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 ...
Who benefits from this? Romney. He and the GOP Establishment are playing conservatives for fools, most recently by arguing with a straight face that Romney is more conservative than Perry. Only an utter moron would believe that Romney would be any better on illegal immigration than Perry. All of us conservatives dissatisfied with Perry had better be careful that we are not paving the way for the substantially worse Romney. And moving the Florida primary up hurts the chances of any the other candidates moving up. I smell an Establishment rat (an Establishment, Rockefeller Repubican rat).
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.
I agree with you. I don’t know why people have their panties in a twist about this. If any particular candidate can’t get it together and win by then, that’s their problem. I’m tired of NH and Iowa getting to determine who goes on and who doesn’t.
Again you are too funny...
Florida doesn't bother to count military votes unless they help out the democrat. Remember the hanging chads? The painful recount probably would not have been needed if they had counted the Military absentee vote.
For that matter I think, that they won't be counted at all unless it would be expected to change an outcome. I suppose a state could count absentee votes before election day but, I don't know if any state does that.
I doesn’t matter whether they count them or not...they still have to be printed and sent out.
Or maybe that is what we really want, a king who lets us tend his land.
I haven’t got the faintest clue what you are talking about. Nobody is limiting your choices. In fact NH and Iowa limit everybody else choices.
I think all primaries should be held on the same day.
Way to go Florida, looking forward to gracing you with my presence and my dollars very soon...
Cain is underfunded, and Cain would upset Florida if the primary was tomorrow. As it is, it's only four months away, and he's still a good chance to upset.
Whitebread and Cornfed needed to be kicked to the curb. It's all about a CLOSED PRIMARY from a state with a REALISTIC SAMPLE POPULATION prominent in the early going. It's the best thing to happen to the GOP election process since Reagan turned NC on its ear in '76 and took it all the way to the convention...
Thank you FRiend!
The splash in NH is completely a joke. They have an open primary, many of the voters like my relatives vote in the republican primary just to cause trouble.
Again, not a GOP issue, but an issue that these States require.
Kinda along the lines of ‘states rights’.....
"Upsetting the apple cart?"
Sounds "going rogue" to me.
All I know is that my vote in Minnesota is irrelevant - always has been. By the time I vote, it is all decided in everything but form. That is why it is hard for me to get excited about voting - I never have a meaningful choice, especially when it comes to wanting to vote for a candidate that is low in the polls early on and has to drop out due to lack of funds. I never get to vote for that individual, and if New Hampshire and Iowa don’t like him, they basically kick him or her out before I have a chance.
I think there should be a primary day. I think people would be surprised at the number of people in the rest of the country that would vote for those low polling candidates. It would also energize them by showing that their vote really does matter.
Until then, it is like watching another country choose my president.
Not true... The RNC discriminates in favor of New Hampshire and Iowa (and a couple other states) in requiring that they go first. Florida Republicans are technically violating the RNC’s rules, and will lose 50% of their delegates because of it. On the flip side, they gain more clout and attention during the primaries because they decide earlier.
“Good. No reason for FL to take a back seat to IA and NH. States with substantial populations and diverse economies and demographics deserve their say.”
Don’t get me wrong i agree its Florida’s say but her population size and economic diversity have nothing to do with Florida’s right to stage their primary anytime they want.
If you ask me States should be encouraged to abandon first past the post in their primary elections and go to an instant runoff primary system.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant-runoff_voting
Basically that gives everyone a 1st, 2nd, 3rd and possibly 4th choice, as a means of institutionalizing compromise in the primary, and encouraging broad appeal.
That’s a good reasons to just hold all the primary’s on the same day.
The Republican party could do that by refusing to count any vote that is not cast on that day.
Wouldn’t it be hilarious if Jebbie got in before the FL primary is held?
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