An early CA Primary would DRAMATICALLY change '08 BAD IDEA

[Perky]

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CALIFORNIA_PRIMARY?SITE=CATOR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-01-20-04-20-07

They are talkin about moving CA so that it occurs in February. Can we think this through?

Two of the most expensive media markets in the county would tilt the race to those with lots of money and offset the retail politcs necessary in Iowa in NH, which while "quaint" are very important testing grounds.

Someonecould simply avoif the early round and save money for CA and leapfrog to the head of the pack with a big media buy in CA.

[Perky]

1. This would dramtically help Hillary

who has little hope (thanfully at winning IA, NV, NH or SC and who would be seen as an also=ran because whe could not break and get a win until what was to have been Super Tuesday.

[lligrd]

2. Being From CA, Not Sure This Is A Great Idea

Even I know that as great as our state is, it is quirky.

[Perky]

3. That is an understatement

Ronald Reagan was followed by Jerry Brown in the Governorship

They we recalled the hapless Gray Davis and elected Arnold...twice.

[Golden Raisin]

4. Primaries have become like Christmas decorations

in stores. They start putting them up too damn early (before Thanksgiving, before Halloween, soon it will be on July 5th!) The entire electoral process for the presidency has become insane --- a frantic potato-sack race starting more than 2 entire years in advance of the election. A sitting President has to devote much of the final 2 years of his first term running for the second term, and frequently (would that it were so with Bush) being a lame duck for much of the final 2 years of his second term. I wonder what the Founding Fathers would make of it all? I sometimes wish there was a law saying none of the campaigning, primaries, etc. could begin until exactly 1 year prior to the next presidential election ---- and even that may be too far in advance!

[derby378]

5. I think Nevada's power-move has something to do with it

Nevada - where you can smoke indoors without anyone bitching, where gambling is legal, and where firearms that Dianne Feinstein wants to melt into slag are welcomed with open arms. Why wouldn't California want to blunt Nevada's growing influence over Democratic politics?

[LeftyMom]

6. Nah, it's not that.

It's that Californians are sick of the whole thing being a done deal before we have our primary. Especially since we chip in a hell of a lot of money to the process.

Most Californians don't care for crazy-ass guns, smoking over dinner and casinos everywhere, which is why those things aren't legal here. Those who like them or the more libertarian mindset that keeps them legal often move to Nevada, and those who don't sometimes move there and put up with them because housing's cheaper, but I've certainly never encountered any envy of the Silver state here in California. Some for Oregon though, mostly from people who like the idea of zero sales tax.

[derby378]

7. I have my own frustrations with primaries, too

That applies to both Democratic and Republican primaries. The last really entertaining primary campaign was the Bush/McCain fight in 2000.

The 2004 Democratic primary season could have been a lot of fun, had not DLC-funded 527s shut down Dean in Iowa by forcing him into a fight with Gephardt. But it did show off a lot of rising stars in the party and what they had to offer, which is still cool. And it did result in new leadership at the DNC.