California Approves February Presidential Primary

[jefferson_dem]

Senate Approves Feb. Presidential Primary For California

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The state Senate on Tuesday voted to move California's 2008 presidential primary from June to February to give the most populous state a larger say in national politics.

California would join at least eight other states that have or are considering moving their presidential primaries to Feb. 5.

"Right now, we don't matter," said Sen. Jim Battin, R-Palm Desert. "Because we are the biggest state, we will have the biggest impact."

Supporters said presidential candidates typically visit California to raise money for their campaigns but spend little time courting voters because the nominations usually are decided long before the traditional June primary.

Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata said California's diverse population also provides a better proving ground for candidates.

"Why would anyone go to Iowa in January if you could go to California?" said Perata, D-Oakland.

<SNIP>

http://www.nbc11.com/news/11005054/detail.html

[Colobo]

1. Fla. is trying to do the same thing

[Bucky]

2. This is good news for the big money candidates

No need to build your support now, is there?

Of course this could always backfire and lead to a brokered convention--something we haven't had since 1932.

[KingofNewOrleans]

3. Well, that shrinks the field

realistically to Hillary, Obama, Edwards, and maybe Richardson. Does the same to the Republican side too.

[smalll]

4. See, there you go, west-coasters!

I know how hard you guys have it out there, what with all the warm Californian weather, sunsets over the Pacific and what have you. Plus, you can't log on to your favorite website without running into (gasp) GRAMMY SPOILERS posted by people who live in the East!

I hope this makes up for all your special privations - you guys will actually have a major part in picking our next nominee! (Of course, those of us out East will have to stay up until around midnight at least to hope to hear any results of your vote that day, because you guys couldn't think to start voting early and end it at 5 or 6 o'clock so the rest of the nation could hear the news at a decent hour. But that's OK, hey, we're used to things like that, suffering through play-off games and championships that take place out there, going to bed at 1 am or something just because we want to keep up with little things like the World Series every now and then.)

(:sarcasm: but also some sincere umbrage at recent west-coastal whining)

[Boo Boo]

5. Congrats Democrats. You're Primary elections just got bought by the DLC. /nt

[proud patriot]

6. Do you think Dean would have lost a Feb. California primary?

:think:

[Hippo_Tron]

8. If he'd spent his money wiser and hadn't done the "scream" speech he might have won

But the money was the key part. Dean's campaign was bankrupt by February and Kerry would've crushed him in California for that reason alone.

The "bought by the DLC" isn't quite accurate considering that Obama will probably have big money and he's not a DLC member. But having California early really gives the candidates with money a huge advantage and almost completely shuts out the candidates that don't have big money.

[Boo Boo]

18. It's not just a matter of CA. More States are going to do this, and it will

result in a very compressed race where advertising money dominates and candidates don't have the time, nor inclination, to travel to States that are "small market." Dean may have been well served by such a process, or at least been able to last longer---we'll never know. But, OTOH, Bill Clinton would probably have never been President; he was a second half candidate when he ran.

I saw Terry McAwful get asked about CA and other States moving up their primary elections, and how that would help Hillary, and he was grinning like an idiot---not much of poker face, that Terry. Clearly such changes allow Hillary to exploit her money advantage, while preventing other cadidates from building their name recognition and increasing their fund raising ability over time.

I have a strong suspicion that McAwful and the Clinton team have been moving the ball forward behind the scenes on this issue. I think it is probably going to do real damage to the 50 State Strategy in that it will be a process run from the top down, as apposed to Dean's vision of a party run from the bottom up. And I think that suits DLC insiders like Carville, Clinton, McAwful etc. just fine.

I resent it, and I'm from California.

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

7. Can Al Gore Win California If He's On The Ballot? nt

[Le Taz Hot]

16. Yes!!!!

No other candidates need apply here if he throws his hat into the ring. Hollywood would be all over him. The activists? We'd quit our jobs to volunteer for his campaign.

On edit: Speeling

[Wilms]

9. .

[DonkeyInChinaShop]

10. The election of 2008 will convince everyone that we need regional rotated primaries

This is getting absurd. The nation's secretary of states endorse a plan that would hold Presidential primaries in one state from five different regions once every three weeks starting in January of the election year. CA and possibly IL and FL having their primaries on Feb. 5th is going to lead to mass chaos.

[IndianaGreen]

11. This wouldn't have happened were it not for the ego of 2 small states

We should do like Britain does. We should have a short campaign season. Primaries should be run much later than they are currently, and they should be scheduled in such a way that all regions of the country are properly represented on every election.

Primaries should also be held over a weekend, rather than on Tuesday.

At this rate, Iowa and New Hampshire will hold their caucus and primary late this year.

[KingofNewOrleans]

12. Britain isn't a very good comparison

They certainly don't have anything comparable to primaries.

Don't see how Iowa and New Hampshire are to blame for the stampede of states trying to move up in the process.

[crispini]

13. Oh, fuck. There goes the whole primary system.

Love ya, CA, and understand your wish to be relevant, as I am also an irrelevant primary voter, BUT, the only people who can compete will be the rich ones. Hillary Clinton just took the nomination.

[Clarkie1]

14. I'm in California and I have mixed feelings about this. nt

[bigdarryl]

15. this is BULLSHIT a candidate that has no name recognition is finished

this is for people who raise millions of dollars to run. that means the primary will be over in February. The presidency has become a position of corp. money interest

[Le Taz Hot]

17. OK, I have to address all the hand-ringers here.

Let me remind you of what happened in 2004. Dean was the Democrats' overwhelming choice here in 2004, followed by Clark then Kucinich. Everywhere I went there were booths for Dean, Kucinich, and later, Clark. Kerry? Never a booth, and his meetups didn't start until MUCH later and they couldn't PAY people to be there. Locally, they shut them down because you have to have 5 people for a meet up. They couldn't muster that many in my local city of 250,000. The only time Kerry would make an appearance here was to show up at $2,000-a-plate fundraiser that most of us in the grassroots couldn't afford, then leave and spend it somewhere in Poduk, Iowa. He couldn't even bother to show up at either the 2003 or 2004 California Democratic Convention.

But he knew he didn't have to hobnob with the unwashed masses, er, grassroots. The fix was in. 600+ mostly white people in Iowa and the MSM media did what they were there to do . . . nominate Mr. "I was against the war before I was for it." Great. We all know the results. Had our primary been earlier, Dean would have won the nomination out here which would have circumvented the "machine" so easily set up in Iowa.

No, this will allow THE MOST POPULOUS STATE IN THE UNION to have input on who the nominee will be instead of being the candidates' ATM and completely ignore California -- again.

The people who are wringing their hands over this are buying the political establishment mantra. Watch and see if the same talking points aren't repeated, ad nauseum, by the bloviating beltway boys and girls on the talk shows this weekend. It's predictable.

[mitchtv]

19. Good for Calif

Sorry for the Cry babies. How Outrageous that the largest, richest, blue state wants some say in the process. Red states will no longer dominate our process.
I would prefer however, a series of regional primaries for fairness. For those small states to also have a say, but if someone has to have the say , it should be CA

[Mz Pip]

20. One good thing

is that it might knock out RW nutjobs early. There are a fair share of crackpots here, but the Republicans aren't like they are in South Carolina.

Mz Pip
:dem: