GAT_00: Oh shiat. This is going to cause mass chaos.

If the first primary takes place in Florida, Michelle Bachmann and L. Ron Hubbard will poll the highest

So that settles it.

Bachmann / Space Aliens 2012

THIS JUST IN

PRIMARIES WILL NOW START TOMMOROW IN IOWA

Marcus Aurelius: We seriously need to start a national lottery for primary slots. This is ridiculous. By the time they get to my state the game is over.

This just sucks ass.

Try Georgia. Unless you count Obama (and as he didn't get the electoral votes, I don't) I've never voted for anyone that's actually won, and I don't vote third party.

Actually won't happen, New Hampshire at least will move theirs earlier. They have to, it's the law.

Wow this story must have changed in the half hour since I read it. They were aiming for 5th, now first? Strange days.

In other news, New Hampshire's primary has been rescheduled to five months ago. Congratulations on your win, Tim Pawlenty!

Schadenfreude ist die schoenste Freude: GAT_00: Oh shiat. This is going to cause mass chaos.

If the first primary takes place in Florida, Michelle Bachmann and L. Ron Hubbard will poll the highest

So that settles it.

Bachmann / Space Aliens 2012

/

At least we are always an early state. I'd be kind of pissed being one of those states so far down the line that it is almost decided before you get any say what so ever. Kind of stupid primaries aren't all held on the same day...

factoryconnection: Wow this story must have changed in the half hour since I read it. They were aiming for 5th, now first? Strange days.

5th was where we were in 2008.

factoryconnection: Wow this story must have changed in the half hour since I read it. They were aiming for 5th, now first? Strange days.

Different source, it turns out... different details. Since the GOP primary is, politically speaking, the ONLY thing SC has going for it, that's just one more peg out of the Palmetto State's board.

/Still have nice beaches.

There's an interesting game going on here.
The national party is penalizing them for the early date by removing half of their delegates from the convention. The state party thinks the earlier date is worth the penalty. It's kind of like saying, "I'm ok with my state having 1 Senator instead of 2, as long as that Senator is the Chairman of Ways/Means or Judicial". Sometimes less votes can be more.

They need to just set up a caucus date and stick with it. I'm afraid this is going to the pattern of sticking your caucus forward and then pulling it back, sticking it forward and pulling it back, over and over until the inevitable climatic event.

Marcus Aurelius: We seriously need to start a national lottery for primary slots. This is ridiculous. By the time they get to my state the game is over.

This just sucks ass.

Except in 2008 where my vote finally mattered, also from PA

NewportBarGuy: Will they be drug testing the voters candidates?

EWreckedSean: Kind of stupid primaries aren't all held on the same day...

The Lizard People hold them in August, on closed circuit TV.

The Florida tag was all like "me first!" and pushed the Stupid tag down.

Are we really shocked that Florida wants to have an Early Bird Special for their primary?

Speaking as a Floridian, I understand why they don't want us to go early. We're too big. What I don't understand is why we don't counter-offer to have only one region of the state go early, a different region each time.

Why are they bothering? New Hampshire, per their state law, will just move its primary to one week before Florida's primary.

Which means the New Hampshire primary is in a week.

I blame it on this Muzzie that was tryin' to infiltrate the GOP in Floriduh.

tricycleracer: Schadenfreude ist die schoenste Freude: GAT_00: Oh shiat. This is going to cause mass chaos.

If the first primary takes place in Florida, Michelle Bachmann and L. Ron Hubbard will poll the highest

So that settles it.

Bachmann / Space Aliens 2012

[www.pamil-visions.net image 224x284]/ [media.tumblr.com image 461x403]

So it begins.

How long until we get a constitutional amendment proposed for setting the primary dates for the states?

Just what we need - Florida with More influence!

Maybe this jackassery will lead to all the primaries being on the same day.

But probably not.

Part of me likes this, if nothing else it tells the political parties that they dont get to make all the rules.

Then they wonder why so few people vote. By the time elections come around we are so sick of looking at them.
Just make the stupid go away.

If the electorate wasn't full of a bunch of sheep, it wouldn't matter who had the first primary.

Anti-incumbent - the only way to get our political process back. Sadly, I also believe term limits should only be enforce via the ballot box.

