Wyoming leapfrogs Iowa and New Hampshire

[jefferson_dem]

Whew...glad to see a truly "representative" state is now first... :sarcasm:

Wyoming leapfrogs Iowa and New Hampshire
Associated Press
Wednesday August 29, 2007

Guardian Unlimited

Wyoming Republicans have jumped to the head of the pack in the US presidential nominating process, moving their caucus to January 5, ahead of even the traditional early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire.

While the move puts Wyoming first in the accelerated primary process for the 2008 election, it is not expected to stay there as states continue to jockey for position. Candidates who win early states have more momentum, giving those early states more influence nationwide.

"We're first in the nation," said Tom Sansonetti, the state party's 2008 county convention coordinator. "At least for the next couple, three weeks until New Hampshire and Iowa move, which I expect they will."

The ever-changing contest schedule - and the earlier start - has created an enormous level of discomfort for national parties trying to impose discipline on the states, as well as presidential campaigns trying to figure out strategies when voting could begin in just five months.

The primary election calendar was designed to preserve the traditional role that Iowa and New Hampshire have played in selecting the nominee, while adding two states with more racial and geographic diversity, South Carolina and Nevada, to influential early slots.

<SNIP>

http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,330650337-110878,00.html

[mitchtv]

1. Bears repeating

The time has ome for ROTATING,REGIONAL PRIMARIES; enough of this bullshit

[RobertSeattle]

2. Screw it - let's have the Primaries the DAY AFTER the prior election

So by my calculation, the primaries for 2008 SHOULD have occurred on November 3, 2004 - the day Kerry conceded.

[Mojorabbit]

3. Oh for pete's sake n/t

[draft_mario_cuomo]

4. Wyoming has the same right to have a voice that Iowa and NH have nt

[cali]

5. Actually, no it doesn't

The DNC has control of the primary schedule.

[cobalt1999]

6. What's happening is state legislatures are listening to their constituents.

Lots of people are sick of the existing structure. At the current rate, waiting for politicians in committee rooms to make changes, we'll have everyone happy in about 400 years.

They are doing what the people who voted for them want, isn't that what we say politicians should be doing? The voters in their state is who they report to, not a political organization's backroom committee.

I hope more states do this and completely destroy the existing "favored state" structure. All it takes is state legislatures to listen to the people who voted for them.

[rufus dog]

7. this has moved beyond being a bad joke

Wyo has no right to be first, they are already over represented based upon having two Senators for such a small population. I like the idea of rotating regional primary schedules.

[cobalt1999]

8. Any response from the DNC or RNC?

The party officials must be having a cow with all these states rebelling their assigned positions.

[Vinca]

9. The way things are going I expect we'll be voting up here in NH

by the end of next week.

[high density]

10. This is so childish

Why can't we all just select one date in March or something and call it good. If we keep going down this path we'll end up having the primaries during mid term elections.

[Radical Activist]

11. Wyoming needs to be smacked down just like Florida.

The calendar is too early. This is just stupid.

[last_texas_dem]

12. While I understand the sentiment

of trying to let other states have their voices heard early, all of this maneuvering is causing the primaries to be moved up to far too early of a date. What's the point of already essentially knowing who a party's nominee is going to be that many months before the convention? The DNC and RNC need to take some action on this... If it means rotating when different states hold their primaries every four years even if that goes against tradition, so be it. I also think something should be done about so many primaries being held on a certain day as it looks like there are going to be this year. It's going to just make it easy for well-known candidates to essentially be chosen nationally as their party's nominee instead of allowing for fairly competitive state-by-state races.