asking Al Gore to run in 2008!
The Democratic Convention isn't until August 2008
Posted August 25th, 2007 by Ecomom2008
Please! What will it take for the Democrats to lose the Presidential Election in 2008 –voter fatigue and Karl Rove.
We all rejoiced when Karl announced that he was leaving the White House at the end of this month. Did you think that he was leaving because he was really an embarrassment to George Bush? Remember, this is "Bush's brain".
So while the Democrats are having a debate on almost a weekly basis – debates that most Americans without cable access don't even know about, the Republicans are just standing by and watching the Democrats kill each other off with "friendly fire".
In the meantime, a Republican strategist tried to change the Electoral College rules in California to benefit the Republicans. The Republican's successfully changed the Primary Date in Florida to block the effect of Florida's votes at the Democratic Primary.
California is struggling to keep up with these games of strategy. California's Secretary of State Debra Bowen recently decertified certain voting machines that could easily be "hacked".
A few years ago, it was "gerrymandering Texas style" that caused Democrats in the Texas legislature to flee to Oklahoma to block a vote to gerrymander Texas in a manner that would unfairly favor the Republican Party.
So what strategies will happen next to try to block a Democratic President in 2008?
There is so much attention paid daily on the News to the 2008 election, that there almost seems like there are no other issues. The candidates posture about getting out of Iraq, and they give their positions about how to get out, but what are they doing about the war right now? Candidates from both parties, who are running for President, that are in Congress, are afraid to say the wrong thing now that may cost them the Presidency later.
In 2004, there were complaints that certain Senators spent more time on the campaign trail than they did representing their states in Congress. This election season, this matter seems to be worse.
If the candidates are off at so many debates in Iowa, New Hampshire, or California, how can they possibly be in Washington doing the jobs that we voted them to do?
Voters are spending record amounts. According to opensecrets.org, individual candidates will have to raise $500 million dollars to be viable. The 2008 Presidential Candidates combined have already raised $265 million dollars. Can you imagine how that money could be spent if it went to health care, education, or our infrastructure? We need campaign finance reform.
So while the 2008 Presidential Candidates are out fundraising and debating, while the Republicans and Democrats alike are strategizing on how to win, the everyday issues that affect our lives like jobs going overseas, imports from China that make us sick, and record numbers of homeowners losing their homes, are not being addressed in Congress the way that they should.
We are all outraged for a day or two when an issue comes to our attention by the media: today it may be record flooding causing homes to be underwater; last week it was a mine collapse; the week before, a bridge collapse. What people don't see is the continued word collapse: a collapse of our economy, of our home ownership, of our job security, of our pension system, of our infrastructure.
Before we see any more collapses, we need to tell our Candidates to go back to work to prevent the further collapse of our Constitution and our Democracy.
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Hmmm..
I think Ecomom makes a valid point about the now 18 month long election you guys face. A lot of these guys do have other jobs that they have been elected to, although not all by any means. It is thought that candidates such as Edwards, Romney, Giuliani etc who don't currently hold office do to an extent have the advantage of having a more 'open schedule'. They can go wherever they want whenever they want.
But this is where the Democrats having control of Congress is an advantage. The GOP can't schedule imprtant votes when Democrats have campaign commitments well away from Washington. Whether or not the Democrat leadership is concerned enough about any of the GOP candidates who remain as members of Congress to pull souch an overtly political manouvre I doubt frankly. McCain is the only Member of Congress that would concern the Democrats and he is outspoken and honest enough about the issues to not worry about forcing an embarassing vote.
But it is right that the Convention is now a relatively minor event, a coronation in all but name. Except in the most unlikely of circumstances (any canididate failing to get enough delegates, or the nominee elect dying I guess!) And the primary season has been squashed so much now that it is understandable that the campaign is in all but full flow now, especially when the fields are both so large and so open.
Yes but.....
The primaries, which are important, just as important or more so than the convention, may start as early as late december in Iowa & New Hampshire...ie...since they are so early now anyway....
Delegate Candidates will have to circulate their nomination petitions in December and earlier in some states.
Just saying that the convention is about a year away or for that matter the general election is simplistic.
It's actually more complicated than just that.