I really don't think I'll ever send anoher dime to the DNC.

[Ilsa]

I'm in Texas, and yes, our primaries are later, but I never get a say in who is our party's nominee. We can't all move to NH and IA just to vote early.

I feel cheated.

[Myrina]

1. We really do need ONE national primary day.

... just sayin' ...

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. Too expensive to campaign.

Unless media were free. :think:

I support rotating primaries.

[bryant69]

5. Yeah i think rotating primaries is the best theory

I do like the idea of a campaign that stretches out a bit so we get a chance to see how our candidates perform in a variety of conditions rather than just on one day.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[SoCalDem]

10. My plan is for regional (rotating "start dates")

One a month..and it's all over by August..just in time for the conventions..

Each region is balanced with city & rural.. small enough to travel around in, and each has "major media" centers..and all have a balanced population demographic..

[backscatter712]

29. How about keeping the results secret until the convention.

It's actually a simple solution.

Iowa and New Hampshire can still go first, so less moneyed candidates can still get a chance, but the trick is that when the elections are held, the results are kept secret until the Democratic Convention in August. Nobody knows who won until August, on pain of losing your delegates, like Florida lost theirs this year. No exit polls may be released either - press organizations that release poll results early lose press access to the candidates and the convention.

That way, everyone can continue campaigning, nobody gets shut out early.

[Ilsa]

7. It's expensive anyway, and it seems to me that

a big portion of the country has no say in who the nominees are. Media and the talking heads have more say than the vast majority of citizens.

We have nationally-televised debates. The candidates have websites. I think a national primary day is more workable than ever before. I don't have to meet them in person in my hometown to make a decision.

Yes, I think there needs to be a minimum of free or govt-paid national ads available to each candidate.

[Irishonly]

14. I do too

Take away the special interest groups and federally fund them. A clean sweep of the MSM wouldn't hurt either.

[Le Taz Hot]

20. Fine, then let the candidates

limit their fundraising efforts to Iowa and New Hampshire as opposed to using the other 48 states as ATM's.

[Ilsa]

27. Thank you!

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

34. No beef here.

[Fresh_Start]

3. I'd go along with that too NT

NT

[dysfunctional press]

23. we need regional primaries, and rotating who goes first each cycle.

fair is fair.

the problem with one national primary day is that it would make it very difficult for the candidates and the people to interact at all.

[Myrina]

31. and considering how much of a clusterfuck this season almost was ...

... with MI and FL moving their primaries and other states confused, doing something like that regionally and on an alternating basis is a recipe for disaster, IMO.

[dysfunctional press]

32. how so?

if it's set up in a manner that the states agree to, how would it be a recipe for disaster?

part of the reason MI and FL moved their primaries was because it was always the same states getting to go first and seemingly having all the say in the process.

[Freddie Stubbs]

4. Texas coudl have moved up its primary to February 5

Why is this the DNC's fault?

[Ilsa]

8. I'll stop writing any checks to the Texas Democratic Party also.

But the DNC has to take leadership in each state aving better representation in the primary system. Screw tradition.

[Justitia]

13. The blame lies w/Craddick & Dewhurst, not the TX Dem party or the DNC. -eom

[elizfeelinggreat]

6. I feel cheated also

I'll still vote democratic but my heart is out of the bigger picture now, I'll stick to more local politics and hope for change there.

I don't believe I'll want to even hear anything to do with this presidential race anymore, it's just more ugliness from here on out. No Gore, no Edwards, not much left to fight as hard for.

BTW, I think Howard Dean has gotten no attention from the media (remember how much favorable coverage Mehlman got while he was in charge of the RNC?)and that many in the party worked against him.

[Ilsa]

9. my husband and I are sick of hearing about the petty issues of

who said what about whom, handshakes, etc.

[LSK]

11. why are you short changing Governor, state senate, local campaigns???

:shrug:

[Justitia]

12. Fellow Texan here. You do know this was done to us by TX repubs, right? Not the DNC.

Specifically Dewhurst & Craddick:
http://www.mywesttexas.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18406403&BRD=2288&PAG=461&dept_id=475626&rfi=6

State legislatures decide primary dates, not the DNC.
Our state republicrooks did this to us, no one else.

Your blame is misplaced.

[Ilsa]

16. Okay. I take it back. But I'm not happy. I still think that in a day of internet

and media that we should be able to have all of our primaries over a very short period of time, like one month. I'm tired of being excluded from this process. Something needs to change.

[Justitia]

18. I agree, so let's get the state legislature out of repuke control & move up to Super Tuesday!

Make sure you vote in the TX primary, we have lots of good Dems we need to pull for very early to give them momentum (& cash) for the general.

When we get the right people in the TX State House, we can start changing things from Austin to DC.

[Ilsa]

25. We had control before, but didn't do it.

I'm not sure they'll take care of this.

Frankly, I'm beginning to think the fix was in from the very start.

[adarling]

15. poor texas democrats that we are

I go by the location in dallas and it is a like a shack. the republicans have the golden palace down the road :(. I wish we could vote early too cause texas has a lot of people...more than florida and we are just as diverse i think. I live in the most conservative part of texas...collin county, but everything around that is becoming more and more progressive since we have so many people moving from the north to here. texas will not be red very much longer i think :)

[NNN0LHI]

17. How much would you estimate you have sent to the DNC in the past?

Not that I don't trust you or nothing.

Don

[Missy Vixen]

21. I'll answer that question

I registered as a Democrat in 1978. I have voted in every election since. I have worked on behalf of Democratic candidates since I was old enough to vote, both local and presidential. We've also donated over the years, not only to the DNC and candidates, but we donate monthly to keep the doors open on this place. In the meantime, this is the straw that broke the camel's back, at least for me.

Did I pass the purity test?

Julie

[Justitia]

22. Are you talking about the TX primary (re: the OP)? What's your county?

I'll let you know who your rep in the TX state house is and how they voted on moving the primary (and also who their competition is on March 4).

[Ilsa]

28. I know who my rep and sen. are in the Leg., thanks! They are boh Repugs. nt

[Missy Vixen]

33. I'm talking about the person I responded to

I live in Washington State, where I'll be caucusing next Tuesday, and voting for John Edwards.

Julie

[Ilsa]

26. I've been sending money over the last twenty years, usually every .

two years.

I haven't been able to afford anything this year. I still owe money to my son's speech therapist from last year and I'm paying on that. My business was way off last year as well, with slow receipts and non-payment in some cases.

[NoPasaran]

19. You do realize that February 5th may very well not decide the nominee, right?

And then Texas and Ohio voting on the 4th of March will be heard.

[Javaman]

24. It took you this long? nt

[ieoeja]

30. Here you are in the most populous state still holding a primary post Super Tuesday.

Obama and Clinton are going to spending huge amounts of time in your neck of the woods as Texas may just be the state that decides our nominee. And that still isn't good enough for you?

I was pissed we moved ours forward this year to Super Tuesday even before finding out this year was going to be a free-for-all. The way things have turned out I am pissed as hell. I would LOVE having them trying to buy my vote post Super Tuesday. Instead of being something special, we are now just going to be ignored in the pack while they concentrate on California and New York.

I really don't understand your feelings on this.