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Comments in article. I also think this would diminish the likelihood that Hillary! will be nominated by the Democrats in 2008. Once Kerry has crashed and burned over defects that should have been anticipated, it is more possible that when push comes to shove, the Democrats will choose someone with greater substance and integrity than Hillary!
1 posted on 09/11/2004 1:54:00 PM PDT by Congressman Billybob
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To: Constitution Day; TaxRelief; mhking; JohnHuang2
F.Y.I., Billybob
2 posted on 09/11/2004 1:55:35 PM PDT by Congressman Billybob (Visit: www.ArmorforCongress.com please.)
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To: Congressman Billybob
well according to Dems Bush never won the first time, so by their logic he can run again in 2008!
3 posted on 09/11/2004 2:03:51 PM PDT by escapefromboston
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To: Congressman Billybob

Let's keep the old primary system and get rid of the old media "system".


4 posted on 09/11/2004 2:04:33 PM PDT by exnavy
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To: Congressman Billybob

A national primary loads the dice in favor of the candidate with the most name recognition and money. Having primaries in small states first, lets more obscure candidates a chance to show their stuff and gain momentum, or lose it. I prefer having Iowa and New Hampshire vet candidates on a retail basis first. Granted, in a perfect world, which states got this honor would rotate. But heaven forbid if it should ever be California or New York, which are anomic and media driven, and in the case of New York, the GOP is really more of a phone booth party.


5 posted on 09/11/2004 2:06:35 PM PDT by Torie
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To: Congressman Billybob

A national primary is a trojan horse for abolishing the electoral college.

If a national primary were ever established, the political pressure to abolish the electoral college would become unstoppable. Pundits would have a field day -- "A national election is good enough for the primaries, so why isn't it good enough for the general?"


6 posted on 09/11/2004 2:08:50 PM PDT by nsc68
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To: Congressman Billybob

Speaking as a distant observer, I see it as somewhat odd that the government gets involved with party candidate selection; surely this is the job of the parties themselves. It is certainly strange to push this into the hands of the Federal Government, rather than the several states.


7 posted on 09/11/2004 2:09:27 PM PDT by tjwmason (Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt.)
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To: Congressman Billybob

I'm gonna go with the old saying, always follow the money. A one day event would pound that reality into the system in no uncertain terms. The candidate with the most money upfront, before even one vote is cast will be the nominee. Yes, I realize that's already a big part of the whole process as it's in place currently, but a single day vote will make it even worse.

Hillary has alreay been working for a long time to get her war chest ready. If you can think of the name of any other Democrat in a similar position, put their name on the table.


8 posted on 09/11/2004 2:09:36 PM PDT by GoLightly
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To: Congressman Billybob

"Democrats will choose someone with greater substance and integrity than Hillary!"

This will not be hard to do, since she has no substance, no experience (very important), no love for country, she is a devout Marxist, she hates the military, and would be on a par with Kerry when it comes to pandering to the enemies of the U.S. -- even though she is standard Democrat anti-American trash, one of her biggest problems is that her resume (qualifications) is a blank piece of paper.

She is accomplished though at bimbo-suppression, throwing lamps, generating the foulest language, spraying anti-semitism, maintaining relationships with the enemies of the U.S., defending and promoting anti-establishment militants, and totally lacking in self-respect and ethics.

Other than that, she would be a fine candidate...(looking for barf bucket...)


9 posted on 09/11/2004 2:13:05 PM PDT by EagleUSA
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To: Congressman Billybob
election day should be a nationwide 24 hour period. ie all polls should open and close the same time. eg: polls open on the east coast at noon and close the next day at noon while polls open in hawaii at 6:00am and close the next day at 6:00am.
10 posted on 09/11/2004 2:13:22 PM PDT by phxaz (w: 7 minutes of composure. kerry: 37 minutes of paralysis.)
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To: Congressman Billybob

There is no primary system. Think about it. In fact the Republicans and Democrats should be footing the bill for their use of public money supporting their party selection process.


11 posted on 09/11/2004 2:25:29 PM PDT by Rightwing Conspiratr1 (Lock-n-load!)
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To: Congressman Billybob
Interesting essay, as always, sir. Permit be to object on two grounds. Legal, and pragmatic. A national primary would start us down the slippery slope to eliminate the elctoral college. More and more focus would be paid to TOTAL vote, not the states won..besides, NH will never go along. Thye'd just move the 2008 primary to the third week on Jan 2005...

Tactically, the problems with the primary system in its presetn form are due for the most part to the Democratic party's schizophrenic nature...The hard left in the party controls the primaries. A natinal primary would have given us Dean as a nominee..a scary thought indeed..You need a sequence of primaries to allow different candidates to ebb/flow, and see how they can handle the political process..a vetting if you will...Look at Iowa and NH for whom they eliminated..The Dem party should have changed the rules, and kicked the candidates out of the debates, those with less that 10% of the vote...Again..Iowa eliminated Dean..

