Can The Political Class Leave My Christmas Alone?!

I should be ecstatic that the Iowa Republican caucuses are just around the corner on January 3, 2012. And the New Hampshire primary on January 10, 2012.
But I am not.
Why you may ask?
Because all this political talk is ruining the Christmas season.
I mean, for many people who take their politics way too seriously, again not that I do not, this is not a great time of year to start getting into discussions about who would make a better Republican presidential candidate. Or even thinking about caucusing or voting literally after the New Year.
But here we are.
Why are we here?
Because a lot of people do not like the fact that Iowa and New Hampshire get to go first in the process. And they are for various reasons to be addressed later in this post.
First, the diversity police hate these states.
According to the 2010 census, Iowa has a population of 3,046,355. Ninety-one percent are White. Five percent are Hispanic. Three percent are Black. The rest of the race stats are here. As for New Hampshire, with a population of 1,316,470, it is even worse. Ninety-three percent are White. Three percent are Hispanic and a little over one percent are Black. Again, the rest of those stats are here.
So, who wants to steal the glory of these two states?
Well, there is always South Carolina. The diversity police should like this state.
A little over 4,625,000 people and only 67% White. Twenty-seven percent Black and a growing five percent Hispanic.
Then there is Florida.
Now there is diversity.
Out of a popluation of a little over 18,801,000, the number of Whites is 75%. Hispanics are at 23% and Blacks make up 16%. Now it is worth looking at these numbers. Yeah, they do not add up but it is because of the way one can be asked what race one is.
For me, I do not care about the whole diversity thing.
What it really comes down to is power.
The larger states of Florida and South Carolina think that they should be determining who the nominee of each political party should be. They are fast-growing states. They have a lot of competing forces. Yada, yada, yada.
Because these states, and throw in Nevada too, want to be the determiners, they keep pushing Iowa and New Hampshire to insure that they will be the firs caucus and primary in the United States.
In my lifetime, the Iowa caucuses have been held in late January or early February, as noted here.
As far as the New Hampshire primary, they have gone from early to mid-March to the bleak winter of early February, again as noted here.
And really, would there have been a different result if some other state ot states got to go first? After all, Barack Obama won the Iowa caucuses. And placed a very close second in New Hampshire. Would have Hilary Clinton won the Democrat nomination if Florida got to go first? And there is the Republican split decision in 2008. The Rev. Mike Huckabee winning the Iowa Caucus and Sen. John "F--- You" McCain winning the New Hampshire primary. Does anyone really think that the former New York City mayor, Rudy Guiliani, would have won Florida if it went first?
I think it is time to let these states have their place in the sun every four years. Let them be the first in the nation to kick off the presidential primary season.
But not at Christmas time.
We all need a break from the politics of the day. We need to be able to get together with family and friends. Some we do not agree a wit on politics. We need to spend this time of the year reflecting on how we can do, as individuals, making life better and easier for someone else. We need to reflect on the year coming to an end and what we will do in the upcoming year. We need to be able to do this politics-free.
But the political class is just saying no. It is saying, you must endure our circus show during the Christmas season. You will endure some candidate coming out wishing you a Merry Christmas. You will enjoy that bit of insincerity.
No, I will not. Does not mean I will not write about it. But I will not enjoy the political class trying to harsh my mellow on this Christmas season, once again.