I wish the primaries were on the same day in every state.

[AlCzervik]

that is all.

[etherealtruth]

1. I share that wish

The primaries might have a lot more meaning and might appeal to more than just the "party faithfuls"

[AlCzervik]

3. is there a special reason they aren't? I've always wondered why they stagger them.

[corkhead]

18. keeps the selection in the hands of the power brokers and their handmadens the press, not the people

[Nite Owl]

2. I do too

it's all but over by the time it's NY's turn.

[Rosemary2205]

4. k&r in agreement.

wish the dem leadership would buy a clue.

[EdwardM]

5. I see two sides to this issue

If they were all on the same day then it would mean the candidate with the most money would have the biggest chance of winning because they would have the ability to campaign in all states. The way it currently is, it allows a candidate with less money to stand some sort of chance. But on the other side, it is unfair to the other 49 states that Iowa gets their choice first. At the very least, I'd like a different state to go first each time, because I don't like a 95 percent white state like Iowa getting to pick the president every year. I really don't know how best to solve this though.

[AlCzervik]

6. well by the time it gets around to us in Ca. it's almost a done deal which really sucks.

i know they're trying to move the date up for us and i see what you're saying but i think they'd all have a fair shot if it was held on one day.

[Robbien]

15. Same here

Usually by the time primaries get here everyone is thinking "why bother".

[meldroc]

7. I can think of a couple solutions...

1. Use the same schedule for the primaries, but withhold all results until the national conventions. That way, the primary results in the early states don't affect the primaries in the late states.

2. Randomize the order of primaries. Some states still get ahead while others get screwed, but it's not the same states each time.

But my proposals make sense and would actually be fair, which is completely unacceptable to the assholes who actually get to make the decisions, so we're stuck getting screwed in the current system.

[Bjornsdotter]

8. Same here

...I think it would be better. As it is now it's usually over by the time it's Illinois' turn.

Cheers

[geardaddy]

9. K&R'd

I wholeheartedly agree. We didn't get our caucus in MN until both my choices were axed in 2004.

[Captain Hilts]

10. That would STRONGLY favor wealthier candidates.

There's a reason they start first in a small state that any candidate can afford to campaign in and where money isn't as big an advantage.

[WI_DEM]

11. that's true.

but it's also true that Iowa and NH have way too much say on who the nominee is. I'm not sure what the solution is.

[Bobbieo]

12. Arizona's is in September - think of the money that could be saved if it was held in June!!!

[Captain Hilts]

17. Dark horses don't stand a chance with a front-loaded primary system. nt

[Crabby Appleton]

13. me too!

[ThomCat]

14. That would be a logistical nightmare

for the candidates.

[MonkeyFunk]

16. I don't!

It would only benefit the most well-known, wealthiest candidates.

Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton would never have gotten nominated under such conditions. Howard Dean never would've had a shot.

I like making 'em get out there and work for some votes, rather than just buying ads in the largest states.

[suziedemocrat]

19. All Primaries on the same day - but multiple primaries to narrow the field in stages.

So - Nationwide Primary 1 takes the field down to 5 or whatever
Nationwide Primary 2 takes the field down to 2
Nationwide primary 3 picks the party candidate.

[TheFarseer]

20. I think

states should not be able to set their dates sooner and sooner every year. We've got people declaring the month after the previous election for God's sake. And I'd like to see states get rotated so that Iowa and New Hampshire don't decide who's president every time.

[AlCzervik]

21. that a good point, also the sooner the presumptive nominee is picked

the sooner the swiftboating begins, it would be nice to have less time between the primary and the convention.