TOTAL LICENSING
against the facility of ate on all the issues that have been listed, we always was to get all primaries finished early so
voters exercising their might now turn our attention to the present the chosen candidate would have enough time
voting rights. Remem-Remem system of primaries and both how it works and to make peace with the losing party candidates,
ber the chads of Al how it could be improved. unify the party behind him and concentrate
Gore’s day ? Remem-Remem on his election goals – and on beating his na-
ber the earlier outcry PRIMARIES tional opponent. Nonetheless, some flaws in the
about brokered con- Primaries are not really a time-honored part of scheme became apparent over a few election
ventions when, as is so the American political tradition. cycles.
often the case, close After the Revolutionary War, George Washing- • States selected their primary dates by
elections pit two can-can ton was twice elected by popular gratitude, but accord between opposing party leaders but
didates with almost similar appeal to different then, slowly, factions of political opinions formed; both parties united to “bring home the
parts of the population against each other, i.e. those factions struggled for pre-eminence in bacon” for the State’s citizens.
Kennedy vs. Nixon, Truman vs Dewey. With all the House of Representatives and in Con-
these possibilities who decides and guides when gress to steer the new country into its future. What was the bacon?
there are challenged results or electoral prob- The President did not have the power we are • It was to make the states results
lems? used to seeing today – but the President had important to the final result. Two small
one important power – he had the veto. Of states, New Hampshire and Iowa jealously
• Should it be the Congress? Not really, likely, course this made it important for a party of like- guarded their traditional early bellwether
because they are obviously involved in minded congressmen to help get one of their status. Other states spread out throughout
perpetuating their own agendas and own elected to the Presidency. the spring leading to the summer
interests. The faction, later named “Party” would cau- conventions. So for a long period before
• Should it be the judicial courts? Difficult cus (meet) to select their candidate. When the the 1970 reforms, there was a mixed system
because first of all, courts are not membership of these political parties grew they of choosing delegates. It was primarily
accustomed to deciding important long- transformed themselves from strictly Capitol a collection of bargaining in hundreds of
term questions rapidly. They need Hill organizations to begin to influence the indi- “smoke-filled rooms.”
precedent and they are mindful of setting vidual states and became concerned with local • Primaries could not be at an agreed
examples that will endure. They also do state offices, policies and appointments. common date because different candidates
not like to get involved with day by day By 1824 State organizations had begun to put could not personally be everywhere at once
politics for good reasons. Because, by forth their own favorite sons – this, in con- to “press the flesh” with important State
definition, they should stay above politics. trast and conflict with official “insider choices”. backers and decision makers.
• Should it be done by initiative – how can it There were suddenly not only 2 candidates but • Also by the time of the State Primary, the
be when the issue is framed after, not before four and the winner, Andrew Jackson, of Tennes- state could become super important, the
an event. see – a “westerner” triumphed in the political center of the nation’s attention-- for a short
• Should it be, and possibly it should, a mayhem. The congressional caucuses gave way moment! This moment with its campaign
special election commission that is newly to State Party Conventions of each party and could fill hotels and restaurants, shops,
appointed from a variety of different at a National Convention of that party in which tourism bureaus and lend national exposure
leading citizens, politicians, thinkers, and the state delegations wheeled and dealed their to local politicians. This exposure could
they would function as a standby body for way to a party choice. The methods of choice bring later unanticipated benefits.
questions referred to it. A commission were not the same everywhere. The Governor
might be an institution in which members could make the choice in some, the state party To jump ahead in an aside: unknown young Il-
have fewer obligations to party and committee composed of county-committee linois politician Barak Obama was allowed to
constituency and therefore would provide men might make it in some, but the individual give a keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic
a more favorable setting for judging disputes voters were not really involved and did not have Convention and he proved to be a spellbinding
about elections independently of the much input. There was often a great time lag orator and we know where he is now.
knowledge about how their judgment will between a county committee’s decision and the Anyway in 1969 the Democratic Party appoint-
affect the next election’s outcome. We might final convention. ed for the first time in modern days, a commis-
also decide that such a body would make no It was 1901 when Florida passed the first law sion to level the playing field.
immediate decisions - thereby not mandating that parties would choose delegates
influencing the current election but create via a “primary election”. The McGovern Fraser Commission recom-
a consultative piece of advice after careful For the next presidential election cycles (4 years mended:
study to prevent re-occurrence in the next each cycle), the debate about primaries ques- • All delegates to be selected not before the
election cycle. tioned whether, in view of their low turnout, election year.
• Commissions are also a more promising they were worth the effort and expense. Quite • 25% of delegates to be selected at
way to elevate the public discussion and a few states wavered back and forth between congressional district level – thereby limiting
should stimulate a wider debate but systems but New Hampshire stuck with them the number that could be chosen by state
hopefully not surrogate for such debate. all the way through and so earned the moniker committee (the aforementioned smoke
Their aim should be to widen the scope for and calendar position of “first in the nation”. filled room)
deliberation about electoral justice. As the idea of primaries spread each of the two • That the unit rule be prohibited. This rule
Before we make our selection or even opinion- parties tinkered with the formula. The party goal compelled all of a state’s delegates to vote
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