A delicious dispatch from the "I'm perfect, you're not" view of the universe department. . . .
As a prelude to North Carolina's May 6 Democratic presidential primary, state voters recently were asked about prejudices. As related by the News & Observer in Raleigh, here's what the poll found:
A whopping number -- 91% -- said race would not affect their political decisions, but 54% said they knew someone who would not cast a ballot for a black candidate.
A candidate's gender, 79% said, would make no difference to them, but 63% said they knew someone who would not vote for a woman.
The survey by Elon University also looked ahead to the fall election, which will feature Republican John McCain trying to become the oldest person elected to a first presidential term.
No problem, 66% said; age would not be a factor in their vote. But 44% said they knew someone who would not support someone they viewed as "too old."
Nice to know there are so many open-minded folks in the Tar Heel State. Too bad about so many of their neighbors, though.
About 2012 ...
Most Democrats remain squarely focused on the matters at hand: Who will win their party's presidential nomination, and when will that be determined?
A cadre of party leaders, however, is looking down the road, mulling over another conundrum: How can they avoid a repeat of the free-for-all atmosphere that surrounded the setting of this year's caucus and primary schedule?
Elaine Kamarck, a longtime party pro, is one of those whose attention already is turned toward 2012 (only partially, to be sure -- as a Democratic National Committee member, she's a superdelegate backing Hillary Clinton).
Kamarck traveled to Washington for a gathering with journalists to discuss how a nomination calendar for the next presidential campaign might come together more easily.
Starting from the assumption that the immovable objects and irresistible forces in the process, Iowa and New Hampshire, retain their starting-line roles, Kamarck said she'd like to see definite dates decreed for these contests far earlier than in this cycle.
At the least, she said, there's strong motivation from many quarters to prevent the votes in Iowa and New Hampshire from again abutting so closely the holiday season. (That, in and of itself, would be a gift for all concerned.)
