You know who this helps?
New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner said today he may schedule the first-in-the nation primary as early as Dec. 6, marking the first time ever that New Hampshire voters would pick a presidential candidate in December.
“Any Tuesday in December would be a possibility, but that’s one of them,” Gardner said today, when asked about a Dec. 6 primary. “It’s not something I would do lightly. It would be done regrettably, but if it has to be done, we’re going to comply with our tradition and our state law.”
And what would become of Iowa’s plans to hold the Hawkeye Caucii on January 3rd?
Drew Ivers, a member of the GOP Central Committee in Iowa, said the panel met last night to discuss a date for that state’s caucuses, and is leaning toward Jan. 3, the same date it chose in 2008. He said if New Hampshire decides to hold its primary in December, it would certainly spark some consideration of a new date for Iowa.
If memory serves me correctly, the Iowa Caucus is traditionally held eight days before the New Hampshire primary, which would move Iowa to November 28th, the Monday after Thanksgiving. That means that we could be a mere seven weeks away from the first votes being cast for the Republican presidential nominee.
Like I said, you know who this helps…
October 8th, 2011 at 4:45 pm
The whole system is broken, and the parties have proven themselves completely incapable of solving the problem – essentially, because to penalize any of the states would be suicidal in an election year.
We can debate about HOW it would need to be done, but someone needs to make a clear argument that its not in our best interests to start legislating on the primary process from the national level.
October 8th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
I prefer to have four states go.first on the same day. A Western state, a midwestern Staten a northeastern state and a Southern state. Maybe Iowa, Florida, NH and NV all on the same day and then Colorado, Michigan, SC and Maine the next week.
October 8th, 2011 at 5:11 pm
This isn’t fair for the candidates really….Because stratagy is so important, they need concrete schedules….BTW..Did anybody see how Bill Bennett schooled Jeffress at the Value Voters Summit this morning….The finger pointing begins with Perkins and Perry.
October 8th, 2011 at 5:15 pm
Penalizing the states all their delegates doesn’t hurt anything, if the rules are clear and they still go first.
October 8th, 2011 at 5:16 pm
The Values Voters’ Summit spate between Romney and Perry is ultimately irrelevant, as Ron Paul won
October 8th, 2011 at 5:18 pm
“The Values Voters’ Summit spate between Romney and Perry is ultimately irrelevant, as Ron Paul won ”
Further evidence we will all be much better off the day that man is out of elected politics, and all his pathetic supporters can slink back to the hole they crawled out of – and most importantly, stop spamming our straw polls into irrelevance.
October 8th, 2011 at 5:25 pm
Romney is running away with the nominatiion any way you slice it.
October 8th, 2011 at 5:31 pm
YES YEES YESSSSSS@!! THE EARLIER THE BETTER! lets get this thing over with already. DID YALL NO IN OTHER COUNTRIES that elect presidents like germany and such, the campaigning only goes on for 6 weeks! and ours goes on forever@!! up to a year. thats insane, i wanna get this stuff over with, so many PEOPLE are making money off the usa people from draging this on forever@!! would probally help in our financial problems we r in now if we END THIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
October 8th, 2011 at 5:31 pm
I don’t get it Matthew, are they all taking money to support Ron Paul, like Romney and Bachmann have historically done to win participation-driven events?
Ron Paul must surely be buying all those votes, right?
Like it or not, no one cares about the mainstream politicians. Like it or not, the general perception is that they are to a man, sellouts and media prop-ups. Like it or not, they get all their campaign cash from big money interests and favors.
What person would spend a whole day of their time to support that? Obviously, not too many. Ron Paul’s support is entirely based on normal people who care about the country’s and are willing to get out and register a vote for him in their name. Those people are the sole source of his impressive chest of campaign funds. The rest of the voters are, unfortunately, passive lemmings who vote based on what cues the media give them to follow.
Paul keeps knocking these things about because people care enough to go vote, Matthew. Perhaps we should make all contests as difficult and restrictive to vote in.
October 8th, 2011 at 5:37 pm
“Ron Paul must surely be buying all those votes, right?”
In a manner of speaking – this is from the thread I’m arguing on right now on Politico:
In other words, Paul appeals most strongly to the college kids who think it would be crazy awesome to have a President who wants to let them get high, and who have nothing better to do on a saturday morning, so they join up with some of their friends, get a free bus ride, go case a vote for the candidate who is letting them make the trip, then go home.
Compare that to the supporters of other candidates who have things like jobs, families, errands, etc. that take precedence on a Saturday morning.
October 8th, 2011 at 5:37 pm
After all, shouldn’t the electing be done by those who actually care enough about it?
50% of this country should honestly not be voting, they have no sense of responsibility that must accompany that right.
October 8th, 2011 at 5:40 pm
So adults are all responsible, thinking voters. And the college kids are all bored pot smoking wastrels who can’t even begin to think about policy?
I have yet to meet a Ron Paul supporter that doesn’t know exactly why they support him.
Maybe you “adults” need to think about the trillions upon trillions in debt you left for us as your legacy, before wondering why the college kids went to vote for that crazy old Ron Paul who tells us that the whole thing is fraud.