15 posted on 09/11/2004 2:35:38 PM PDT by ken5050 (Bill Clinton has just signed to be the national spokesman for Hummer..)
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To: Congressman Billybob

I take a somewhat different view.

There is absolutely no reason why political parties are permitted to involve the governments, states and federal, in the selection of their candidates.

Governments should only be involved in the actual election of candidates to public office. Political parties should choose their candidates by whatever means they see fit, including reading tea leaves. But they should not have access to nor restrictions from government mechanisms in doing so.

Bluntly, deny political parties government support, including voter registration (by party), and polling services.

This would then return the primary system to its original function of the party members determining the course of their parties. It would also make things much harder for media manipulation.

Will there be abuses under this method? Of course. That is not the concern of government. It is the concern of the party members. But most importantly it provides for political parties to grow & evolve, wither & die...all at the dictates of its members.

Sounds a lot like political free enterprise. Or just maybe it's how a healthy representative republic functions.


17 posted on 09/11/2004 2:36:23 PM PDT by DakotaGator
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To: Congressman Billybob
Um, I thinks Iowa REQUIRES the funding of both political campaigns and the subsequent media coverage in order to sustain what economy they possess..

Just a thought. Of course, this is silly, as Jesse is going to do away with the electoral college anyway..

19 posted on 09/11/2004 2:43:02 PM PDT by Experiment 6-2-6 (Meega, Nala Kweesta! KERRY EDWARDS... Forging ahead...)
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To: Congressman Billybob
Re: "...the Democrats will choose someone with greater substance and integrity than Hillary!"

Don't count on it. They are bone stupid. As an example it is a wonder to me that a party with the power, money, experience and (hack, cough, hauch spit) talent as the Democratic party would pick a man who was promoting his Vietnam War credentials as qualification for President during wartime while at the same time stating he was proud of his antiwar efforts. How can a logical and sane man claim he is proud of his war efforts and at the same time be proud of saying he participating in war crimes? It defies all logic, it makes no common sense. Like the Clintoon scandal, the swift boat Vets were predictable well before the primaries were over. Hand wringing over their candidates short comings is a little late.

I doubt they will do any better in four years. Lets face facts they have never faced the real problem which is their world view, their fantasy land outlook. I can sum up the reason they won with Clintoon in 92 and 96 in two words:

Ross Perot
21 posted on 09/11/2004 2:48:49 PM PDT by Mark in the Old South
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To: Congressman Billybob
The Parties, or a party, could set a date for primaries in all states and bar it's candidates from running in earlier ones.

Of course that'd be 'too easy'.

You're right about the problem. Maine and Iowa are not bellwethers of any sort.

23 posted on 09/11/2004 2:50:17 PM PDT by mrsmith ("Oyez, oyez! All rise for the Honorable Chief Justice... Hillary Rodham Clinton ")
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To: Congressman Billybob
...no incumbent President has ever been denied renomination if he sought that.

...no incumbent President since Chester Arthur in 1884 was unsaddled in favor of James Blaine has ever been denied renomination if he sought that.

Fixed it up for ya. No charge, of course. Boola boola, and all that. (g!)

31 posted on 09/11/2004 3:10:41 PM PDT by SAJ (Wait until Tues, then write OJX calls, 100 and 105 strikes. Write SFV 7700 puts on any decent dip.)
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To: Congressman Billybob
All candidates would have an incentive to go to all such states - in person, on TV, by Internet - because all such voting would matter.

The Founders would have loved this idea. Why weren't you there!? ;))

37 posted on 09/11/2004 3:26:18 PM PDT by Indie (Ignorance of the truth is no excuse for stupidity.)
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To: Congressman Billybob
I disagree with the national primary. I think there should be four regional primaries held starting in July and then every two weeks. That takes us into September giving the candidates time to lie tell us what they plan for us.
38 posted on 09/11/2004 3:26:48 PM PDT by raybbr
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To: Congressman Billybob; All

I'd be for a national primary if each state could only vote for residents within their state to go to their respective party national conventions where party delegates would pick the best candidates their parties have to offer. Each state would be limited to their two top picks from each party as candidates for president. State party delegates would be selected at the same time.

National conventions are now little more than Broadway plays with very little substance. They nothing more than a rubber stamp of policies agreed to before the opening act. This needs to be changed.


40 posted on 09/11/2004 3:34:50 PM PDT by backtothestreets
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To: Congressman Billybob
How would the votes be counted in such a national primary? Electoral College-wise or national popular-wise? I'd prefer the former.

I'd like to see a two-tiered process where an earlier primary narrows the field rather early, thus eliminating the nuisance ticks.

42 posted on 09/11/2004 3:48:32 PM PDT by PeoplesRepublicOfWashington (Kerry fled while good men bled.)
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