by Frank James
Now for the latest blow in the war between the states and national party organizations.
Mike Duncan, chairman of the Republican National Committee, just held a teleconference to tell reporters the RNC has sent letters to five states telling them that they will lose 50 percent of their delegates to the national convention in Minneapolis because they are violating party rules by holding their primaries too early.
The fives states are New Hampshire, Florida, South Carolina, Michigan and Wyoming.
Duncan said:
“We spent a lot of time over past year educating our states as to what the rules were. This will come as no surprise to any of the states involved.”
The letters were issued following the RNC's approval this morning of its preliminary "call," essentially a document that outlines the acceptable method for how state Republican Party organizations should select delegates to the nominating convention.
The RNC move is in response to efforts in by several states to jump ahead in the line of primaries in order to play a bigger role in the presidential nominating process, perhaps even becoming the state can call itself the king or queen maker.
It’s a bid to ensure attention from presidential candidates at a critical stage in the election cycle, particularly since, once we move into the general election campaign, the states that typically get the most candidate visits are the battleground states.
But the RNC and its Democratic counterpart, the DNC, have been hostile to such moves since they violate party rules that were set up to give primacy to the traditional early states of New Hampshire and Iowa and to avoid the kind of chaos in the primary calendar that has occurred since several states began moving their primaries to earlier dates.
The DNC decreed, for instance, that Florida will lose all of its Democratic delegates because the state has moved its primary to Jan. 29 (The Democrats have the same Feb. 5 start date as the Republicans.) Two Democratic members of Congress are suing the party, saying the party’s action is tantamount to depriving Florida voters of their constitutional right to have their votes count. Meanwhile, the DNC has asked Democratic presidential candidates not to reward Florida for breaking the rules by campaigning there.
True to his role as GOP chairman, Duncan also took what some might cite as gratuitous shot at the Democrats for being less than the law-and-order party, for being loosey-goosey in enforcing its rules for primaries.
“They have such flexibility with their rules. They can do all kinds of things from giving waivers, which they did this year, to asking candidates not to campaign in the state, to cutting the number of Democrats. And I think there’s a big distinction there. We’re not saying don’t campaign in Florida. We’re not saying we’re going to take all the delegates away. We’re saying we’re going to enforce the rules that were passed by the 2004 convention and they are in effect until the 2008 convention adopts the rules for 2012. That’s the fundamental difference between our party and their party. Our rules stick for a four-year period. Their rules can be amended in between.”
Duncan seemed not to mind that his comments might strike some as a little authoritarian.
In any event, Duncan wanted everyone to know that the RNC wasn't all stick and no carrot. He allowed that if the five offending states got right with the party rules, the decision to strip them of delegates could be rescinded.
“We always believe in redemption,” he said, so long as a state that’s changed its mind acts before the RNC issues its final “call” for delegates which will come sometime after Election Day 2007.
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Comments
"...because they are party rules by holding their primaries too early."
Huh?
Posted by: Bud McFarlin | October 22, 2007 2:18 PM
why should 2 state whosse total populataion is not equal to a square mile in Miami, decide who the next president will be?
Posted by: Anonymous | October 22, 2007 2:59 PM
This is that same old problem of "National Committees". Both the Democratic and Republican parties have these national committees. This interferes with state sovereignty. Under the current system, the national committees have too much influence over state political decisions. Money is shifted from state to state, by these committees, in order to influence elections, both state elections and national elections. Somehow we must put a stop to this. It is obviously messing things up. I still think that campaign finance moneys must be stopped from crossing state borders. Each state should have the right to select their representatives and candidates without influence from other states. This would not be easy, but I believe it is possible and would go a very long way toward resolving some of our problems with campaign financing. Only we, Republicans and Democrats, can put a stop to this. Think about it.
Posted by: San Miguel | October 22, 2007 3:12 PM
2:59--"why should 2 state whosse total populataion is not equal to a square mile in Miami"
Huh? Iowa=2.9MM, NH=1.3MM
Miami? 404,000. Sure, the metro area has a larger population (5.4MM), but "one square mile" of the city is about 12,000 people and of the metro area only about 1200. Foolish hyperole does nothing but damage arguments.
Posted by: anon | October 22, 2007 3:45 PM
Lose 50% of their delegates??? Well at least the restrooms at the airport won't be as crowded and there will be a lot less toe tapping.
Posted by: kg123 | October 22, 2007 3:54 PM
"BOTH PARTIES ARE STUMPING AMERICAN VOTERS"
ISN'T THIS JUST LIKE CAGING?
JUST BECAUSE BOTH PARTIES ARE BEING EAVESDROPPED ON, WIRETAPPED, AND DATAMINED DOESN'T MEAN THE CONSTITUTION STILL WON'T WORK. BUT TO TELL PRIMARY DELEGATES NO VOTES FOR YOU MEANS NO VOICE FOR THE PEOPLE THEY REPRESENT.
WE ARE PARTICIPATING AS PATRONS TO OUR COUNTRY AND THE FREEDOM OF FREE ELECTIONS.
SO I CAN ONLY ASK WHY SPIT ON AMERICA BECAUSE BOTH PARTIES CANNOT TRUST THEIR OWN RULES?
Posted by: Roger Morris | October 22, 2007 7:37 PM
Where's RNC Bruce and the rest of The Swamp's resident right wing dead-ender whack jobs?
They were front and center on Florida and the Democrats.
Posted by: Doug Zook | October 22, 2007 7:42 PM
You'd think that this is an issue that both the DNC and the RNC could come to terms on, since they're both having problems with states pushing their primaries up.
I am still firm in my belief that we should shift to the national primary concept (or some other alternative that gives all of the nation's voters an equal voice in the selection of the main candidate) and end this jockeying nonsense by these states.
Posted by: Brian M. | October 22, 2007 9:32 PM
Roger -
Caps lock: cruise control for cool.
Posted by: Howard | October 23, 2007 1:21 PM
I'm glad the states are being reprimanded for trying to pull a fast one on the American voters!
Over here at the Ron Paul campaign, we know that these states were trying to push up their primaries because they're trying to shut out support for Ron Paul. They're trying to change up the rules mid-campaign so that Ron Paul supporters won't have enough time to re-register as Republicans just so they can vote for him. We've been following this deception very closely, and I'm glad these states are getting called out on it finally.
Posted by: Jaime | October 23, 2007 2:57 PM
I'm glad the states are being reprimanded for trying to pull a fast one on the American voters!
Over here at the Ron Paul campaign, we know that these states were trying to push up their primaries because they're trying to shut out support for Ron Paul. They're trying to change up the rules mid-campaign so that Ron Paul supporters won't have enough time to re-register as Republicans just so they can vote for him. We've been following this deception very closely, and I'm glad these states are getting called out on it finally.
Posted by: Jaime | October 23, 2007 3:14 PM
California, will LOSE VOTES, TOO! The Internet, should Have primaries, also!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Brian E Shepherd | October 29, 2007 1:38 PM