Moving Towards a National Primary
Posted on August 30, 2007
Michigan has just announced that it will move its primary up to January 15, 2008. Michigan is just latest state to move its primary up in a bid to oust the states of New Hampshire and Iowa from their preeminent position in American politics.
State lawmakers approved the bill setting the earlier primary date this afternoon, and it could reach the desk of Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm, a Democrat, as early as tomorrow. Liz Boyd, a spokeswoman for Ms. Granholm, said that she will sign the bill. "Governor Granholm supports a primary that will make Michigan relevant in the presidential selection process," Ms. Boyd said.The arguments against a de facto national primary are that the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries are the only times voters will see candidates taking unscripted questions from actual voters, going door to door and freezing in dawn's chill to talk to laborers before work. A national primary will favor the candidates who have the most money, name recognition and -- most importantly -- perform well on-camera.But if state Democratic and Republican officials decide to abide by the earlier date, they'll be in violation of national party rules that restrict the number of states that are allowed to hold primaries before Feb. 5. And, Michigan Democrats are said to be considering whether to scrap the primary altogether and hold caucuses instead. The Democratic and Republican national committees have indicated they will sanction Michigan for holding an early primary. The D.N.C. has said it will take away all the state's national convention delegates, while the R.N.C. may refuse to seat half of them.
This is a losing issue for the national parties. The Democratic and Republican parties can sanction all they want; this is the new reality of a high-tech world. Eventually there will be a national primary. Iowa and New Hampshire's folksy primaries will be distant memory from the past. Hopefully by then we'll be voting from the comfort of our own home computers.