Posted on 05/12/2010 5:34:12 PM PDT by Bigtigermike
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- The RNC is likely to make radical changes to its presidential selection process at this summer's semi-annual meeting, pushing back the date on which the first states can hold their nominating contests.
A temporary delegate selection committee will recommend allowing IA, NH, SC and NV to hold contests in a pre-window period that begins in Feb., a month later than the '08 process began. Other states may begin holding their contests in March, rather than in Feb.
The delegate selection plan will be made public before the summer meeting, planned for early Aug., sources in the closed-door meeting told Hotline OnCall.
But, in a significant change, any state that chooses to hold a nominating contest before April must award their delegates on an at least partly proportional basis. In '08, states that held contests during the nominating window could award all their delegates to the winner of the plurality of votes; that system allowed Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) to take all 57 delegates from FL even though he won the state with just 36% of the vote.
The new nominating system maintains traditional spots for early states like NH, which will still hold the first contest, and IA, which has the first caucuses. SC will hold the first-in-the-South contest it covets, with NV maintaining a post it first held in the '08 cycle.
"It's as God intended it," joked ex-NH Gov. John H. Sununu, chairman of the NH GOP, after the presentation.
Moving the beginning of the nominating contest back has been a priority for prominent members of both the DNC and the RNC. RNC members have worked closely with DNC member James Roosevelt, the chairman of the party's rules committee, to jointly move the process to later dates. That, both parties hope, will prevent rampant campaigning over the winter holidays.
There are MANY things about the RNC that need reforming before they worry about thier calendar — first and foremost is the need for a nationwide “safari” to eliminate (by removing from power) every RINO in the land. In fact, I’d like to see them on the “endangered species list” by this November.
how about not letting every tom, dick and harry vote in the primary??? just allowing registered Republicans vote...
Actually, this is one of the first things that Steele should’ve been focusing on. The GOP has got to put a few strongly conservative, closed-primary states as early in the schedule as possible to prevent a repeat of 2006 / 2008. Even with the existing mood of the electorate, we will still wind up with the worst possible candidate if we allow the primary-raiding to continue.
I’ve always thought that the Republican process was flawed, with early primary winners having a HUGE advantage in delegates, at which point they garner the most funds. Couple that with the first primaries being held in RINO/liberal Republican states like NH and IA and it’s a disaster.
Hopefully this will help.
I am not up on detail implications, but I know there is an agenda for this to be happening! What is the agenda?
If anyone knows, please inform us underlings ASAP.
If this is deemed to be a calculus to marginalize Tea Party influence, then I am going Third Party!
Just asking, and holding my powder dry!
This is the party that let mccain run for president.
No matter what they do, they are trying to hurt conservatives and protect their liberal/rino elite.
I mean pretty much Romney....that’s the establishment guy
Close the fricking primaries! Only registered Republicans with valid ID and sign a commitment to vote for the GOP nominee should only vote in Republican primaries.
As I understand it, that would require cooperation from state legislatures and the other party.
Probably ain't gonna happen.
How about the geniuses that run the party make sure that our primaries are closed to non-Republicans!
Can someone explain to me why all the primaries aren’t held on the same day? Other than the stupid tradition of IA, NH, etc? It’s simply dumb that a few states effectively determine who the nominee will be.
Another trick of theirs to appease their pals the lefties. If you think the Republicans aren’t in on the graft; I can sell you swamp land in NV.
As we saw in the last primary campaign, and others before it, the Republican primaries are front loaded with liberal states and crossover states. By the time most of the country’s conservatives get to vote, it’s too late.
So, yes, revise the calender and the rules. Get rid of the open invitations to Democrats to vote in Republican primaries.
It could hardly be worse than it is now. The only problem with this that I see, is the the RINOs are still in charge. How likely are the to open it up for conservatives to have more say?
As I recall, it was the Democrats registering and voting in the Iowa Republican caucus that gave us McCain.
I never understood why all the states don’t vote at the same time.....
It would prevent candidates from campaigning in each state. A sequence of primaries allows candidates to campaign in only a few states just before their primaries, then go on to the next batch of states.
A "national" campaign aimed at all states would reduce the opportunity for voters to see and hear individual candidates.
I’m glad to see even small steps to a saner and shorter nomination process. Of course, it’s easier for Democrats to agree to this when there is zero mystery to who their 2012 nominee will be.
Dusting a rigged roulette wheel.
Ain’t it clean and nice now?
Ante up, conservatives! Dig deep, ya hear?
And since the Dems have nothing on the line for the nominating process in 2012, expect the crossover of Dem operatives to be heavier than ever. Of course, telling liberal operatives from disaffected Reagan Democrats will be a difficult task. We don’t want to go too far in alienating folks we want voting for us in November ‘12.
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