Michigan Dems Ask '08ers To Avoid NH/IA Pledges...Again

As the DNC nomination commissions' recs wend their way to the party's rules and bylaws committee, Michigan Democrats, led by DNC member Debbie Dingell and Sen. Carl Levin, have written letters to potential '08 candidates urging them to avoid making public pledges of support for IA and NH's "privileged status."

The letter is similar to one Dingell and Levin released as the calendar commission began its work in '05. And it reflects the nervousness that a high-profile "intervention" from a presidential candidate could put the kibosh on the commission's proposals.

Virtually all of the potential pres. hopefuls have made known publicly their preference to safeguard IA and NH's position. (Depending on which DNC member is relating the scuttlebutt, some of the potential candidates have also privately expressed support for the direction the commission's proposals take.) [MARC AMBINDER]

From the letter: "Democratic presidential candidates are already beginning to travel around the country, particularly in Iowa and New Hampshire. We believe it is important that the critical issues which will be at the forefront of the election in 2008 be part of the dialogue now across states that represent a spectrum of regional and population diversity."

"We know that you have been asked to make committments to maintain the current privileged position of Iowa and New Hampshire. We urge you not to make any committment that favors one state at the expense of others, and instead await the Rules Committee consideration of the recommendations of the Commission on Presidential Nomination Timing and Scheduling.