The idea of coordinating state primaries into five or so regional primary election dates is sounding better. Then again, I was one of those idiots that wanted a national primary befor I saw how it shook out.
The national parties face the prospect of further confrontations: South Carolina Republicans have moved their primary to Jan. 19, a decision that may force New Hampshire and Iowa to vote earlier in January. And Michigan's legislature is on the verge of approving a Jan. 15 date -- a move that would violate the same Democratic rule that Florida faces punishment for breaking.
The Michigan Republican State Committee voted yesterday to endorse the new date.
DNC Strips Florida Of 2008 Delegates
No Convention Slots Unless Later Primary Is Set
By Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, August 26, 2007; A01
The Democratic National Committee sought to seize control of its unraveling nominating process yesterday, rejecting pleas from state party leaders and cracking down on Florida for scheduling a Jan. 29 presidential primary.
The DNC's rules and bylaws committee, which enforces party rules, voted yesterday morning to strip Florida of all its delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver -- the harshest penalty at its disposal.
The penalty will not take effect for 30 days, and rules committee members urged officials from the nation's fourth-most-populous state to use the time to schedule a later statewide caucus and thus regain its delegates.
By making an object lesson of Florida, Democrats hope to squelch other states' efforts to move their voting earlier, which have created chaos in the primary structure that the national party has established. But the decision to sanction such a pivotal, vote-rich state has risks.
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