How many 'blue state' residents aren't ready for this to be over yet?

[Padraig18]

I live in a BIG, deep-blue blue state (Illinois) that sends more delegates to the convention than IA, NH and SC combined, and I would like for the remaining candidates to still be actively in the race on March 16th, when we vote.

Anyone else from a blue state feel the same way?

[For PaisAn]

1. NY here

Feel the same way. It's absurd that we were told it's all wrapped up and to get behing the "presumptive" nominee. My chance to vote for my candidate is gone. Hope you get the chance to vote for yours.

[Padraig18]

3. These unity calls are getting on my last nerve!

If Gov. Dean withdraws after WI, I'm going to vote for and support Sen. Edwards, and I sent him $100 this morning toward that end.

[For PaisAn]

9. These unity calls are for dittoheads.

And they're working.

[Padraig18]

11. Sad, but true.

:puke:

[SadEagle]

37. NY too, and think of the delegate allocation rules.

The rules for allocating delegates are designed to give blue states more power. Yet the primary has been essentially decided by two swing states, one leaning blue, one leaning red. This makes the system rewarding blue states w/power look disingenuous.

[KFC]

2. Kerry holds huge leads in IL, NY, and CA

Bulletproof.

What is the problem?

[Padraig18]

4. The 'problem' is that he makes me want to PUKE!

:puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke:

[polpilot]

8. The question is does having a pro-war, pro-DLC candidate make you

wanna puke?

Dean '04...The ONLY Hope

[Padraig18]

10. If I can't have Dean, I'll take the best of what's left.

And that, IMO, is Sen. Edwards, who at least has a progressive agenda and enough delegates to still contest the nomination.

[KFC]

14. Don't worry, sport. Kerry has the war angle handled.

Decorated vet vs. AWOL.

But my wife's lasagna does make me want to puke.

[goobergunch]

16. Wrong war.

We're talking here about wars that took place after I was born.

[stickdog]

36. Yes, the biggest thing Kerry has going against Bush

happened over 30 years ago!

[HalfManHalfBiscuit]

38. OK. I only consider events that happened in the last two years.

That way I am always up to date.

History is bullshit.

[For PaisAn]

7. Nothing is bulletproof in the primaries

Likely but not guaranteed. The problem is that we like to have an equal say in the matter as those voting before us. It appears that the only solution would be to hold all primaries on the same day. Now wouldn't that be a novel idea.

[boxster]

5. Try being from a red state that doesn't have its primary for...

another three months. Not only is my favored candidate already out, but there is exactly zero chance that my primary vote will mean anything in May.

On the bright side, it'll mean more than my vote in November!

[Padraig18]

6. I felt badly that I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet.

:hug:

[boxster]

17. True. So true.

Yes, living in Nebraska and being a liberal, political junkie don't exactly go together.

After my wife and I voted for Gore in 2000, we met some friends for lunch. They had also voted for Gore.

I said, "Hey, Gore's up to 4 votes in Nebraska!"

:)

[Padraig18]

18. LOL!

Well, I live in a county that's somewhat like your state, so I can understand. We had a HUGE celebration last year when we elected a county board member--- the first Democrat to serve on the county board since 1862. :P

[boxster]

22. To answer your original question (though I'm in the red, not the blue),

I agree with your frustration.

It seems rather bizarre that we allow states like IA and NH (and a bunch of other early states, many of whom are pretty *red* anyway) to dictate who will have momentum going into the larger states, like NY, IL, and CA.

Considering that the election itself is based on electoral votes, it would seem to make more sense that we'd A) give priority to states with a larger population, since they'll be more advantageous come November, and B) somehow account for the fact that large blue states are essentially being left out of the process.

But, that's politics for ya!

[eileen_d]

12. Mine is in June! And I'm in a red state too.

I'm in Montana, so I am used to being treated as if I don't exist at the national level (at least not in the 20th or 21st centuries).

I get mad about the primary structure too, but there's not much I can do about it. Usually I make the mistake of bashing other states (NH) in frustration.

[Padraig18]

13. I'm often tempted to bash those states, too.

But then I realize that it's not their fault--- they're just playing the system to their best advantage. it's the primary system that we need to change.

[eileen_d]

15. I know it's not their fault - it's my own dang jealousy!

I have a chip on my shoulder re: New England too, but that's a whole other lame story :dunce:

[boxster]

19. Yikes.

Montana is one of the only states where Bush got a higher percentage than he did here.

I think. Bush beat Gore here in 2000 - 63/33. It was ugly.

I've been trying to move to one coast or the other for about 15 years now, in part because the political climate here drives me crazy.

[kenny blankenship]

23. well I think his point was

that a few, small redstates are having a HUGE inordinate say in who our nominee is. Which is messed up because these states won't be in the D column in the Electoral College -- so to paraphrase Dear Leader "who cares what they think".

Illinois, California, NY, NJ should go first. But as far as I know nothing's stopping them from moving their primaries up.

