Looks like Florida is joining New Jersey, Michigan, North Carolina, Missouri and California in considering moving their primaries to Feb. 5, 2008 just seven days after New Hampshire.

Wondering why? Here is a quick explanation. Several big states, New Hampshire, Ohio etc. have early primaries. Traditionally that meant candidates not only spent more of their time courting voters in the states that had early primaries but also that the decision on who would win was made long before many of the states voted. Once a candidate carried New York, Ohio etc. etc. states further down the list would vote but often it was largely symbolic as the majority of delegates were already grabbed by one candidate.

Because of this many states feel candidates simply use them, as the above linked article points out, like an ATM machine. They come in, raise money and then leave while spending months and sometimes years campaigning in Ohio, New Hampshire etc.

This year it seems like many states are looking to move those primaries up making the dynamics of 2008 much different then in previous elections AND also basically moving the entire decision making process to a much earlier timeframe. Which is partly why you see so many candidates announcing in January and February 2007 when the election is a year and nine months away.

Yes everyone with the announcement of Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico to the formed an exploratory committee list the Democratic side just went from cozy to crowded in my opinion.

With that said the majority of the media I have seen has focused on Clinton vs. Obama and the fact that so many minorities (the Hispanic Richardson on that list) will be running on the Democratic ticket. I will say this. If people will be looking for an alternative to the current administration in 2008 as they did in 2006 then both physically and increasingly verbally they just might find that striking alternative in the Democratic ticket.

Now the question is, which one will win out in the brutal primary season and will the damage they incurred there help or hurt them in a general election?

From his official campaign Web site, whose url I don’t understand one bit:

Dear Friend,
I have decided, after much prayerful consideration, to consider a bid for the Republican nomination for the presidency.

I am running to spread hope and ideas. We are a blessed nation at an important crossroads. War, corruption, disintegrating families, and for some, hopelessness, tear at the American Dream. We need hope and ideas.

I am running for America…to be of service in a crucial time of trial.

Ours is an exceptional nation. A nation between two oceans made up of people from every nation on earth. A great nation united by our ideals. But we are a great nation because of our goodness. If we ever lose our goodness, we will surely lose our greatness.

We believe in a culture of life—that every human life is a beautiful, sacred, unique child of a loving God.

We believe in justice for all—at all times.

We believe in liberty.

But the central institutions that best transmit these values—the family and the culture—are under withering attack.

We must renew our families and rebuild our culture!

We need to revitalize marriage, support the formation of families, and encourage a culture of commitment.

We need a culture that encourages what is right and discourages what is wrong—and has the wisdom to understand the difference.

Each generation of Americans is called upon to carry the torch of virtue during its brief season. If one generation lets the torch fall, its light is extinguished for all future generations. That’s a big responsibility, but we can achieve it if we pick up the torch with courage, generosity, and realism. We must meet and fulfill the job we are called to accomplish in our day. The time to act to insure our future as a nation is now.

Problems abound. The federal government wastes and spends too much. We lack compassionate yet practical programs to help the poor here and around the world. We need energy independence and alternative, clean-burning, domestic-grown fuels. The scourge of cancer has killed too many and must be stopped. We need term limits for judges and members of Congress like we have for the President. We need a flat tax instead of the dreadful, incomprehensible tax code we now have.

And we need humility.

While I am proud to be an American, when I consider my citizenship and the responsibilities it carries today in the light of eternity, I am more humbled by it. We have been given much and will be held to account for what we have been given.

I ask mostly for your prayers. Pray for America, that our division as a people might end and that our land be healed.

Thank you for your interest and support. Thank you for your prayers. Please join our campaign of national renewal and hope for the future!

God Bless you, and God Bless this nation we love so dearly

Well the big news this morning is that many believe Senator Hillary Clinton will launch her White House bid by forming an exploratory committee. She will make the announcement, of all places, on her Web site.

ABC News announced that the “Former First Lady is expected to take the first step” about an hour ago, didn’t announce what that step was though and didn’t mention it again, which I found odd. But luckily CNN is on the case with commentators sitting around refreshing her page and waiting.

I personally have to say I think the choice of announcing on a Saturday is a pretty bad one. I had just been discussing last night how the Senator seems to have lost a lot of the fire and energy. I wasn’t paying much attention to the reports that she has been phased by the sudden popularity Barack Obama has found. But the last couple of weeks, I don’t know.

Anyway announcing on a Saturday, on a Web site when you are/were the frontrunner for the nomination seems a tad weak. The only logic I can see is that all the Sunday talk shows will now fill their time with Hillary news. The thing is, all the Sunday talk shows have been talking about the Senator running for president for the last fourteen years. That isn’t a joke either, they are obsessed!

I will hold most of my judgement until after I see whatever message she has but right now it seems like someone with millions in the bank could really do better.

It wasn’t that long ago when former Senator John Edwards labeled the Iraq troop surge plan the ‘McCain Doctrine’. Apparently the folks over at MoveOn.org liked that idea so much they devoted not only a section of their Web site to the idea BUT put together an early attack ad against the Senator just to drive home the point.

Here it is:

John McCain’s Exploratory Committee has decided to squash the facts in those ads by setting up the following section on its Web site www.exploremccain.com/moveonresponse/ which is a biting attack against… oh wait… actually it is just a page asking for money. ouch!

Now not to attack the Senator any further but there are some people who are using this whole Internet technology well thus far and others who, well, not so much. I would have to say you are on the not so much side.

I found out about the Senator’s response in an e-mail message sent to everyone on his mailing list. Okay, that is good, e-mail is a thirty year old technology that hit its height in the 1990’s BUT it is a good start when responding to someone who has put ads on the TV AND all across the Internets trashing your good name.

Good start but, really, why not respond by putting an entire page up about how you know more about fighting a war then those two screen saver makers over at MoveOn.org probably know about C Programming. (I am guessing they know a lot about C programming too!)

You might want to think about going a step further then just getting money. Give the people something to look at or talk through. In fact, most of your Web site is in black and white. Looks okay, but age isn’t exactly on your side in this race. Everyone went gaga a couple weeks ago because the young Barack Obama took his shirt off on the beach. You don’t exactly have that. You might want to try some colors. Maybe a red or a blue.

I mean look at that. Goto Apple.com, that is a GREAT example of a site in black and white that offers a TON of information, products, videos and other content in different colors that looks amazing. Then look at your site. Isn’t that like Template 1A in Dreamweaver?

Senator John Edwards has podcasts and YouTube videos. The big excitement on your site (under the giant DONATE and SUBSCRIBE links) is a grey link to a Federalist Society address. Yeah, the Federalist Party went the way of the plantation in what, 1816, maybe 1825 at the latest? So basically you are shooting for those over fifty who are nostalgic for the ideals of their great grandparents?

Note this is not an attack on the man. I try and keep things non partisan here. I am sure I will comment on more Web sites in the coming months and there will be plenty of nonsense happening on Democrats Web sites. So save your hate mail. I love John McCain and I write out of that love to tell him, it might be time to step into 2008 and get that site roaring!