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EMIL
FRANZI |
Feb 5 is presidential day in ArizonaDecember 19, 2007 |
Both Democratic and
Republican presidential nominations are up for grabs
going into Iowa and New Hampshire. They may still be
after the January voting in Florida, South Carolina
and Wyoming, coming into the big multi-state
selections set for Feb. 5. Ironically it may be the
late primary states making the final decisions, or as
this political junky has always hoped, there could
even be a genuine nominating convention instead of a
coronation.
Early front-runners have been caught in most national polls. Barack Obama could knock off Hillary Clinton in enough places to make it a real race on the Democratic side while Mike Huckabee has proved that money isn’t everything for the GOP nomination and has closed with Mitt Romney and Rudy Guiliani, with John McCain and Fred Thompson still relevant as is John Edwards with Democrats. This year is different, most pundits tells us. Try this — all years are different. There is a predilection in politics (and elsewhere) to mistake precedent for principle. Probably comes from listening to too many lawyers. Every time we do this four year exercise, the mix differs and the dynamics change. Arizona could be relevant again beyond being the home state of a major contender, John McCain. We’ve had two more — 1964 GOP nominee Barry Goldwater and Tucson’s own Morris Udall in 1976 who almost took the Democratic side. We were also key in 1960 when Congressman Stuart Udall jockeyed Arizona’s Democratic delegation for Jack Kennedy and propelled himself into Secretary of the Interior by outmaneuvering LBJ supporter, former senator and Gov. Ernie MacFarland in one of the last of the closely decided conventions contests. You get a choice, Feb. 5. Please make it. But remember something very important. YOU MUST BE REGISTERED TO VOTE IN THE PARTY YOU WANT TO MAKE THE CHOICE IN! It’s confusing. Arizona has open primaries for independents and others in state and local elections, but not on presidential primaries. Actual delegates will be chosen later by a state convention process and are committed to vote for the winner of the primary on the first ballot. Nobody paid much attention except party cheerleaders to this part as by that time the national process had produced clear winners. Again, that’s only precedent. Watch that change this time. The great Michael Barone can usually respond to a question about a given political jurisdiction by naming the brands of breakfast cereal consumed there by percentages. Barone considers it more possible daily that there will not be early winners even by March and that we might have a real convention, maybe two. That makes your vote on Feb. 5 even more relevant. Pima County Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez and others want you to make sure you are registered as you wish — and you have until Jan. 7 to do it. Call 740-4330 and they’ll clue you in. For Saddlebrooke and Pinal County residents, call County Recorder Lora Dean-Lytle 1-800-208-6897, ext. 6850. This is important — you may not be registered the way you think. Example — thousands of voters are registered as NOP for No Organized Party. They are those who left the party designation blank on the form. Obviously, not everybody meant to. Some prefer the full open primary system used in places like New Hampshire and Illinois. All my radio co-hosts from liberal Democrats Tom Danehy and Mike Tully to Libertarian Jonathan Hoffman agree with this paleo-Republican that if you want to pick a party’s nominee you should be registered in that party first. We also believe you have an obligation to participate in that nominating process. As Boss Tweed said, “Don’t matter much who does the votin’ long as I do the nominatin.’” February 5 is your turn. You got until Jan. 7 to firm it up.
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BUT WATCH WHAT YOU SAY! |
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