Just how far will Michigan go to disrupt the presidential primary schedule?
All the way to mutually assured destruction if Michigan Sen. Carl Levin has his way to move the Michigan primaries into early January.
Call it a primary date game of chicken.
There’s no doubt in NH Secretary of State Bill Gardner’s mind that Levin is more than a little obsessed about derailing our first-in-the-solar-system primary status — after all he’s seen in person the depth of Levin’s longtime rancor (I’m being polite) at the influence of Iowa and New Hampshire. While talking to Gardner yesterday while working on a story, I asked him if Levin’s words and actions over the years we’re reflective of a “personal vendetta.” Gardner said “at least that” while recounting to me Levin’s fury while promising at various times to stop New Hampshire and Iowa from being leading the primary calendar.
“He threatened to do something outrageous,” Gardner told me about one encounter after the 2004 primary.
Gardner is watching what’s happening with Michigan carefully but seems rather calm about the storm of potential primary dates. After all, by state law, he has the last call so in a sense Levin can huff and puff all he wants but he won’t blow the house down.
Passionate NH primary defender and NH State Rep. Jum Splaine has this to say about Michigan’s primary date.
“This ‘checkers game’ should end sooner than later, so everyone including the campaigns and media know what the dates are,” he said. “Checkers games are won after the checkers of the other side are all gone. We’re going to win this one — we just need to have the dates set, whenever they are, of the other states — sooner than later would be nice.”
Who knows when sooner or later will be.
(Update)
Dem presidential hopeful Sen. Joe Biden was the first candidate to affirm his support for the current system in the wake of the latest spat.
“Powerful interests are trying to change the Democratic nomination for President into a game of Monopoly, replacing the retail politics of Iowa, Nevada and New Hampshire with a process in which the only credential necessary to be President is to be the wealthiest candidate," Biden said in campaign press statement. "Under the current calendar, voters can regularly meet candidates in their homes, town halls and diners. This provides an almost one on one opportunity to hold candidates accountable for their ideas and records for solving the most pressing issues facing this country. The communities of Iowa, Nevada and New Hampshire provide a diverse array of voters and a level playing field for candidates to compete in, as a lead up to the larger states which will decide who the next Democratic nominee will be for President.
"I call upon all of my fellow Democratic candidates to reaffirm their support for the retail role Iowa, Nevada and New Hampshire and publicly ask their supporters, such as Democratic Senate Leader Mark Schauer, and Governor Granholm to oppose any attempts to break the Democratic National Committee’s “calendar window” as Republicans did in Florida on behalf of Mitt Romney.”
Funny, how Biden didn't refer to Levin as one of those "powerful interests."
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