Bruzilla

From various sources...


1. 7/2006 The RNC and DNC pick select groups of states that could elect nominees before Feb. 5, 2008. The DNC picks SC and Nevada primaries to move up in the schedule so the heavy African-American presence in SC and Hispanic presence in NV will offset the predominantly white vote in Iowa and New Hampshire.

2. 2/2007 Florida's legislature and governor feel that candidates should be more beholding to FL after the 2000 election, and decide they want more influence at the start of the primaries. They felt they weren't getting the respect--or campaign promises--they deserved from candidates, so they start discussions to move their primary date to Jan 29th.

3. 4/2007 The DNC and RNC warn FL that if they do this the parties will strip away 50% of the state's delegates. Few people believe the threats, including the candidates who say they will campaign in the states. Dean threatens to bar all delegates of candidates who campaign in rule-breaking states and reapportion them to candidates who don't campaign.

4. 5/2007 The Florida legislature decides that the increased visibility of FL will offset the losses of the delegates, and decide to move the primary date. Also, the view is that once chosen, the candidates control the conventions, and none will want to offend key swing states like Florida.

5. 5/2007 Florida Democratic chairwoman Karen Thurman and state executive director Leonard Joseph meet with DNC national party leaders to reach an agreement on how to deal with the DNC's penalties for violating the national party's scheduling rules. "Possibilities include accepting the Jan. 29th date and the penalties that go along with it or holding a party-run caucus at a later date, " Thurman reports in an e-mail to FL Democrats on Tuesday.

6. 8/2007 "On Wednesday the Michigan senate will pass a bill choosing Jan. 15 as the date for the primary. We understand that this violates the rules of both the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee. We don't care," Michigan's GOP chair Saul Azunis tells reporters. Some Democrats protest. Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) sends a letter to Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Michigan Democratic Party chairman Mark Brewer urging them to keep the party's traditional caucus, which the state party pays for. A state-run primary would cost taxpayers $12M, Stupak writes, and besides, Michigan's county political parties are already preparing for the caucuses.

On the other side of this equation is Gov. Granholm, who Edwards factions in the state believe is acting at the behest of Sen. Hillary Clinton. The theory is that it would be much easier for Clinton to win a primary beauty contest than a caucus, which would require organization -- read: labor, read: the UAW. (Actually, labor power in Michigan is concentrated in the UAW and in the National Education Association, which probably won't endorse.) The MI legislature passes the bill and it is signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D).


7. 8/2007 John Edwards claims he won't let his party's efforts to control the primary calendar dictate where he campaigns. "I'm running a national campaign, so so I'm going to campaign in the states that are participating in the process. My job is not to make the rules, my job is to run."

In Denver, Howard Dean said the rules committee will meet Saturday to decide what to do about states that are leapfrogging their primaries and caucuses. He said that "there are some pretty strong sanctions in the rules of the DNC that were agreed to by every single state last year, and I expect the rules committee will probably enforce the rules."