In the immortal white-board handwriting of the late Tim Russert, “Florida Florida Florida.” I hope the Sunshine state folks push to the hilt their attempt to get the earliest primary election date possible in 2012. I am so sick of New Hampshire and Iowa being at the front of the pack. I wanted to yell, in fact I did yell in my kitchen, when I read a news story yesterday with a quote by some smug New Hampshirite politico saying Florida upstarts are endangering the vital and historic role that N.H. plays in “vetting candidates.” What crap.

It’s always bugged me that Massachusetts politicians let New Hampshire eat our presidential primary lunch by dutifully waiting in line until N.H. sorted out the pack. Why do Hudson and Seabrook and Keene get first pick? Nevermind the caucus barn dance in Iowa just before. Why haven’t the Massachusetts political parties insisted on having their primary earlier than N.H. or on the same day at least? I don’t get it. Tradition is the wrong approach for something so important. Why is Nashua more deserving of winnowing the field than Lowell and Worcester?

Seems to me that national political party types should have a lottery system with everyone in. You create a big event like the professional sports team draft extravaganzas and pick 50 state cards out of a tumbling drum. Maybe there are five  primary days, “super Tuesdays,” with ten states each time. Maybe Oregon and Kentucky get to be first to vote the next time. Maybe New Hampshire winds up in the fifth pack and has to wait until May to vote. Maybe change is a good thing in this case. I think so.