Dec
Presidential Primary Sprint
Karl Rove has a good piece in the opinion section of today’s Wall Street Journal. His piece addresses the fact that this year’s Presidential Primaries effectively end in five weeks, even though the candidates have been campaigning for longer than ever.
The first problem is the overall length of the campaign. There are few more demanding physical activities than running for president, other than military training or athletics at a very high level–and this will be the longest presidential contest on record. The first candidate this season announced Dec. 12, 2006; virtually all the Democrats declared by late January, and almost every Republican by mid-March. So next fall we’ll elect a president who’s spent two years rocketing around the country in an aluminum tube and sleeping in strange hotel rooms on a brutal, exhausting campaign trail.
This gives America the longest leadership selection contest in the democratic world.
He continues:
In 2008 voting will also begin earlier than ever. In 2000, the Iowa caucuses were held Jan. 24. This time, they’ll be Jan. 3. For the first time, some New Year’s partygoers will still be nursing hangovers when they caucus.
Yet despite the seemingly endless campaign, the nomination contest will be settled quicker than ever. In 2000, there were seven contests in five weeks beginning with Iowa. This time there will be contests in 32 states in roughly the same amount of time.
Take some time and read the whole thing. It is a very good piece on what I have talked about in the past – that the nominees would most likely be decided because of the momentum of the votes in just a few states, and the people in most other states will never get the attention from the candidates that they once did. I think it is very important to get that more personal contact with the candidates in the primary season because you most likely will not get it during the general election.
He finishes:
Longer, earlier and shorter–at least when it comes to selecting our presidential candidates–is not in the country’s best interests. The presidential primary mayhem and next year’s seemingly endless general election campaign will be compelling evidence for reform.
