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Call Me Mad Cow
Yeah yeah yeah, I know. Dean's Dead. Everyone keeps almost saying it, so it must be almost true, right? Well, listen to Jeff Greenfield:
Call me Mad Cow, but suppose you went to these big states and said "isn't it time that the larger states help pick a nominee? Aren't you tired of letting Iowa and New Hampshire run your campaign? You, California, New York, Ohio, Georgia, you never have any power. This is your chance to say to the democratic party, all right, we're going to help pick the nominee." We're talking about a long shot strategy for Howard Dean. But it doesn't seem to me impossible. When people say he's toast, he's finished, forget it, it's the same people often who said he's the definite nominee two months ago, and maybe we ought to look at what the possibilities are rather than saying, "Oh yeah, I know what the future is."
Posted February 5, 2004 04:54 AM | election 2004
This is very similiar to something I said just yesterday. It is ridiculous that NH, Iowa, SC and a few other states get decide for the rest of us who wil be the nominee. Primaries should be held either on the same day, or only a few days apart. This is just silly otherwise.
Posted by: scully at February 5, 2004 10:47 AM
Since I moved from California to Iowa, you can discount my thoughts based on self-interest. Whether a few states like NH, Iowa, SC, etc. should alwayshold the first primaries/caucuses is a very fair point of criticism. However, I've now come to see the wisdom of scattering the primaries over two or so months. The long primary season is grueling and tests the candidates. Some, like Dr. Dean get unlucky and react in a way that is (a) blown way out of proportion by the media; (b) also symptomatic of a lack of perception of media imagery. Others build momentum slowly, as Edwards is trying to do right now.
Long primary seasons also kill off weaker candidates and allow their supporters to think about who they want to support as the next best choice. If you had all the primaries within a couple of days, you wouldn't have that opportunity.
Posted by: Tung Yin at February 5, 2004 03:06 PM
