BLAME FLORIDA!

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It was reported yesterday (and I noted in passing) that Iowa Republicans have “tentatively” scheduled their presidential caucuses for Jan. 3, but what will Iowa do if New Hampshire goes thermonuclear?

New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner said today he may schedule the first-in-the nation primary as early as Dec. 6, marking the first time ever that New Hampshire voters would pick a presidential candidate in December.
“Any Tuesday in December would be a possibility, but that’s one of them,” Gardner said today, when asked about a Dec. 6 primary. “It’s not something I would do lightly. It would be done regrettably, but if it has to be done, we’re going to comply with our tradition and our state law.”
Gardner said that, from 1916 until 1972, New Hampshire held its primary in March. But he said it has been forced to move up the date in recent years, as other states have pushed up their primary dates to attract more attention from the candidates.
This year, the race for an early vote has been especially fierce. Florida has scheduled its primary for Jan. 31, South Carolina has chosen Jan. 21, and Nevada will hold its caucus on Jan. 14. Iowa has yet to schedule a date for its first-in-the-nation caucus.
Drew Ivers, a member of the GOP Central Committee in Iowa, said the panel met last night to discuss a date for that state’s caucuses, and is leaning toward Jan. 3, the same date it chose in 2008. He said if New Hampshire decides to hold its primary in December, it would certainly spark some consideration of a new date for Iowa. But he said Iowa Republicans last night expressed “a significant reluctance,” to move the caucuses into December, because they believe the state can have more of an impact by holding its caucus in the election year. . . .

There’s more at the link, but you see what kind of heinous madness has resulted from the villainous actions of Florida GOP leaders.

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24 comments

  1. Why is the Fla. party apparatus so out of control that they are nuking their own propenents choices, their own proponents primary?What has scared them so? 
    Was it Cain ? Was is Palin ? Was it the tea party spirit in general?

    Hell I do not even have any idea of why the Fla GOP central apparatchiks decided to uphold their leaders decision or even if it was a single person that drove this or all of them or even a majority of them.

    Does anyone know if the Fla GOP Central Commitee had been invaded by Tea Party patriots and did they drive it or did they push back? ( I know that is 3 questions ) I suspect that is not the case, but I would like to know.

    Bob is so right on this whole issue this year.
     The other states after Fla broke that barrier have more widely held interests in maintaining their role in the primary, it is the batshit crazy gop in fla that started this mess and someone there should be made to pay dearly. Re-education camps for everyone !

  2. I have a real question about primaries in fla.
    Don’t the Dems have primaries also this year, local and statewide primaries?
    Did they push for this ?
    What was their influence in this matter?

  3. Beyond the specific (and entirely selfish) motives of Florida GOP leaders, there is a larger fundamental problem: The Arrogance of Power.

    The defeat of Charlie Crist was evidently not enough to convince party leaders that the rank-and-file of Republicans in Florida were not going to be jerked around as pawns in an elite insider power trip. Florida Tea Party activists must target some of the key incumbent Republicans responsible for this atrocity — a short list, say a half-dozen — and make the campaign to defeat them with 2012 GOP primary challengers a NATIONAL CRUSADE.

  5. Do not EVER cross Bill Gardner on New Hampshire’s primary. He literally wrote the book. Further, he’s been Secretary of State for over 30 years, which is an appointed position chosen by the legislature. That means he’s been reappointed by both Democratic and Republican legislatures, and he’s a Democrat in a state that is predominantly Republican.

    Our law is clear, and Bill’s duty is to make sure it’s followed.

    J.

  6. Conservatives for Cthulhu are opposed to screwing with the primary schedule. Whether it’s his fault or not we’ve decided to blame mittens.

  9. What has any of this to do with the Florida move – given they did the same thing last cycle and threatened it before that?  .

    How does following an established policy (however bad, and it is) suddenly mean they are anti-Tea Party?

    Never ascribe to malice that which is readily explained by stupidity.

  10. You have to admire Romney’s genius, planting this idea of moving up their primary in Florida Republicans’ heads nearly 20 years ago, even to the point them doing it the last cycle (when Romney was not favored, and didn’t win) just to throw off suspicion.

    That’s pretty doggone deep strategy!  Isn’t it about time we supported a Deep Dark Conspiracy that actually works?

  12. Seems to me the primary schedule should be set by the national party – and anyone who cares not to follow it should lose their standing at the nominating convention, no ifs, ands or buts.

  18. He did it with the help of Darth Rove and Cheney’s use of the Haliburton Mind Control and Weather Control Machines.

    J.

  19. Conservatives for Cthulhu make no claims of responsibility on Romney’s part we merely reserve the right to blame him anyway.
    Conservatives for Cthulhu will not support mittens.

  21. I don’t think this can help Mittens. The Georgian Cain really has the pulse of the likely GOP primary voter for SC, GA, and, I predict, FL. They would have had to have held the primary a few months ago to prevent a Cain win.

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