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Five states were penalized by the Republican Party for holding their presidential primaries earlier than party rules allowed. These states (New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida, Michigan and Arizona) were stripped of half of their delegates to the Republican National Convention. This not only reduced their relative clout in the nominating process but also meant those states lost prized delegate spots for party officials in Tampa this year. However, now that the primaries are over and the convention is a week away, the RNC, surprisingly is not lifting the penalty.
In contrast, after the 2008 Democratic primary, Florida and Michigan, two states that violated Democratic Party rules, were able to seat full delegations at the Democratic convention in Denver. The DNC went back on its original punishment as part of a compromise between the Obama and Clinton campaigns after Obama had clinched the nomination. It also helped that those states were swing states, where energized party leaders might make a difference.
This year, four of the five states that the Republicans are penalizing are considered competitive (New Hampshire, Florida, Michigan and Arizona). But that bought them no leniency. Further compounding this, those four states all provided crucial wins to Mitt Romney in the GOP primary and a Romney loss in any of them would have likely kept him from being the nominee.
It’s good for the primary process that the penalties are sticking. It may even serve as a real deterrent to states rushing to have early primaries in the future. But holding to a hard line won’t help Romney in the fall.
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c u n d gulag on August 19, 2012 10:10 AM:
When Republicans tell you to draw within the lines, you'd better stay within those lines, or they'll take your crayons away.
Maybe jab you in the eye with one.
Democrats are like, "Ok, try to stay within the lines... Ok, draw whatever, wherever, you want - even if it's on the livingroom wall. We'll forgive you."
R's play for keeps!
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WAY OT - BUT FUN!!!
The GOOD MoDo showed up in the NY Times this morning:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/19/opinion/sunday/dowd-beware-a-beautiful-calm.html?_r=2&hp
She slices-up Paul Ryan better than a Chef with Ginsu Knives in a 'roid rage!
I haven't seen her like this since W and Dick were still darkening the towels in the White House bathrooms.
mmm on August 19, 2012 10:17 AM:
c u n d ... Too funny!!
Marv Toler on August 19, 2012 10:27 AM:
For the first time in decades I agree with the RNC. The DNC should also penalize those states. However, the parties should get together and initiate a rotating primary calendar to allow states other than Iowa and New Hampshire to go early.
exlibra on August 19, 2012 12:19 PM:
Which states are/would be sending Ron Paul delegates?
Jonathan Miller on August 19, 2012 2:10 PM:
C U N D is correct. When you make a promise (or a threat) you have to follow through. Otherwise, you just show you don't mean what you say.