Posted on 09/30/2011 11:02:14 AM PDT by pgyanke
TALLAHASSEE — State leaders on Friday set Florida's 2012 presidential primary for Jan. 31, bucking national party rules and ensuring that several other states will leapfrog Florida and set earlier elections.
The move was intended to ensure that America's biggest battleground state has a major voice in picking the Republican nomination, much as it did in 2008 when Florida's late January primary effectively clinched the nomination for John McCain.
"It is more important for states such as Florida not to be on the back end, but to be on the front end of these primaries," said former state Sen. Al Lawson of Tallahassee, a member of the primary committee who initially called for Florida to set its primary for Jan. 3.
(Excerpt) Read more at tampabay.com ...
YES! Me too! We just this week became official residents of Florida and I am VERY excited to actually have my vote count for once in my life!
“I agree, once again, the Stupid Party lives up to its’ name.” <<<<
This is simply conducive to the divisive atmosphere, to a political war between the states and absurdly early for Americans. Shameless timing for Christians, and just like early voting it’s a little dangerous. What IS the upside to already overwrought voters. Just too much.
meh... never move to Oregon. Bu tthen again.. MOVE TO OREGON! We NEED conservatives DESPERATELY to re-take this state from the socialist/liberal tools that infest it!!!
ugh... its harder than you can imagine to be represented by the likes of David Wu... /cry/tiger suit.../wrists
Yes, each party can establish rules regarding the delegates. IIRC, in 2008 the GOP cut the delegates from FL into half, while the Dim didn’t recognize any of them, which I think is quite unfair. Hillary won FL, but her delegates didn’t count.
And last time around FL primary turned out exactly like NH, except NH had Huckabee third and FL had Giuliani third.
If population is everything, we should just get rid of the electoral college. Allowing candidates who may have good ideas but need to show they can play in smaller states to match their smaller funding is precisely what a primary should be about.
The big-money candidates can compete at the bigger stages earlier, wiping out the smaller ones who could build momentum. Why don't we just toss aside this whole system and simply let the ones with the most money win after a certain cut-off date?
No more "compassionate conservatism" if you don't mind although a random pick from the phone book could do a better job than the pathetic Marxist noob that occupies the WH right now.
Florida isn’t really “the South.” That ends at the Georgia-Florida border.
Palin needs to declare and get into those early races now!
Not 30 days from now.
I wouldn't worry. Sarah will factor in this new change on the battlefield, and adjust accordingly. Just my guess, but I think this will hasten her entry.
and I hope that Aroostook does not vote for Ron Paul this time at the caucuses. Romney organized the state thoroughly in ‘08.
Thanks to the “snowbirds”?
> If my “Gays for Perry 2012” shirt is done in time, I’m planning on wearing that, a big styrofoam cowboy hat and a pair of chaps to the debate in NH next month. <<<<
THAT is hilarious! Seriously, we are in need of some grins once in awhile, and you have stepped up par excellance! What a vision. Grins all around.
NH is a huge mess. its an open primary which allows Dems to vote in GOP primaries and screw up our candidates.
fl is NOT an open primary where DEMS decide our options early >
NH needs to stop its open primary or get out of the way. leftist formerly from Mass gave us McCain and hope to ram thru Romney .
I'm from MA, and have been reading that excuse forever, and that dog won't hunt. Every state in the union has folks from somewhere else, but NH is the only one I know that blames its liberal problems on one specific state. Where is this evidence that liberals fleeing MA have somehow taken over NH? The liberals in MA don't flee, that's the problem, they stay right here.
Just man up and take responsibility for your state's politics, already.
Jeb Bush? Please, no more Bushes. They have done enough destruction.
We do not want “winner take all”primaries in any state. Why did McCain get all the delegates when he never got 51% of the vote? I hope we don’t allow this rigging to elect liberals to continue.
Ding, ding, ding ! To gain influence FL should have gone later rather than earlier. Back in the day when their were competitive nominating processes, CA was always the big kahuna as it deserved to be. The only thing FL’s move ensures no is a shorter primary campaign to duke it out and a longer general cycle for the librtards to take apart our candidate.
“This is the exact same mistake we made in 2008. Why are we doing it again?”
Perhaps to give us another leftist “Republican” loser like Ace McCain?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.