from experts in the field:
Lou Guzzo ( www.louguzzo.com) has served as managing editor
of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, communications consultant and
political adviser.
JANUARY DEBATE RESULTS:
Should some form of national
service be mandatory?
IN A LITTLE more than two centuries, our system of electing a
president has progressed from the sublime to the ridiculous. With
all of the states scrambling for national attention with their own
caucuses, conventions or other methods of nominating candidates,
they have muddied up a process that was once honorable and simple.
If we could somehow cast aside the politicos and let the general
public take charge, we could return to the Age of the Sublime. And we could do it with
a relatively simple process, which is this: Suspend all present primary methods and
schedule a single national presidential primary on the same date in all 50 states.
Is the public ready for a national primary? Most certainly. Poll after poll, including
those conducted by CBS and The New York Times in recent years, have indicated that at
least 70 to 72 percent of the people are not only ready for it but are actually demanding it.
Why is so simple a solution not even being considered by party officials in any of
the states? The answer, also simple, is that the state branches of the major parties want
their own presidential primaries because they treat them as some sort of World Series
of politics, a selfish game that gives them imagined political power and attention.
The present scrambled system of holding 50 disparate caucuses or primary elections
to select candidates for the highest office in the land is an almost laughable way to elect
a single leader. Furthermore, the states’ rush to be first in the presidential derby extends
the campaign’s length beyond reason.
Because the final election is held on a single day in November every four years,
why in the world can’t the presidential primary also be scheduled on a single day close
to the final election—say, in August? Think of the savings in campaign expenses and the
reduced need to amass huge political treasure chests. And, perhaps most important of
all, consider that it would bring an end to the public’s weariness over months and years
of political ads, speeches and political blarney. C
NO
30%
YES
70%
Percentage reflects votes
received by January 15, 2008.
DECEMBER DEBATE UPDATE:
Do Americans pamper
their pets too much?
YES: 51% NO: 49%
Percentage reflects votes
received by December 31, 2007.
from experts in the field:
Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson is the co-chair of the
National Association of Secretaries of State’s Subcommittee on
Rotating Regional Presidential Primaries ( www.nass.org).
WHILE THE PRESIDENTIAL nominating system is clearly broken, a
single day of voting for nominees would only make things worse.
First, a national primary day would be terrible for competition. Only
well-funded candidates with national name recognition would be able to
compete. Long-shot hopefuls (think Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and
Bill Clinton) would not be able to raise the money needed to advertise and establish ground
operations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
More important, a national primary would force candidates to direct their campaigns to
major cities and key states where their advertisements and appearances would have the greatest
impact. Smaller, less populous states would fall off the radar screen, much as they do now.
With 22 states voting on February 5, 2008, we are practically holding a national primary
this year. That means we are likely to know the nominees more than six months before the
national conventions and nine months before the general election. Expect large states such as
California, New York and Illinois to garner the lion’s share of attention and a long and nasty
general election campaign to follow.
A better way to improve our system is to adopt the Rotating Regional Presidential Primaries
Plan promoted by the National Association of Secretaries of State. This bipartisan proposal
preserves the early voting tradition in Iowa and New Hampshire and organizes the remaining
states according to the four major regions of the country (East, South, West and Midwest). It
establishes primary windows in March, April, May and June and rotates the order of the regions
every four years, with each section of the country eventually voting first.
A regional system would establish order and give all states the chance to be relevant. It
would also shorten the general election cycle and help level the playing field for candidates,
including long-shot contenders.
For voters, the result would be similar to a national primary in that every regional contest
would matter in determining the nominees. The additional benefit would be candidates who
are thoroughly vetted on issues affecting each part of the country. C
Opinions expressed are those of the individuals
or organizations represented and are presented
to foster discussion. Costco and The Costco
Connection take no position on any Debate topic.
