Posted on 01/22/2012 6:56:28 AM PST by IbJensen
As all eyes turn to Florida, you’d think GOP party leaders would be bending over backwards to win this critical swing state swings back this year after it went to Obama in 2008. Surprisingly, party leaders are doing the exact opposite.
The GOP leadership voted unanimously to snub Florida Republicans again, this time adding insult to injury in their own backyard with the convention in Tampa—all because Florida had the audacity to move its primary up to January 31st. In addition to cutting the Florida delegates in half, GOP delegates from Florida are getting lousy seats in the convention hall, they’re banished from hotels near the convention center, and they’re getting fewer guest passes.
Republicans in Florida are still scratching their heads, wondering why moving the primary date up drew such a harsh reaction from party leaders—especially in such a critical state in the 2012 election. It seems it’s all about party leaders asserting their power. The “Powers That Be” in the Republican Party don’t like anyone challenging them. Apparently they didn’t get the memo from the Tea Party.·
The real question is why it’s so important to party leaders to let Iowa and New Hampshire go first? Why let two historically blue states—both of which voted for Obama in 2008—play such a key role in shaping the GOP primary race? Who put them in charge? Believe it or not, George McGovern. That’s right—McGovern, the ultra-liberal Democrat who lost in a landslide to Richard Nixon in 1972—was the one who decided Iowa should kick off the presidential primary race.·
Forty years ago, a series of articles in The New York Times, one of the most liberal newspapers in the country, highlighted the election process in non-primary states. The Iowa co-chair for George McGovern’s campaign capitalized on this publicity and helped engineer the first early January caucus for the Democratic Party in 1972. In 1976, the Iowa Republican party moved their caucus up to the same date as the Democrats. Iowa has kept the pole position ever since.·
Why does a decision made by liberal Democrats in 1972 still determine the Republican party’s nominating process 40 years later? Nobody really seems to know. Like so many other things in government, perhaps it’s easier to just give in to inertia and go with the status quo than to change a rule that no longer makes sense.·
Both Iowa and New Hampshire are historically blue states that swing to the left. Iowa voted for Bill Clinton in 1992 & 1996, Al Gore in 2000, and Obama in 2008. New Hampshire voted for Bill Clinton in 1992 & 1996, John Kerry in 2004, and Obama in 2008. Put another way, both Iowa and New Hampshire voted for Democrats in 4 of the last 5 Presidential elections. Please tell me again why GOP leaders are letting these two states determine the course of the Republican primary? And why are they intent on minimizing the impact of key states like Florida that are critical in the general election?·
Punishing Florida voters because they want a greater role in the outcome of the primary campaign is just plain stupid. Florida party leaders didn’t even try to upstage Iowa or New Hampshire—they just wanted to be relevant in the process. Once again, GOP leaders seem more interested in asserting their power than listening to the concerns of voters in their party.·
As we saw in 2000, Florida can determine the outcome of the Presidential election. Publicly snubbing the very people you’re relying on to energize the party and get out the vote is not a very smart strategy. Letting Iowa and New Hampshire go first is not locked in stone. At the very least, stop the punitive retribution against Florida voters for trying to get a stake in the outcome. Is it any surprise to hear more and more voters identify themselves as conservatives and not Republicans? Perhaps it’s time Republican Party leaders stop defending the status quo and start thinking about the future
And they wonder why many Americans don't trust our political system? When Republican voters see their party leaders asserting power instead of listening to what the people want, it discourages them. That coupled with the abysmal lack of education in civics and the voting process could very well mean that Ron Paul will pull enough votes away and endure that Obama will stay in power for another 4 years.
They should cut all open-primary states’ delegate counts in half.
Simple solution for Florida.
Give all the delegates to Newt, and tell the establishment to roll Mitt over to the next state.
All incumbents must go. The have become so entrenched that they have forgotten who put them there. They are lining their own pockets. I think it’s time for a wake-up call.
Note to Newt. Continue to paint Romney as the estabishment candidate (it is the truth). Florida could be much easier than people think.
