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  • TUESDAY DECEMBER 19 2006 2:59 PM

Screw You, New Hampshire

Submitted by legionnaire

Edited by legionnaire

Tags: Democrat, primary, election, New Hampshire, Nevada

The primary election system of the two major parties in the US has been a mystery to many for a long time. The result of spreading out the primaries over several months gives a disproportionate amount of power to the first few states that participate, since candidates who do well in those states end up generating more campaign contributions and media attention that can quickly snowball to the point where they're the "assumed" candidate and subsequent primaries have become meaningless. And all long before more populated states (like, I don't know, California, New York, Texas and Florida for example?) even get a crack at having their say as to who should be the candidate. So despite the fact that their aggregate populations are only slightly over 4 million people, and 94.3% and 91.7% of New Hampshire's and Iowa's citizens, respectively, self-identify as non-Hispanic white (compared with 67.4% for the rest of the country), these two states often have the most say in who gets to stay in the run for president.

But things are about to change. Starting in 2008 Nevada is set to jump in between Iowa's caucuses and New Hampshire's primaries, and will hopefully allow a more representative sample of the US population have their say in the Democratic presidential candidacy.

Nevada has a new prominence in deciding the party's next nominee. It will hold an early caucus January 19, 2008, sandwiched between Iowa and New Hampshire.

The prized position is an attempt to bring more diverse voices into determining the Democratic candidate beyond the two overwhelmingly white, rural states that have traditionally dominated the process.

The hope is that a Western state with a large population of Hispanics and union workers will bring fresh issues to the debate.

"I've always felt that the system we have of choosing our president has been very cockeyed," said incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the state's top Democrat. Nevada "will give the American people a better idea of what a candidate should be for and against."


This also plays well with the Kos championed strategy that seemed to work in the midterm elections, pushing centrist, libertarian candidates like Jon Tester (the senator-elect for Montana) into the Democratic party. Western states like Montana, Colorado and Nevada had been Republican leaning for years, and all voted for Bush in 2004. But if recent trepidation about Bush's expanded role of govenment and infringement on civil liberties is enflaming libertarian sensibilities that are more prevalent in the West, then this should be a good chance to let those voters gain some influence in the Democratic party.

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Comments
aaronthere

aaronthere

San Francisco, CA
September 2003

DEC 19, 2006 03:14 PM

How convenient that a non white potential candidate is potentially running right now. Everything is politically motivated. even racial "equality".

legionnaire

legionnaire

Belgium
November 2003

DEC 19, 2006 03:26 PM

aaronthere said:
How convenient that a non white potential candidate is potentially running right now. Everything is politically motivated. even racial "equality".



I can guarantee you that moving Nevada's primary up was set in motion long before Obama decided to run for office.

Do you think it's a bad thing that a population more reflective of the overall makeup of the country now gets an earlier (and thus, more weighted) say in who the Democratic nominee is?

hadees

hadees

Austin, TX
December 2003

DEC 19, 2006 03:33 PM

Kos strategy was to pushing centrists libertarians into the Democratic party? Kos has always struck me as definitely left of center and I have read quite a few times on that website articles that blast people moving towards the center.

Zarth

zarth

Seattle, WA
December 2004

DEC 19, 2006 05:00 PM

aaronthere said:
How convenient that a non white potential candidate is potentially running right now. Everything is politically motivated. even racial "equality".



I'm glad someone here can identify the minority conspiracy behind all this.

SockPuppet

SockPuppet

I'm lost
July 2006

DEC 19, 2006 05:08 PM

Letting Las Vegas have more influence over American politics doesn't seem like a good idea to me. Environmental concerns seem likely to slip down the agenda, somehow.

I could be wrong. Maybe that's just my impression of how things work there. Or maybe it's a problem with all that publicity Vegas generates. Perhaps they're really socially responsible, and environmentally sound. Who knew?

KGJohnson

KGJohnson

Las Vegas, NV
October 2005

DEC 19, 2006 08:30 PM

SockPuppet said:
Perhaps they're really socially responsible, and environmentally sound. Who knew?



Yeah... we're not

ASSH0LE

ASSH0LE

Las Vegas, NV
June 2003

DEC 20, 2006 01:22 AM

aaronthere said:
How convenient that a non white potential candidate is potentially running right now. Everything is politically motivated. even racial "equality".



Those damned sneaky coloreds. Always up to something. Now they'll sell our elections to the Mexicans!