October 8th, 2011 at 5:43 pm
ha srry to say this but
#10, #11, #12. ur all dumasses for commenting on something that has nothing to do with this thread. the thread yall want is about the summit voting. this thread has nothing to do with it, go somewhere else
October 8th, 2011 at 5:46 pm
“I have yet to meet a Ron Paul supporter that doesn’t know exactly why they support him”
Doesn’t mean their reasons are good.
I’m sure a lot of college kids will buy into the idea that the big. bad. bankers. are screwing everyone over by pushing an inflationary monetary policy, so they thing a return to the gold standard would be just great….I wonder what that would do to our exports. Oh yeah, decimate them.
I’m sure a lot of college kids don’t want to be pushed to go off to war, and have some do-gooder instinct that makes them think we’re only going into Iraq because corrupt defense contractors want an excuse to build more planes, and oil companies want to drill more wells. Its odd you never hear them talk about the terror under Hussein, or exactly who it is (China, Russia, Iran, etc.) that would try to step up to fill the power vacuum if the US drew back from the leadership role in the world.
The list goes on.
October 8th, 2011 at 5:46 pm
So WHY would NH change their date? I’m still unclear.
October 8th, 2011 at 5:50 pm
15 – NH has a tradition of holding elections on a Tuesday and has a state law preventing them from holding their primary within 7 days of a similar election. If Iowa chooses January 3 as their caucus, this leaves NH no option but to go in December if they want to uphold their tradition and state law, which the Sec of State has said he will do.
October 8th, 2011 at 5:53 pm
Ron Paul supporters have it easy: get behind the most unelectable guy (after Huntsman), claim a moral high ground that they’ll never ever have to realistically defend in the White House, and spend eternity yelling about how they’re better and smarter than anyone who disagrees with them. It’s so old, guys.
October 8th, 2011 at 5:56 pm
Back on topic: this yearlong primary trend is absolutely insane. When we look at Canada’s method for doing something and we had to say, “that’s smarter than ours,” we have a problem.
4 months. Tops. Stop this nonsense of having to be first. IA and NH are such massive crybabies about that, and for what?
October 8th, 2011 at 5:58 pm
18 – The problem is that the RNC didn’t set harsh enough penalties. If I remember correctly the DNC stripped Michigan of all their delegates for breaking the DNC’s rules. The RNC hasn’t shown the courage to enact such strict penalties.
October 8th, 2011 at 6:01 pm
“4 months. Tops.”
No. A full year is a perfectly acceptable time period for those who want the most difficult, most powerful, most important job in the world.
=====
“IA and NH are such massive crybabies about that, and for what?”
For having the first say in who is going to be the next leader of the free world.
October 8th, 2011 at 6:04 pm
“If I remember correctly the DNC stripped Michigan of all their delegates for breaking the DNC’s rules. ”
Florida too….then guess what happened? The states still held their contests, and when it came to the convention, the DNC wasn’t brave enough (or stupid enough – and it would indeed have been stupid) to refuse to seat the delegations from two of the most important swing states.
What did that accomplish? Absolutely nothing. Ditto for the GOP taking 1/2 the delegates. At least the national party didn’t end up with egg on its face.
October 8th, 2011 at 6:06 pm
21 – Yea it would have been stupid to refuse to seat the delegation but if it happened, no state would dare to break the rules in the future. Its a moral hazard problem. Once you let them get away with breaking the rules, they’ll take advantage of it.
October 8th, 2011 at 6:09 pm
This is getting a bit ridiculous.
October 8th, 2011 at 6:16 pm
So if New Hampshire went 12/6, I suppose Iowa would have to go 11/30 to conform to that 7 day law.
October 8th, 2011 at 6:19 pm
Iowa doesn’t have a 7 day law. If NH chooses 12/6, Iowa could stay on 1/3 if they decide not to hold their caucus in December.
October 8th, 2011 at 6:23 pm
you think Iowa would give up their first in the nation status, by a full month, no less?
October 8th, 2011 at 6:26 pm
Members of the Iowa GOP have said elections in December don’t have a lot of relevance. If they think they’ll get more attention by holding a January caucus, then I think they will reluctantly give up their first in the nation status. If they do, it won’t be a full month between Iowa and New Hampshire because if Iowa sticks with 1/3, New Hampshire will not choose 12/6.
October 8th, 2011 at 6:34 pm
I hope someone will do a FFP on the Value Voters Summit and some of the speeches. Just read a synopsis of what Fishcher said. There was no picture of him but my mind filled in with an image of a man with Cruella DeVille eyes from 101 Dalmations after she misses the road and drives down the hill.
Here is the link to the Reuters article. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/08/us-usa-campaign-values-idUSTRE79664Y20111008
October 8th, 2011 at 6:45 pm
NH will go a few days after IA, imho.
AND Paul Ryan, Steve Forbes, Phil Graham — welcome aboard to OUR future President Perry’s camp!!!
Paul Ryan: Perry’s campaign will get a lift
October 8th, 2011 at 6:48 pm
Here’s my proposal for primary reform:
- States are divided into five regions, with an additional region for Washington D.C. and Territories (http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/5158/blankusawterritories.jpg)
- You begin with the four traditional early states, which vote over a three-week period.
