‘Florida Florida Florida’

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.

One Response to ‘Florida Florida Florida’

  1. C R Krieger says:

    Maybe a rotary and not a lottery, but even a lottery would be better than the current system.  Yes, in the old days, before all those folks from Massachusetts moved to New Hampshire (perhaps to avoid taxes and perhaps to get in an early vote in the primary) it was all retail politics at the grass roots level, but I think that argument is going away.

    But, along with a national system administered by the several states in agreement with the parties, I would like to see the whole kit and kaboodle shifted to deeper into the Spring.

    Or, put it all on the Parties and let them sort it out themselves, rotating it around the several states as they see fit.  Leave the states out of it.  Save the taxpayers money and let the Independents commit some time and money if they want to play in the Primaries (someone has to pay for what would replace the state funded primaries).

    Regards  —  Cliff