For what it's worth, Nevada is but 7.5% black. 22% Hispanic. And growing. Too many fucking Californians. Please, take some of these assholes back.

ASSH0LE

ASSH0LE

Las Vegas, NV
June 2003

DEC 20, 2006 01:26 AM

SockPuppet said:
Letting Las Vegas have more influence over American politics doesn't seem like a good idea to me. Environmental concerns seem likely to slip down the agenda, somehow.

I could be wrong. Maybe that's just my impression of how things work there. Or maybe it's a problem with all that publicity Vegas generates. Perhaps they're really socially responsible, and environmentally sound. Who knew?



Las Vegas is in the top five fastest growing cities in the country. Two of the others are right next door (Henderson and North Las Vegas).

If what you know about the town is what you've seen on TV and in the movies, or even what you've experienced in person on The Strip, you honestly don't know shit about Las Vegas.

Subrosa

Subrosa

San Francisco, CA
July 2004

DEC 20, 2006 01:41 AM

ASSH0LE said:
If what you know about the town is what you've seen on TV and in the movies, or even what you've experienced in person on The Strip, you honestly don't know shit about Las Vegas.



But how are we supposed to learn if what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?

Subrosa

Subrosa

San Francisco, CA
July 2004

DEC 20, 2006 01:42 AM

aaronthere said:
How convenient that a non white potential candidate is potentially running right now. Everything is politically motivated. even racial "equality".



Step away from the tinfoil.

legionnaire

legionnaire

Belgium
November 2003

DEC 20, 2006 10:12 AM

Subrosa said:

ASSH0LE said:
If what you know about the town is what you've seen on TV and in the movies, or even what you've experienced in person on The Strip, you honestly don't know shit about Las Vegas.



But how are we supposed to learn if what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?



OK, that was really funny.

bean

bean

STAFF

Los Angeles, CA

DEC 20, 2006 10:15 AM

ASSH0LE said:
Too many fucking Californians. Please, take some of these assholes back.



Are you serious? Those are our rejects. We sure as hell don't want them. tongue

Vestril

Vestril

Coronado, CA
February 2003

DEC 20, 2006 10:47 AM

bean said:

ASSH0LE said:
Too many fucking Californians. Please, take some of these assholes back.



Are you serious? Those are our rejects. We sure as hell don't want them. tongue



They can pass them along to Arizona or Florida like everyone else.

SockPuppet

SockPuppet

I'm lost
July 2006

DEC 20, 2006 01:49 PM

ASSH0LE said:

SockPuppet said:
Letting Las Vegas have more influence over American politics doesn't seem like a good idea to me. Environmental concerns seem likely to slip down the agenda, somehow.

I could be wrong. Maybe that's just my impression of how things work there. Or maybe it's a problem with all that publicity Vegas generates. Perhaps they're really socially responsible, and environmentally sound. Who knew?



Las Vegas is in the top five fastest growing cities in the country. Two of the others are right next door (Henderson and North Las Vegas).

If what you know about the town is what you've seen on TV and in the movies, or even what you've experienced in person on The Strip, you honestly don't know shit about Las Vegas.



I don't. Which was part of my point.

Also, growth and environmental soundness are not generally good neighbours.

ASSH0LE

ASSH0LE

Las Vegas, NV
June 2003

DEC 21, 2006 09:40 PM

Well, that would depend on your definition of "environmentally sound."

There's a lot of land in Nevada that development can't even touch. 91.9% of the state is owned by the U.S. Federal Govt.

Granted a lot of the rest isn't all that desireable anyways. Las Vegas is very densely packed. We have postage stamp front yards, and back yards that are just large enough for the obligatory pool (unless the H.O.A. or condo complex has a communal pool). This is for two reasons. Land is VERY EXPENSIVE here. Which besides everyone wanting to move here because there's lots of jobs and the taxes are low, is because it's a valley and you can only build out as far as the mountains and gov't owned property allows you to. And then there's the difficulty of running water and sewage to the other sides of said mountains.

Outside of certain people who like tearing up the desert in their dirt bikes and ATVs, Nevadans are pretty good about protecting our land, desert tortoises, and burros. There's a few issues with the wild horses but that's Bush's people in charge of that.

Quite frankly, the bulk of what's out there is a desert wasteland. A beautiful desert wasteland in many places, but yes, a desert wasteland. Up North (where they actually have seasons) people vote almost exclusively Republican and mining is just about the only local industry, so yes, their ecology is probably for shit.

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