From The Morning Grind

Democrats are on the verge of taking a major step towards altering the 2008 presidential nominating calendar. The DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee meets later this month to vote on a proposal that would place a caucus between the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary as well as add a primary following the Granite State's contest. At this meeting, the Rules and Bylaws panel will also propose the two states to join Iowa and New Hampshire in this much sought after position on the calendar. If approved, as expected, the recommendation will be put to the full DNC membership for a vote in August at the Democrat's summer meeting in Chicago.

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, South Carolina and West Virginia are vying for the two early calendar slots. Nebraska, which initially asked to be considered for an early primary position, withdrew its application.

The proposal has divided Democrats. The Morning Grind today offers readers two leading, but opposing voices on the issue. The order in which these opinion columns appear was determined by a coin flip.
-- Mark Preston
CNN Political Editor

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Iowa and New Hampshire plus two: A good recipe

By Donna Brazile

Today, while much of the world is focusing its attention on developments in North Korea, India and the Middle East, a small group of people, including reporters, are spending an inordinate amount of time discussing two small states that have traditionally held the key to the selection of the leader of the "free world."

For years, Iowa and New Hampshire have been granted the privilege of holding the "first in the nation" Democratic presidential caucus and primary election, respectively. After a slow and lengthy process, the Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee has voted to recommend that the party include two additional states in the pre-window period. One will hold a caucus, the other a primary.

While Iowa's and New Hampshire's respective distinction of holding the first Democratic presidential caucus and primary in the nation have been preserved and lauded, I am delighted that two additional states will play a role in winnowing out the field of Democratic presidential candidates.

The Rules and Bylaws panel will select from among such diverse states as Arizona, South Carolina, Alabama, Nevada, Arkansas, Mississippi, Michigan and the District of Columbia. Judging from the many calls, letters and emails received by my colleagues on the committee from activists and political leaders in those states, they are eager to help select the next president of the United States.

States have not only submitted plans describing ways to improve Democratic performance and turnout, some are raising large sums of money to help "promote the notion" that the voters of their state are stepping up to help make this important decision.

I don't know about the people of Iowa and New Hampshire, but I am excited by the idea of allowing other states to do what Iowa and New Hampshire have done remarkably well. Candidates are free to campaign -- if they so desire -- wherever they see fit. But they will have additional options and numerous opportunities to listen to, learn from and stand up for many more Americans.

Back home in Louisiana, we often compare politics to cooking a good Cajun or Creole meal. It's time we add more seasoning and a couple of diverse states to our recipe for early success in 2008.

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Donna Brazile, an at-large member of the DNC and a CNN political commentator, is a member of the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee.

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Frontloading the calendar will lead to unintended consequences

By Kathy Sullivan

Soon, some of the Democratic Party's brightest minds will be meeting for two days in Washington. But instead of discussing strategy for the critical 2006 midterm elections, members of the Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee will determine the 2008 presidential nominating calendar.

This untimely distraction is the result of a movement to change the calendar that is about to create a train wreck. With 14 or so states planning to hold events on Feb. 5, 2008, the plan will cram another four states into the two weeks preceding, so that candidates will face at least 18 elections or caucuses in 21 days.

The under-funded, unknown insurgent candidate will not have the opportunity to surge, a kid will have no time to come back, and the nomination will be over before the rest of the country even knows the names of candidates.

Motivation to change the calendar is twofold: provide racial, economic and geographic diversity early in the calendar and to strip what some see as too much influence by Iowa and New Hampshire. The proposed calendar is so compressed, however, that voters from diverse backgrounds and regions will not have the time or chance to reflect and make considered judgments. The candidates will race across the country, doing TV ad buys and campaign fly-bys.

At one time, primaries in California, West Virginia, Florida, Wisconsin, and other states mattered greatly - and mattered more than Iowa and New Hampshire. Frontloading changed that and caused voters around the country to become frustrated with their lack of input. It is time for both the DNC and the Republican National Committee to address the real problem. It is a hard problem, as so many states are rushing to the front of the calendar. But by working together and recognizing the importance of providing a real opportunity for all voters across the country to have a say in the nominating process both parties and our country will be better served.

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Kathy Sullivan is the chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party and a member of the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee