Granite, Cracked.
"When you whine too much, you sometimes get whacked."
That's the reaction of a Democratic strategist with working knowledge of the DNC's nomination calendar commission when we asked what went in to producing its recommendations.
The strategist was referring to New Hampshire.
Knowledgable Democrats are spreading around the commission draft report containing propoals the commission is expected to vote on tomorrow. One plank re-affirms IA and NH's stati as the first caucus and first primary states, respectively. Another adds a caucus or two after Iowa but before New Hampshire. Another adds states after New Hampshire but before the "window" for other states traditionally opens. A third recommendation advises the rules and bylaws committee to choose the dates and states with an eye toward increasing demographic, eocnomic and geographic diversity.
And what about frontloading, which no one seems to want? Well, the draft suggests the rules and bylaws committee think about incentives to encourage states not to move up. A bonus delegate system, maybe. '
The upshot: Iowa's status as THE first state is preserved. New Hampshire might technically still be the first primary state, but for all intents and purposes, its mythical/fabled/traditional status as first in the nation is kaput. The commission has little to say about frontloading.
New Hampshire doesn't like what the commission is calling tonight a "compromise." It'll lobby the rules and bylaws committee; then they'll lobby the full DNC, a large minority of whom will follow the cues of DNC chairman Howard Dean.
He's remained publicly silent and told NH Dem chair Kathy Sullivan earlier this week that he certainly understands their frustration. But we're told that Dean is prepared to accept the commission's recommendations as it moves to the rules and bylaws committee, and that he would not stand in the way of either of these two proposals. (A DNC spokesman repeated Dean's vow not to comment until the recs are actually made.)
The nuclear option, should it come to it, is NH's deciding to change the date of its primary, either trying to piggyback with Iowa or going before it, perhaps in mid-week in early January of 2008.
New Hampshire has done itself no favors, according to several calendar commission members and Democratic strategists, by sharing their anger with the DNC in public and by giving lip service to the diversity concerns shared by many Dems.
But it's been no secret that many Dems have been itching for years to deprive NH of its status. And the simple fact that NH is always the "second" to go first -- Iowa really gets to go first -- made it that much easier to pick off.
The commission meets tomorrow in Washington, D.C. A vote is scheduled for late in the day. [MARC AMBINDER]
