petition and election, no further recall petition shall be filed against the same officer during the term for which he was elected, unless petitioners signing such petition shall first pay into the public treasury which has paid such election expenses, all expenses of the preceding election.

[Freddie Stubbs]

23. State laws and state constitutional provisions which are unconstitutional are not valid

As to removal by recall, the United States Constitution does not provide for nor
authorize the recall of United States officers such as Senators, Representatives, or the
President or Vice President, and thus no Member of Congress has ever been recalled
in the history of the United States. The recall of Members was considered during the
time of the drafting of the federal Constitution in 1787, but no such provisions were
included in the final version sent to the States for ratification, and the specific
drafting and ratifying debates indicate an express understanding of the Framers and
ratifiers that no right or power to recall a Senator or Representative from the United
States Congress exists under the Constitution. Although the Supreme Court has not
needed to directly address the subject of recall of Members of Congress, other
Supreme Court decisions, as well as the weight of other judicial and administrative
decisions, rulings and opinions, indicate that: (1) the right to remove a Member of
Congress before the expiration of his or her constitutionally established term of office
is one which resides exclusively in each House of Congress as established in the
expulsion clause of the United States Constitution, and (2) the length and number of
the terms of office for federal officials, established and agreed upon by the States in
the Constitution creating that Federal Government, may not be unilaterally changed
by an individual State, such as through the enactment of a recall provision or a term
limitation for a United States Senator or Representative. Under Supreme Court
constitutional interpretation, since individual States never had the original sovereign
authority to unilaterally change the terms and conditions of service of federal
officials agreed to and established in the Constitution, such a power could not be
“reserved” under the 10th Amendment.

http://lugar.senate.gov/CRS%20reports/Recall_of_Legislators_and_the_Removal_of_Members_of_Congress_from_Office.pdf

[bemildred]

17. It's all about control.

This ought to the most hotly contested race in decades. Since 1976, I think. No expense will be spared in trying to tell us what to think and who to vote for, and I expect a good deal of subtle (or not so subtle) gaming of the election system will be attempted.

[SLadd]

18. Early is good...

...because it allows time for possible impeachment before
Bush's time runs out.   Plus, it can't hurt to have people
finally paying attention, no matter when.  If we all paid this
much attention all the time, we wouldn't be in this fix.  
Keeping constant tabs on our leaders should be part of our
daily consciousness from now on.

[Sparkly]

22. YES -- It's incredible!!

And I think it's taking way too much focus off of timely, important news. (But then again, so do "American Idol" and the "Rosie vs. Donald" thing, etc. etc., in my opinion. So maybe they'll always find something.)