- Then five states from each region (as the rule – two exceptions) vote each week on Tuesday. Smallest states vote first.
- Super Tuesday is preserved.
- The non-state contests get their own week to go.
- There is a rest week, and a week off for easter.
Here is how the calendar would look: (http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/1198/primarycalendar.jpg)
Small states go first, big states go last. It should offer every state the chance to have a say. The whole thing takes 13 weeks, probably from march until mid june. Conventions would be held in late july, and general election campaigning would kick off following the olympics in august.
Let me know what you think.
October 8th, 2011 at 6:49 pm
Note: could one of the moderators approve my comment from above? It has links.
October 8th, 2011 at 6:57 pm
Pity when Romney becomes the nominee, we just can’t call for the general to happen… then get the consitution changed where Mitt can take over ASAP.
October 8th, 2011 at 7:07 pm
#31 ??
October 8th, 2011 at 7:14 pm
“#31 ??”
I submitted a comment that needed to be approved by the moderators, because it contained more than one link.
October 8th, 2011 at 7:22 pm
12/6 is so early that New Hampshire would essentially be making itself irrelevant. I think Iowa would actually be more important if they waited until a week before S. Carolina.
October 8th, 2011 at 7:30 pm
After the bigotry displayed by Perry suppporter Jeffress, getting the least amount of votes in the straw poll from this crowd is a badge of honor.
I like that Mitt Romney went there to at least advocate for tolerance but revolting bias is not easily overcome….. just look at the evil intolerence that resides in the prejudice between Shia and Sunni Muslims.
I wonder if Tony Perkins and the Value Voters organizers realize the amount of ugliness spewed out by this event and the damage they’ve done to Republicans & loving Christianity everywhere; evangelicals should not be proud at all to have members like Jeffress, Fischer, etc associated with their religion.
Jeffress, Perry, Fischer, etc…they all are an affront and an embarrassment to the GOP.
October 8th, 2011 at 7:38 pm
New Hampshire is not going in December. Period. Not gonna happen.
I WISH it would happen, but it’s not going to. The RNC wouldn’t let it.
October 8th, 2011 at 7:46 pm
I’m hearing about a new Iowa poll. Romney on top.
October 8th, 2011 at 8:09 pm
36 – How can the RNC prevent it from happening? The RNC has shown that it has no influence on the decisions of the states.
October 8th, 2011 at 8:11 pm
“I’m hearing about a new Iowa poll. Romney on top.”
New Poll….old result. Romney has been leading for a while.
October 8th, 2011 at 8:11 pm
[...] « New Hampshire Primary to December 6th? [...]
October 8th, 2011 at 8:16 pm
38
Behind the scenes muscling and perhaps stripping the states of ALL their delegates, and perhaps future privelege of being first in the nation.
October 8th, 2011 at 8:43 pm
Still Hurting — link?
October 8th, 2011 at 8:45 pm
#37….Com’on Still Hurting, what’s with the tease?
Are you just trying to drive us nuts?
Link man!!
October 8th, 2011 at 9:23 pm
I searched everywhere for a link about an Iowa poll – nothing.
I think Still Hurting was talking about a relatively old poll that came out Sept 28.
October 8th, 2011 at 9:37 pm
#45…
Me too, false alarm
October 8th, 2011 at 11:31 pm
Well I don’t really like the smaller states picking our nominee . I think the caucuses are such dumb ideas.
It is really obscene how much money will be spent on this election cycle. I am NOT ready to say that Romney is the winner , it is not over yet. Perry is not out of the race.
I am supporting Perry!!
October 9th, 2011 at 4:21 am
This is getting ridiculous. Next time, why not just hold the Iowa Caucuses the day after election day 2012, the New Hampshire primary the week after and just get it over with? Absurdity at it’s worst.
How about for once these dips**ts put their egos aside and do what’s best for the party and for the country.
October 9th, 2011 at 9:26 am
Good luck with Mitt Romney.
Link and then scroll down to the video AND WATCH THE WHOLE VIDEO (if you can bear to):
http://conservatives4palin.com/2011/10/tea-party-group-launches-affort-to-stop-romney-from-winning-gop-nomination.html
Again, good lick with Mitt!!!!!
lolololololololololol
October 9th, 2011 at 8:50 pm
Cmmt 30,
Matt, I think you are onto something here about the need for reform in the management of the primary system. I was thinking along the lines of the second tuesday in Jan have the smallest 12 states vote all at once. The second tuesday of february would be 15 of the mid-size states all at once. The second tuesday of March would be the 15 of the big states voting all at once. Then in April have the 8 largest states vote everyother week two at a time. We will know who are nomine would be by the third week of May and hold the convention one to two weeks after the 4th of July. This gives us all of August, Sept, and Oct to campaign for the General. Small states have a say early, Large states have the final say, but no one group of states will determine the nominee. It allows money to not be such a factor in determining the best candidate while making the race more competitive.
October 13th, 2011 at 7:05 am
[...] as Dave Gaultier asks, do you know who benefits from all [...]