Subsidiowa. Ethanol/Money rules all.
Hear, hear!
"As soon as they get here, we need to co-opt them.” - Trent Lott
Doesn't that just say it all?
...Florida, you'd think GOP party leaders would be bending over backwards to win this critical swing state swings back this year after it went to Obama in 2008... GOP leadership voted unanimously to snub Florida Republicans again... with the convention in Tampa -- all because Florida had the audacity to move its primary up to January 31st... cutting the Florida delegates in half... lousy seats in the convention hall... banished from hotels near the convention... fewer guest passes.
For years Republicans were labeled Blue and Democrats were labeled Red. Then the liberal media decided that that was unfair. After all, every year Republicans got "true blue" while Democrats were stained with "commie red". So the media decided that every four years they would switch colors to make it fair.
But then some Republican operative decided he liked the sound of "red meat" conservatives, and the media, who will never pass on a made-up controversy let them keep it.
It's all silly nonsense that is beside the point.
The reason why I am happy with what the Republican Party did was because they FOLLOWED THE RULES. If Florida wanted to move up their primary they could have argued it with the party much earlier. They didn't. Just like what happened in Virginia: they snoozed and they lost.
Thge Republicans punish Florida for moving up their Primary and yet they would let New Hampshire and Iowa move their up any time they want to.
In Virginia, the party figured a way to keep all but two candidates off the ballot.
All Primary’s should be on the same day >
All Candidates who wish to be should be on the ballot in Va.
I am ready for a real two party system instead of the One party system we have now.
Iowa isn’t punished because no delegates are apportioned. Iowa’s ‘straw vote’ is non-binding. Iowa will select its national convention delegates in June.
Trent Lott says it all to me. I don’t need anything else to make me against whatever he’s supporting.
Note to Newt. Continue to paint Romney as the estabishment candidate (it is the truth). Florida could be much easier than people think.
I agree. The only real worry I have about Florida is that 2 million have sent absentee vote already beginning 2 weeks ago and that early voting started a bit ago so Newt will probably have to make up some other voters who blew it by voting for Romney too early before seeing Newt kick butt this past week.
All Primary’s should be on the same day >
I think that is a horrible idea. Do this and Romney would have won the nomination. What if they had the primary day two weeks ago? You need to begin thinking about your over the top suggestions. The way they do the primary is fine. If they did not put some type of punishment on the states, we would start this process in October 2010. Every year it begins earlier and earlier.
I think you may be reading a little too much into the red vs. Blue thing. It’s really simple: Traditionally blue was the color of the incumbent party, and red was the color of the challenging party. 2000 and its iconic “Red vs. Blue/Bush vs. Gore” map just locked those colors into place.
That said, I agree with you on everything else, especially this primary stuff - rules are rules, and they must be followed. These rules are set by the national party, of which Florida is a part. Their desire to get attention (and that’s what all of this is early primary crap is about: media-whoring attention) caused them to lose delegates. They knew damn well what would happen if they moved, and they did it anyway. They lost their “preferred” seating for flouting another rule, that delegates be awarded proportionately. The funny thing about it is that the only state that got screwed by Florida’s action was South Carolina, who lost delegates for moving their primary to preserve its own status as the first southern contest, further diluting the conservative influence in the primary process.
Eventually this Iowa/NH goofiness will change (hell, they don’t even really matter all that much anyway, when you think about it - SC is the real key contest anymore) but until then, follow the rules or face consequences.
Newt should speak out agaisnt this elitist establishment move. Who do they think they are? Who is “the party” if not the people?
Newt should mention Hispanic unemployment numbers. Hispanic immigrants did not come to the US to be unemployed and poor so they could get on Obama’s food stamp rolls and join the Left’s permanent underclass. They came to America just like all the Americans before them - for individual freedom and opportunity. They came for economic independence and American freedom.
That would be a great statement to make down there. It would separate them from those trapped on the Democratic Plantation. (He may even be able to work in that phrase.)
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