Almost all the reporting on presidential primaries these days focuses on New Hampshire and Iowa. That makes sense, in a certain kind of way, because these primaries are the first, and the focus of most candidates' efforts. So, the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary help to show how well organized the different candidates really are.

Now, this year there are two candidates who aren't even bothering with Iowa. Joseph Lieberman and Wesley Clark dropped out the race in Iowa months ago because they just couldn't compete there. Both of these campaigns tried to put a positive spin on this surrender, saying that it was just a strategic ploy that would allow them to employ their resources for victories elsewhere.

Victories elsewhere, huh?

It's almost impossible for a Democratic candidate to win the presidential nomination without winning in New York State, especially after giving up all the delegates from Iowa without a fight. So, have Joe Lieberman and Wesley Clark done what they said they would do, and move the resources they would have devoted to Iowa to key states like New York?

It doesn't look like it.

With the deadline for ballot petitions in New York State come and gone, the Lieberman and Clark campaigns failed to get delegates on the ballot in all of New York State's congressional districts. Joseph Lieberman's New York failure was especially strong, as his campaign failed to get delegates on the ballot in over one third of the state's congressional districts.

Lieberman's campaign snubbed almost all of Upstate New York State, bothering to gather petitions in only 3 out of the 12 congressional districts north of New York City.

So, my dim little political mind has to ask a question at this point: If Lieberman and Clark have dropped out of Iowa, and failed to place their resources in other states, what exactly is their strategy?

It may seem like a real downer to bring up these points. Why, someone may ask, don't we just write positive stories about the political candidates?

Well, some writers have made commitments to avoid negative comments about the Democratic presidential candidates, and that's fine. As for myself, I've made no such commitment. Here's why: There are important differences between the candidates, and I believe that it helps the democratic process to point them out, even when they're not flattering for a politician who runs with the Democrats.

This year, the main goal for the Democrats has got to be to boot Bush out of the White House. To do so, the Democrats need a candidate who has the strength of an effective organization. As Democrats prepare to go to the polls - in just a few weeks in Iowa and New Hampshire and on March 2 in New York State - they would do well to pay attention to which candidates have bothered even to get their delegates on the ballot.

The plain fact is that the petitioning segment of political campaigns is just as important to the democratic process as the primary election, and the general election itself. Petitions ensure that candidates are involving ordinary citizens in their campaigns, at least to some extent. Petitioning requirements also cut the influence of money by requiring real outreach. A petition is filled by direct contact between campaign volunteers and community members. So, when a petitioning effort fails, it reveals a candidate's inability to communicate and cooperate with ordinary voters. On the other hand, when a petitioning effort succeeds, it's a sign that a candidate has built a campaign that is able to work with locals all across a state, involving Americans on a grassroots level, as ought to happen in a country that claims to be a democracy.

In spite of the petitioning failures of the Lieberman and Clark campaigns, two campaigns were able to get the required number of petitions signed in all of the congressional districts in New York State: Howard Dean and John Edwards. These candidates ought to receive some recognition from voters, in New York State and elsewhere, for their smart strategies and dedicated organizations.

Although the petitioning season is not completely over everywhere in the United States, so far it looks like Joseph Lieberman and Wesley Clark just aren't bothering with large chunks of America. Will the Democrats in these areas bother with them?

Go sorting through the Irregular Bin
or
Lift off to Irregular Times!

Irregular Times are no times for silence! Give us your Irregular Retorts, if you can. We also accept original, unpublished submissions of irregular quality.

Sign up for the Irregular Times News, with summaries of the latest irregular articles from this site delivered to your inbox.