NYT: DNC moves to penalize '08 presidential candidates who defy new nominating calendar

RAW STORY
Published: Saturday August 19, 2006

Democrats have taken moves to penalize 2008 presidential candidates who defy a new nominating calendar, according to an article slated for Sunday's New York Times, RAW STORY has learned.

"The Democratic National Committee moved on Saturday to penalize 2008 presidential candidates who defied a new nominating calendar designed to lessen the longtime influence of New Hampshire and Iowa -- the two states that have traditionally kicked off the nominating proces," reports Adam Nagourney for the Times.

"The sanctions would be directed at candidates who campaigned in any state that refused to follow a proposed calendar that the committee was preparing to approve on Saturday," the article contines.

"Any candidate who campaigned in a state that did not abide by the dates of the new calendar would be stripped at the party convention of any delegates won in that state," writes Nagourney.

The Associated Press reports that "some DNC members were unsure how effective such a sanction would be, particularly if the states doing the leapfrogging are small and have few delegates to offer."

"Others complain that the added contests in Nevada and South Carolina squeeze so many contests early in the nomination process that the party's nominee could be determined by the beginning of February, before most states even get a chance to vote," the AP report continues.

FULL TIMES ARTICLE AT THIS LINK