Seen at the WSJ’s Washington Wire, a discussion of ongoing potential reshuffling of the primary calendar, as states squabble over their order in line:
So New Hampshire had tentatively planned on Jan. 22 primaries, eight days after Iowa’s caucuses. South Carolina Republicans had planned to hold primaries on Feb. 2; state Democrats’ are on Jan 29. Speaking in something of a riddle, Dawson told his fellow state Republican this week that South Carolina’s Republican primary would be at least 10 days before Florida’s Jan. 29 primaries, but not on the same day as Nevada’s caucuses, which are Jan. 19, and 12 days after New Hampshire’s primary.
That suggests New Hampshire ultimately could be moving as early as the first week of January. Iowa would then be certain to move up from Jan. 14. To avoid getting caught in the holiday period, Iowans have said the caucuses would have to be in mid-December.
Can we please get some sanity imposed on the primary schedule in time for the 2012 campaign? There certainly have been enough ideas floated, and given the legislative hurdles that have to be crossed, there might be just enough time to reach some manner of sane consensus in time for that cycle.