The Great Primary Calendar re-shuffle Megathread

[Landslide Lyndon]

If Mr. