Vote early, and vote once too often By Ray Barrington News-Chronicle At the rate things are going, we'll have the presidential primary in Wisconsin tomorrow - for the 2008 general election. The bill signed Monday that will move Wisconsin's presidential primary next year to Feb. 17 is just the latest in a series of moves that have made the process as ridiculous as it possibly could be. (Unless Fox revives its idea for an "American Candidate" reality show to pick a nominee.) Wisconsin residents will have to decide in February who they want to see on the ballot in November, and as anybody who has ever bought a used car can tell you, that's a long time to live with a decision. It's way too easy to buy a lemon, and there's no "lemon law" for politicians. The reason, of course, has nothing to do with choosing good leaders and everything to do with getting the state noticed. With the increasing role of Big Money in presidential campaigns, the modern primary campaign is less about getting your message across and more about getting the money to impress (or scare) other candidates with the size of your bankroll. Call it "hit 'em with your wallet" campaigning. There was one battle against that. The fact that Iowa and New Hampshire are the first two states with actual votes - two small states where an underfunded candidate can still make a name - was the balance. But as other states tried to get in on that action, Iowa and New Hampshire had to keep moving their caucus and primary earlier in the year. It became an arms race. And with several big states in the mix, the early winner became the effective nominee as many of the other candidates folded, not because they wouldn't get votes, but because they couldn't afford to continue. And so we have the foolishness of a decision in February, followed by conventions in August and an election in November. Which means, in this fast-changing world, that it will effectively be a year from the selection of a candidate to the time that candidate could take office. And a lot can change in a second, never mind a year. The problem is that there is no way to fight this on a national level. Elections are state-run, as we were constantly reminded during the Battle of Hanging Chad following the 2000 vote. So, the feds can't just make a rule saying "no primaries before April 1. And that leads to what we'll see next year: candidates in Wisconsin in early February, campaigning in the snow and cold. It's entirely possible a candidate could die of pneumonia caught during a Green Bay stop in a blizzard. In addition, an early primary goes against one basic rule we should be following at this time: trying to save money. We'll have an election day in February for one election, rather than combining the primary with the regular spring election in April, which will go on as usual. And this at a time of severe budget cutting? So, we have a choice. Spend money we shouldn't be spending or give up any hope of having a voice in choosing a presidential candidate because the race will be over by April. It's a system nobody likes and nobody knows how to fix. Barrington is a reporter for The News-Chronicle. His column appears here Fridays. Contact him via e-mail at [email protected] or call 432-2941.