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Politics : Those Damned Democrat's -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: John Carragher who wrote (1385)	9/3/2003 7:35:54 PM
From: Tadsamillionaire	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1604

Democrats Quarrel Over Primary Dates By SAM HANANEL The Associated Press Wednesday, September 3, 2003; 5:30 PM WASHINGTON - National Democrats and Washington, D.C., officials are at odds over whose primary comes first in the political calendar - New Hampshire or the District of Columbia. Looking to highlight the district's lack of voting rights in Congress, the D.C. City Council voted this past summer to move the District of Columbia primary from May to Jan. 13, 2004 - two weeks before the tentative date of Jan. 27 for New Hampshire's primary and less than a week before the Iowa caucuses. The brash move incurred the wrath of the Democratic National Committee, which threatened not to seat the district's delegates at the national convention if they are chosen before the New Hampshire contest. So a compromise was reached. While the District of Columbia's primary vote will be first, delegates will not formally be selected until caucuses Feb. 14. In the world of elections, such a nonbinding vote is known as a "beauty contest" - not so much a presidential primary as it is a straw poll to show voter opinion. For that reason, according to DNC officials, New Hampshire retains its hallowed first-in-the-nation crown. The compromise also satisfies official party rules, which prohibit other jurisdictions from moving primaries ahead of the Granite State. "I don't think it's just a question of the words, it has to do with the start of the race for the Democratic nomination," said DNC spokesman Tony Welch. "And in the race for the nomination, New Hampshire is the first primary." That hasn't stopped activists such as Sean Tenner from arguing that the District of Columbia vote is the nation's real first primary. "We made our primary first to draw attention to this injustice - and to make the presidential candidates address D.C.'s plight in order to secure our votes," said Tenner, executive director of the activist group D.C. Democracy Fund, which pushed for the early vote. Tenner argues that the District of Columbia primary is binding - in a way. Three of the city's 28 super-delegates - party officials beholden to no one - have already committed to vote for the primary winner, and his organization is pressuring others to do the same. Only 10 delegates are chosen by the caucuses. washingtonpost.com

To: John Carragher who wrote (1385)	9/4/2003 12:07:16 AM
From: calgal	Read Replies (5) \| Respond to of 1604

Poll: Many Can't Name Democratic Hopefuls The Associated Press Monday, September 1, 2003; 6:19 AM There's no shortage of Democrats running for president but most voters don't know who they are, according to a new poll. The poll, released for the Labor Day weekend which traditionally kicks off the campaign season, showed two-thirds of the people surveyed couldn't name one of the nine candidates seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. When pollsters supplied the names, Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean topped the field, although with relatively low numbers that suggest the race remains wide open. Lieberman with 14 percent, Gephardt with 11 percent, and Dean with 10 percent were the only three in double digits in support among registered Democrats, said the poll. Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry was at 5 percent after being in double digits in national polls most of the year. Kerry will try to spark his campaign this week with the formal announcement of his candidacy. Al Sharpton had 5 percent, Florida Sen. Bob Graham 4 percent, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards 2 percent, former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun 2 percent and Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich registered zero percent in the survey calculation. Four in 10 registered Democratic said they were satisfied with the current field of nine candidates, while half said they would like more choices. When all potential voters were asked whether President Bush will definitely be re-elected, 38 percent said yes, but 50 percent said they think a Democrat can win. When voters were asked the same question about Bush's father in October 1991, 66 percent said yes, but that number dropped 20 points in the next month. The first President Bush lost to Bill Clinton. The poll of 775 registered voters was taken Aug. 26-28 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, larger for subgroups like Democratic voters. © 2003 The Associated Press washingtonpost.com