] Rosenthal, according to the Journal, has some ideas about
] the primary calendar:
] He suggests Democrats place the five closest states from
] the previous general election (Iowa, New Hampshire, Ohio,
] New Mexico, and Wisconsin) first in the 2008 primary
] calendar to help tune up for fall battles.
] I agree with Josh that this is a pretty smart idea for
] the Democrats. And I think you could take it even
] further. Two points. First, a party that was thinking
] long-term and strategically about how to become a
] majority party would make a habit of this practice -- of
] continually shifting the primary calendar every cycle to
] put whatever states were closest in the last election at
] the top of the list for the next one. Such a schedule
] would put a premium on Democrats who fit the "persuader"
] type, who can win back the voters who in many respects
] should be voting for their party, but for various reasons
] did not.

[ Hear hear. As it happens, both Iowa and NH would still be at the front of that list, because they were close, but both of those states need to shut the hell up and accept that the primary schedule should be mutable... they simply oughtn't to wield the power they do year after year. -k]