Dean and Martinez to meet about primaries?

[madfloridian]

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/washingtonwhispers/070304/breaking_bread_now_heads_later.htm

March 04, 2007Breaking Bread Now, Heads Later

"The groundwork is being laid for the first meeting between the two party chairmen, longtime Democratic boss Howard Dean and gop newbie Sen. Mel Martinez. But it's not just to gab over a cup of Starbucks. Both sides want to make sure that the other won't let states hold primaries before New Hampshire's first. We hear that the gop will activate a rule to punish state parties if they do by slashing their number of delegates at the nominating convention in half. The Democrats don't have a similar rule."

I thought the Democrats DID have a rule about losing delegates. Governor Dean called Gelber in Florida about losing delegates. Gelber told him to bug off, that the DNC did not mean a thing to him.

"Indeed, when DNC chair Howard Dean threatened to cut the size of the Florida delegation to the 2008 convention, State Representative Dan Gelber of Miami Beach responded, "I don't have any constituents in the DNC. I only have constituents in my district. They would like to be more relevant."
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070319/editors

Yes, the Democrats do have a rule about the delegates.

Both the Democratic National Committee and the Republican Party approved new rules that would allow them to cut the number of state delegates to the national conventions by up to 90 percent for states that have primaries before Feb. 5.

Rep. David Rivera, a Miami Republican who sponsored the bill, argued that giving Florida voters more relevance outweighs the negative effect on the number of delegates either party could send to its convention.

House Democratic Leader Dan Gelber said that DNC Chairman Howard Dean warned him in a telephone call about three weeks ago that the state could lose all of its delegates to the convention if the primary is pushed forward.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/politics/content/state/epaper/2007/02/23/a17a_primary_0223.html

Sounds like a lot of fun.

[bryant69]

1. They should bare-knuckle box. Or Dean should at least.

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

[Deep13]

2. Why the hell does NH have to be first?

Ohio should be first. Except for 1960, Ohio was on the winning side of every presidential election in the 20th century. Unlike NH, Ohio is a microcosm of the nation.

[mitchtv]

3. Hrumph. I think Calif should be first

just goes to show you

[madfloridian]

4. Well, I think Florida should butt out until we get our election systems fixed here.

I don't want us having too much to say early on, not with a Republican SOS in charge of elections without legislative oversight.

I think there have to be some rules. Florida is trying to move up to Jan. 29, which is ridiculous.

[Bucky]

5. You Fool! Don't you see that Texas is the one that deserves to go first!

Unless I move to Oregon next year. If I get that job there, I will truly believe that democracy depends on Oregon being first in the nation.

Seriously, why the hell is Dean protecting New Hampshire?