If our lawmakers want Colorado voters to have any voice in picking the 2008 Republican and Democratic presidential nominees, the legislature needs to move our delegate selection process to Feb. 5, 2008 – a day that is fast becoming the political equivalent of the Powerball jackpot.
As to the nature of that selection process, we believe most voters would prefer to select delegates by a presidential primary, which would invite broad participation by citizens. So far, lawmakers are resisting a primary because it would cost some $2 million in a tight budget year. In our eyes, restricting democracy to save a few bucks in a $7 billion budget seems like a poor bargain.
Our caucus/convention system works well enough when combined with primary elections that pick candidates for state and local offices. But at the presidential level, caucuses in lieu of primaries tend to attract only a handful of activists and are thus dominated by the most extreme wings of the two major parties. That would be doubly true of a Feb. 5 caucus – a date that falls just two days after the 2008 Super Bowl, a time when few ordinary voters are thinking of politics.
A presidential primary could draw a far broader spectrum of Colorado voters than precinct caucuses. But even if legislators stick with a caucus system, it’s vital to weigh in on Feb. 5. That “dance card” is getting so full that any action after that time will have little or no influence.
In recent years, Colorado’s caucuses have been held in the third week of March. In 2008, that’s much too late. Last week, California, the most populous state, moved its primary to Feb. 5, and another 20 states may end up holding their caucuses and primaries on that day.
The Post has long championed a regional primary among the Rocky Mountain states, and Feb. 5 is shaping up as the closest to such a regional grouping we are likely to see. Utah, New Mexico, Idaho and Arizona have either set their contests for Feb. 5 or are weighing such a step. If Colorado and perhaps Montana join in, that may cause candidates to give more attention to issues important to the West.
Colorado last played a significant role in presidential nominations on March 5, 1996, when it was one of eight “Junior Tuesday” states swept by Bob Dole along with Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The shutout ensured the GOP nomination for Dole by ending the candidacies of Lamar Alexander, Steve Forbes and Pat Buchanan.
Twelve years later, it’s time to move our delegate selection to Feb. 5 – and once again give Colorado voters a voice in choosing presidential candidates.