/so we're screwed

Yes, because we all know how good Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina (and, I guess, Florida) are at reflecting the will of voters in New York, North Dakota, Utah, Maryland, Colorado and Hawaii.

National. Primary. Day.

// otherwise, we'll keep seeing these speculative bullshiat stories every 4 years
// like stories about "End-run around the Electoral College" efforts
// MD, UT (IIRC) and a few other states have passed "we'll switch to a 'winner of the national popular vote wins our electoral votes (so long as 270 EC votes' worth of states have passed this law)'" laws
// MD's primary is in April
// APRIL - even Obama was basically a shoo-in at that point in 2008

EWreckedSean: At least we are always an early state. I'd be kind of pissed being one of those states so far down the line that it is almost decided before you get any say what so ever. Kind of stupid primaries aren't all held on the same day...

Weeners the Post would completely implode if they did that, is the thing. The winner would end up being RONPAUL with 12% of the vote, with the other 88% hating his guts. They'd need to switch to instant runoff or something similar. Granted, I'd love for the primaries for both parties being handled by a single-day national preferential vote, but it's unusual enough to get shot down as un-American.

/from PA
//if my state primary matters, something went wrong

Iowa and New Hampshire will move their dates. These 2 will always be first, the other states need STFU.

I say fark it and let them all run. Ditch this primary BS.

If you really want RON PAUL then you should be allowed to choose him in November.

UsikFark: EWreckedSean: Kind of stupid primaries aren't all held on the same day...

The Lizard People hold them in August, on closed circuit TV.

Only because their king decreed it so...

mdeesnuts: If the electorate wasn't full of a bunch of sheep, it wouldn't matter who had the first primary.

Anti-incumbent - the only way to get our political process back. Sadly, I also believe term limits should only be enforce via the ballot box.

/so we're screwed

Its the First-time senators and congresscritters which are causing the most problems right now.

This is about money and getting the campaigns to spend the most in their state. The earlier you are the more important you are, and more money and time is spent in your state.

Shrugging Atlas: I say fark it and let them all run. Ditch this primary BS.

If you really want RON PAUL then you should be allowed to choose him in November.

Oh, but you can. You can write in anybody you want.

Well, we can have sugar ethanol now, but we'll be giving Disney some huge tax subsidies.

I think the GOP should do away with primaries entirely. Then the voters get to choose the candidate that most closely matches their beliefs.

/the divided GOP votes that ensures a DEM win? Purely unintended I assure you.

Marcus Aurelius: We seriously need to start a national lottery for primary slots. This is ridiculous. By the time they get to my state the game is over.

This just sucks ass.

We really should just amend the constitution to make all states hold primaries on the same day. This is really a structural defect in the Constitution, that's being exploited by politicians and big money to limit democracy.

Same goes for gerrymandering: should be done by an objective computer algorithm with no regard for partisan preferences. Another defect in the Constitution that is being exploited to undermine democracy. No more of this garbage where Congressmen get to pick their own constituents rather than the other way around.

Of course, neither of these things will ever actually be fixed, because they are too useful as tools to...undermine democracy. Most politicians simply will not vote for something that strengthens democracy and weakens party and big money control.

Dr Dreidel: // MD, UT (IIRC) and a few other states have passed "we'll switch to a 'winner of the national popular vote wins our electoral votes (so long as 270 EC votes' worth of states have passed this law)'" laws

Currently 139 EC votes worth of states have passed that. (VT, MD, WA, IL, NJ, DC, MA, CA, HI). Remaining gap could be closed with about 5 of the larger states (NY, PA, FL, TX, OH) signing on.It's pretty much inevitable, to happen eventually (the voting systems always trends towards being more democratic over time).

Palin better get into the race, or it'll be over before she even announces.

Bwaahaahaahaahahahaahaahahaahaaahhaaaahaahahaa!!!!

<breath>

Bwaaaahhahahahhhaaaaahahahahahaaahhaahahahahah!!!

So, George, Colorado and Missouri move to the 24th.

Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina move to the 17th.

PA decides to screw everyone and moves to Jan 3rd. We need the money. The Philadelphia School District has a half a billion dollar shortfall and all the new state Republican and Democrats need to get their beaks wet with "walking around money."