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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DuckTapeSunroof who wrote (550006)	3/9/2004 5:31:14 PM
From: Hope Praytochange	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Florida Democrats wish they had more say in picking nominee BRENDAN FARRINGTON Associated Press MIAMI - Florida Democrats will be backing Sen. John Kerry for president. They just wish they had more of a say in the nomination. With the Massachusetts senator all but guaranteed the Democrat's spot on the ballot against President Bush, Tuesday's primary is essentially meaningless. It's the scenario party activists feared when they talked about holding a straw poll to give an early indication of whom they supported. The nonbinding poll could have given a boost to Sen. John Edwards, Howard Dean or another candidate before Kerry built momentum with victories in Iowa and New Hampshire - much smaller states that won't be as important in November. "We did miss a huge opportunity to have a huge voice. It's our darn fault by not sticking to our supposed commitment to a straw ballot," said Doug Head, the Democrats' Orange County chairman. "If we had the straw ballot the whole dynamic of this election might be different and Florida would have gotten a whole lot more attention in December." And the party may have had another nominee. "Looking back on it now you say, 'Gee, anything that would have given some help to Dean or to Edwards would have made the outcome much different,'" said Lance deHaven-Smith, a Florida State University political science professor. The bandwagon affect of supporting Iowa and New Hampshire winners makes it more difficult for Southern candidates, even though the only candidates Democrats have sent to the White House since John Kennedy in 1960 have been from the South, said deHaven-Smith. But two - Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton - went on to receive the nomination after being backed in Florida straw polls. "One of the problems you have is that there are no Southern primaries early," deHaven-Smith said. Florida Democrats would love to have an earlier primary. The problem is they would need Republicans who dominate the Legislature to approve it. That didn't happen this year. "They squashed Democratic participation this year and I think they did it intentionally," Head said. Joseph Agostini, spokesman for the Republican Party of Florida, said, "We have our candidate. We're not discussing or kicking around any ideas about changing primaries right now." Florida Democratic Party Chairman Scott Maddox said an early primary is something he's "been crying for all along." "We should have one state that is representative of America early in the primary process," he said. "We're the only state that's truly a microcosm of the country." As well as giving the state a say in the nomination process, an earlier primary could also help create enthusiasm for the November election, said Matthew Corrigan, a University of North Florida political science professor. "If the Florida primary meant something, it gives you a nice dress rehearsal for November and it gets everybody fired up and energized," he said. "Any time you get people voting, you get them in that habit and it helps come November."