[boxster]

25. I agree. See post #22

Posted two minutes before yours! (Great minds think alike?)

[Paulie]

20. Also from IL

Last Man Standing.... Dennis! :D

[Padraig18]

21. What part?

Central here, just east of Decatur.

:hi:, neighbor!

[Paulie]

24. Southwest suburb of Chicagoland (barely still Cook County)

Was a "nort-sider" for life, then got married. :)

:hi:

[Padraig18]

27. OMG!

I grew up near Christ Hospital! We really WERE neighbors, it sounds like! LOL! :)

[Paulie]

31. I think that's over by Downers Grove

I spent the majority growing up around Swedish Covenent Hospital around California and Foster Ave.

I still get lost around here in the burbs, after a year. I miss my GRID system. 5200 north, 2800 west MEANS something. :D

[Capn Sunshine]

26. California

It's ridiculous that the media is giving it over to Kerry without counting MI, CA and NY.

But we all know what the deal is. I just can't mention it any more or you know what happens.
:nuke:

[boxster]

28. MI had their primary already.

But, I certainly agree on CA & NY. IL is another state that is important in the GE, but is largely discounted in the primary schedule.

[Padraig18]

29. Yeah, you get sent to the penalty box.

It's amazing what you can't say here these days...

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[mitchtv]

30. We in the West need a western regional primary

in '08- early. Then we can behave like southerners and vote for a homeboy only. Edwards is not viable for liberal Democrats.

[Padraig18]

32. Kick

[Lauren2882]

33. MN here

I vote on March 2, "Super" Tuesday, and as a Clark supporter I literally don't know who I'm going to support at the caucus. Yeah, it's a bummer.

[Padraig18]

34. 20% of the delegates have been selected.

Yet the remaining 80% of us are all supposed to give up on who we support.

Riiiigggghhhhhttttt.....

[dansolo]

35. IL here

Howard Dean will be getting my vote, whether he is still in the race or not (And Obama for the Senate)

[NV1962]

39. Not that much deep blue, but blue enough to hear and understand you

I don't like the protracted and stacked primaries system at all - but since that's how it's done, I definitely can understand that you'd want the Fab Four stumping for your vote on the ballot.

My wife was quite disappointed that she couldn't vote for her candidate of choice anymore (aside from adorable, another Clarkie!) she feels "robbed of her candidate."

So yeah, I feel ya!

[ShadowCabinet]

40. Not by a long shot.

I'm in NJ and we don't vote until June. This early rush to pick a "presumptive nominee" completely disenfranchises me and my vote. My vote is then turned into a symbolic act of either endorsing the front-runner or a "protest" vote by selecting someone else. It has nothing to do with the actual selection process because that has already been established by February.

[Kool Kitty]

44. I know.

This pisses me off because by June, who's going to be left for us to vote for? Almost half of the original candidates are already gone and it's only mid-February, for crissakes! I wish the primaries were all held in a quick two-week span, or like the generals, all on the same day. I wish the New Jersey primary could have been moved up. What do you think the chances are of any of the candidates even coming here to campaign?

[justinpower]

41. Im in a maroon state

and i DEMAND to be heard

[PurityOfEssence]

42. This little California duck wants some say-so this time around

The abject terror at having an open question about who the nominee will be is reminiscent of watching religious fervor from afar: the fear of the unknown is so great that many will leap at anything just to end the torturous uncertainty.

Primaries are supposed to be exploratory.

Edwards is simply a better candidate on virtually every criterion; take away the cachet of war-hero status and longevity in government (the latter being a plus AND a minus, lest we forget) and he wins in every respect.

November is a long way away. Think of the turnaround in the past month; the general election's almost nine months away.

I'll grant Iowa some bellwether status--it's surprisingly populist and even intellectual, while also being rural and working-class--but NEW HAMPSHIRE? Hell, it's not representative of much of anything except New Hampshire. It's about as conservative a place as you'll find in the whole of New England, and when compared to REAL conservative places in the country, it's purt-near commynist. Letting New Hampshire decide our future is sort of like asking a Hawaiian to suggest a good snow plow. Fine place and all that, but it's hardly much of a measure of the country.

If Kerry's really the king-hell man-mountain-dean he'll need to be to survive the Republican hatefest, then let him prove it and earn our allegiance; we don't owe him dick. We don't owe any of them anything other than our attention and open minds. What the hell's so damned bad about actually VOTING? It's a species of lunacy to let something as useful as a primary season get subverted.

[Crunchy Frog]

43. I'm from a red state

Colorado, and I'm not ready for it to be over either. I feel doubly disenfranchised. Not only has the front loading and media manipulation already decided the nominee, but the Republicans who run our state took away our primary, so I can't even cast a protest vote.

Our caucus isn't till April. There will be absolutely no point in attending the caucus here as there won't even be any choices left. I'm not going just to confirm a coronation that's already a done deal.

The current primary system absolutely sucks!

[Piperay]

45. CA here and I agree

I had hoped that for once my vote would really make a difference but as usual it won't. :-(