Editorial for February 8, 2008 edition:


Hurry up and wait

Leave it to a bunch of politicians to mess things up for democracy. Tuesday was supposed to be a "super" day for presidential politics, but, while the results were being tabulated as this newspaper was going to press, one thing is certain: A system in which voters in 24 states on both coasts and many in between go to the polls on the same day is fine for a general election, but it’s a lousy way to pick presidential nominees.
Something is terribly wrong with a system in which seasoned leaders with impeccable domestic and/or foreign policy credentials — like Joe Biden, Bill Richardson and Rudy Giuliani — drop out of the race before 99 percent of the nation’s voters even go to the polls. That is not government of the people, by the people and for the people. It’s government of, by and for the people in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Well in advance of the 2012 presidential election, the Republican and Democratic national committees should work together to establish regional primaries. For instance, states on the East Coast vote the first Tuesday in September, states on the West Coast on the second Tuesday, etc.
Meanwhile, Pennsylvania is likely to get the short end of the stick this year. By the time our primary rolls around on April 22, the nominees may be in place.
Regardless of whether Pennsylvanians get a say in selecting this year’s nominees, let’s admit that the presidential primary elections are conducted way, way, way too early. At the rate we’re going, the primaries will take place a year or two before the general election. Heck, why not just have two elections in one — when Americans go to the polls in November, let’s just pick one person to serve the next four years and another person to serve beginning in five years?
Maybe that will satisfy the early birds. ••

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