Abandon NH, Abandon the Race
I am not a Fred Thompson fanatic but some of these comments are ridiculous.
Actually, I take that back. Our entire electoral process is a disaster. A process that routinely pumps out candidates that have the right momentum going into the primaries. A process that caters to a privileged few who live in meaningful states full of selfish people unwilling to compromise with any candidate that suggests the incredulous: change the primary format.
Because Fred Thompson is skipping out on New Hampshire, he is screwed. End of story. People of these states who hold such sway demand personal politics and instead of picking the person most capable of the position. They choose to pick the person most compromising to their arrogant, subjective standards. If somebody doesn’t make enough appearances in Manchester, the whole state is going to give the candidate the screw because they Just. Don’t. Care. About. Them. (Oh the humanity!)
The self-importance that these people hold during this time serves as a stunning contrast to how little sway they hold nationally (where Iowa is going to be lucky to get another visit after January 4th). This is the same primary process that vetted such high quality candidate the last time around: Senator John F. Kerry. A senator that couldn’t find a way to win against a President pulling stunning approval numbers, all because he arranged for some upsets in early primary states.
This isn’t what I want. This shouldn’t be what the parties want. The only people I think that still want this setup are the people living in those states. Fantastic for them but unless I get the urge to move, I’m wondering when I will get the opportunity to vote in a meaningful primary?