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All primaries should be on the same day around the country.

I'm not offended by Clinton hanging in there - just seems like a waste of money.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Wed Apr 23rd, 2008 at 02:58:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]
MillMan:
All primaries should be on the same day around the country.

That makes so much sense you just know it's never going to happen.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Wed Apr 23rd, 2008 at 03:33:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]
All primaries should be on the same day around the country.

I disagree.  In that case, you don't allow for the, I think, reasonable consideration of "vetting," and you don't allow the candidates to spend time with voters.  (It disproportionately affects establishment candidates, too, which I don't like, but that's just my taste.)  The calendar should be rotated every four years, so that we don't concentrate things in Iowa and New Hampshire.  And it shouldn't be so long.  But I think a national primary is a very bad idea.

Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers. - George Carlin

by Drew J Jones (myfriends@thisispancakes.com) on Wed Apr 23rd, 2008 at 03:55:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]
You could have it in May, giving everyone time to jet/train/drive walk around the country pressing flesh and being proto-presidential.

The current system is insane. It gives side-issue states huge media play, and turns the nomination into an even more of a flying circus than it would be otherwise.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Wed Apr 23rd, 2008 at 06:24:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]
That's true, you could have it in May.  But, at the same time, I think it's also true that the focused campaigning helps to focus voters (more to that thought but can't figure out the words -- bah).

And, yes, the current system is psychotic.

Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers. - George Carlin

by Drew J Jones (myfriends@thisispancakes.com) on Wed Apr 23rd, 2008 at 07:41:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]
There is no perfect system. If we had a single primary, Clinton would have won it. The argument about allowing less well funded candidates participate in the small early primaries and caucuses went out the window when the media kicked a couple of the minority candidates from the TV debates in Iowa. On the other hand, there are rumors about Republicans changing to D to vote in the PA primary, which they wouldn't do if there were a single primary date.

The current system is hugely flawed, but a better one is pretty hard to come up with. Now if Clinton would just get some sense and bail out...but no, she's busy bragging about how she will bomb Iran when she's president.

by asdf on Thu Apr 24th, 2008 at 02:32:52 AM EST
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