A Primary Question

Here's something I've wondered about for a long time.  Why is is that we don't hear a little more Democratic protest over the fact that the three States that hold the first primaries, Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, which between them represent less than three percent of the American population, are among the most Conservative States in the country, and yet they effectively get the right to pick the issues on which the election will be fought?

This has always seemed to me to be just one more way the Republicans are allowed to game the system, to give themselves an advantage in elections that they could never win fairly.  Shouldn't some Democrats be coming up with a way to change this unfair arrangement?

Comments

Jerry Critter said…
There is much wrong with our election process. This issue is just one of many.
Green Eagle said…
You got that right, bucko.
Anonymous said…
Amazing, but not surprising, how little you understand the process. Study up bucko.
Green Eagle said…
Amazing that you attack us without citing a single thing wrong with what I had to say.
Anonymous said…
Your question alone shows you know nothing about the process. It's the wrong question, which you would know, if you knew anything about the process. I did not attack you, that's your liberal thin skin and your delusion that you know everything, which you obviously don't. How do you think these primaries are set up? Who sets them up? Who has the authority to say how and when they will operate? There are certain answers to those questions, which you lack the education to understand, but you criticize anyways, like a typical uneducated person.
Adam Alabaster, A-1 American said…
Why, why, why does the green bird lie?

New Hampshire voted for the Democrat in five of the past six Presidential elections.

Iowa voted for the Democrat in six of the past seven Presidential elections. Iowa even voted for Dukakis.

If New Hampshire and Iowa are among the most Conservative states, then I am Queen Marie of Romania.
Green Eagle said…
What are your educational attainments, Anonymous? Tell us, please do, or don't criticize the education that Green Eagle has had, which you know nothing about.
Green Eagle said…
And Adam, are you really claiming that New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina are not very conservative States with long-running right wing majorities?
Anonymous said…
You have proven your ignorance about the primary process and your only comeback is to question my education. Laughable
Got any answers for the questions I asked?
Thought not !
Adam Alabaster, A-1 American said…
Read my comment. I never said anything about South Carolina, which is a conservative state.

I am claiming that New Hampshire and Iowa are not very conservative states, unless a state which voted for the Democrat in five of the last six presidential elections is somehow "very conservative."

In 2008, both New Hampshire and Iowa gave their electoral votes to Obama, not McCain.

In 2012, both New Hampshire and Iowa gave their electoral votes to Obama, not Romney.

Therefore, neither New Hampshire nor Iowa are very conservative states.

If they are very conservative states, explain why they voted for the Democrat in five of the last six presidential elections.
Green Eagle said…
We all know the truth, Adam. I've learned not to fritter away my life responding in detail to ignorant trolls.
Anonymous said…
Ignorant trolls?
You have been proven the ignorant one. You know nothing about the primary process, yet, you complain about something you know nothing about. You are the one Bill Maher was talking about when he said the internet is killing the truth.
Zog said…
Anonymous - All you've been providing are ad hominem attacks, so you are acting like an ignorant troll.


Adam - I wouldn't accuse Green Eagle of lying without proof. It's his opinion that Iowa and NH are very conservative states. I think you owe him an apology.

[For the record, I checked voter registration numbers in both Iowa and NH. In both states, independents are most numerous, followed by Republicans, and then Democrats. However, Democrats outnumbered Republicans in NH in 2009, and in Iowa as recently as 2013, so Republican dominance isn't long-running.]


Green Eagle - Adam isn't an ignorant troll; his argument is a classic modus ponens, as follows:

Premise 1: If state X has voted for the Democrat in five of the past six Presidential elections, then it is not a very conservative state. ("If P, then Q.")
Premise 2: State X has voted for the Democrat in five of the past six Presidential elections. ("P is true.")
Conclusion: State X is not a very conservative state. ("Therefore Q is true.")

If the two premises are true, then the conclusion must be true.

Premise 1 is Adam's opinion, but it makes sense to me.
I checked - for both Iowa and New Hampshire, Premise 2 is true (Adam's facts check out.)
Therefore, Adam's conclusion makes sense, and I think you owe him an apology, too.
Anonymous said…
Guess you can't read Zog, Green proved he knows nothing about the primary process. Since you agree with him, it's easy to say you obviously know nothing about the process either., but thanks for your uneducated criticism.
Jerry Critter said…
Zog,
Perhaps how conservative a state is should not be based on the election results for only one office, even if that office is for the president.
Zog said…
Jerry -

Fair enough; a sample size of one election could be an anomaly. Six elections for one national office is better, especially since mandated term limits ensure that we get different candidates for the election. For what it's worth, there was a 30-year period from 1985 to 2015 where Iowa's senators were Chuck Grassley (R) and Tom Harkin (D); I'm guessing personal attraction may have helped there.

Iowa has two GOP senators now, and, while Terry Branstad (R) is governor, there was a Democrat serving in that office between 1999 and 2011, which are the years Branstad left and then returned to the office. I'd classify Iowa as middle-of-the-road, perhaps trending conservative recently, but I wouldn't call it very conservative.

New Hampshire has a split between its two senators - one D, one R. However, its governor, Maggie Hassan, is a Democrat, and every governor since 1997 except for Craig Benson (who only served two years, 2003-05) has been a Democrat. The one time since 1990 that a Republican won the electoral vote there was 2000, and that was due to the Nader-Gore split. I'd say New Hampshire leans left.

---

The point I was trying to make was that Adam was at least trying to make a good argument, and the factual points do check out. Thus, he's not what I'd call ignorant. Anonymous, on the other hand, has offered nothing but personal attacks. Therefore, it's unfair to Adam to classify him with Anonymous.

Green Eagle said…
Yeah, Zog, you are right, I guess. I was probably unfair to Adam, who at least had some facts on his side, even though his characterization of Iowa as a Democratic stronghold is clearly wrong. Nevertheless, he is not (from what we can see here) the kind of mindless liar that Anonymous is.
Anonymous said…
So Zog all you have are lies? Green proved himself to be ignorant about the primary system and couldn't even answer the simple questions I asked him. I can see why you are ignorant, you don't even know the Constitution sets term limits.
Anonymous said…
Right Green, I'm a liar just because I proved you haven't a clue what you are talking about. The fats are, you couldn't even answer the easy questions about how the primary system works, yet, we are to accept your ignorant criticisms? Laughable. Stupidity loves the company of their fellow idiots.
Green Eagle said…
Anonymous, you are a liar because you lie over and over again, without a shred of self respect. Everyone who has seen your comments here knows that, and so do you.
Anonymous said…
No idiot liar, everyone can see you were wrong and couldn't even answer my questions and have no clue about primary processes. Now you are showing you are a complete retard when the proof of what I say is right here in print. Of course you only have two readers and I now understand why.
Green Eagle said…
Anonymous, that's enough crap from you on this subject. Any further posts on this article will be deleted.

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