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Politics : Liberalism: Do You Agree We've Had Enough of It? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: American Spirit who wrote (4637)	8/17/2006 5:41:37 PM
From: Peter Dierks	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224707

Kerry drives great big expensive SUVs. He sucks the fuel tank dry on private jets instead of flying with the masses in much more fuel efficient commercial jets. Kerry is the enemy of the environment.

To: American Spirit who wrote (4637)	8/18/2006 8:16:14 PM
From: Ann Corrigan	Respond to of 224707

Family fight:Democrats may punish candidates By JIM KUHNHENN, AP Writer, Aug 18, 2006 AP Photo/CHARLES REX ARBOGAST CHICAGO (AP) -- The Democratic Party is moving to enforce its rules in the battle between states over who goes first in the presidential primaries, taking aim at candidates in case the states themselves won't go along with the party's rejuggled 2008 schedule. New Hampshire, with its traditional first-in-the-nation primary, says it's not going to worry about "a handful of Washington insiders." A change recommended Friday by the party's rules and bylaws committee would deny national convention delegates to any presidential candidate who campaigns in a state that leapfrogs its primary over others. The tough stance is part of a proposed overhaul of party rules to change the decades-long tradition of keeping Iowa and New Hampshire at the starting gate of presidential nomination voting. The new party plan would insert Nevada between the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary and give South Carolina greater influence by scheduling its primary a week after New Hampshire. On Saturday, the full Democratic National Committee will vote on the rules changes. The new schedule is designed to bring more Hispanic and black voters into the early stages of the nominating process. Top Democrats, however, fear that a number of states, particularly New Hampshire, will ignore the new voting lineup and choose to hold their nominating contests even earlier. Hoping to put teeth into the new schedule, rules committee members moved to sanction candidates who dare to campaign in states that jump ahead of the line. "If you campaign in a state that is outside the rules, then you're not entitled to delegates from that state," said Carol Khare Fowler, a rules committee member from South Carolina who offered the change. As a reward for states that choose not to cut in line, the rules committee recommended they get bonus delegates based on when they're scheduled to hold their primaries or caucuses. Several DNC members said Democratic Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Evan Bayh of Indiana, both of whom are weighing presidential runs, were encouraging their supporters on the DNC to vote against the rules change. But even Kathleen Sullivan, the New Hampshire Democratic Party chairman and a member of the rules committee, predicted the changes would pass. She vigorously opposed the sanctions proposal, arguing the committee should help win the White House, not set up impediments for potential nominees. "It's a mistake for this committee to do anything that hurts candidates," she said. The ultimate decision for New Hampshire rests with its secretary of state, William Gardner, who must decide whether the Nevada caucus violates New Hampshire state law requiring its primary to be scheduled before any other "similar election." Sullivan said that if the state moves up its primary date, candidates would probably still campaign in New Hampshire despite the threat of losing delegates. "It doesn't mean anything because New Hampshire has too few delegates," she said. "If that means a handful of Washington insiders decide to strip us of our delegates, we don't care." The dispute highlights the party's struggle to move beyond the traditional Iowa-New Hampshire leadoff into the nominating season. Both states are predominantly white and don't reflect the more diverse image of the party. But advocates of tradition say both states encourage a retail style of politics that tests candidates and helps launch winning nominees. The rules committee also recommended altering rules with the aim of expanding the presence of minorities, gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender people and people with disabilities in the party. Looking to broaden primary voting participation, the committee also voted to encourage state parties to provide for Internet voting. Some questioned whether such a step could disenfranchise some poor and minority voters, who have more limited access to computers. "Because of the ongoing digital divide, we're going to continue to monitor how that's implemented," said Donna Brazile, a member of the rules committee who has been active in DNC efforts to reach out to minorities.