Editorial: Stop the whining

Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2006 | 7:14 a.m.

Over the weekend the Democratic National Committee chose Nevada to be second in the nation in holding its 2008 presidential nominating caucus, just behind Iowa. This decision elicited yelps from Democratic officials in New Hampshire, which traditionally has held its presidential primary right after Iowa's.

The Associated Press reported that New Hampshire's Democratic politicians already are threatening to ignore the Democratic National Committee's decision and move up the state's primary before Nevada's caucus is held. "The DNC did not give New Hampshire its primary, and it is not taking it away," New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch said.

Other than the fact that New Hampshire has traditionally been second in the nominating process, it never has been clear exactly why the Granite State should always hold such an early starting position. For starters, the demographics of predominantly white New Hampshire are hardly representative of the Democratic Party. Nevada, with its strong labor movement and its ethnic and racial diversity, much more resembles the Democratic Party.

Furthermore, Nevada is part of the West, one of the country's fastest-growing regions and a place where the Democrats must perform better if they expect to capture the White House again. New Hampshire also certainly can't lay claim to being a great barometer recently of picking each party's eventual nominee who goes on to win the White House: George Bush came in second to John McCain in 2000, and Bill Clinton finished second in 1992 to Paul Tsongas.

We believe New Hampshire still has an important role to play - it's just that the monopoly that it and Iowa have held on the early part of the nominating process should be broken. The Democratic National Committee's decision to have Nevada hold its caucus second in the nation - and before New Hampshire's primary - will bring the needed diversity long absent from the early stages of the presidential nominating process.

New Hampshire officials need to get over their snit and move on.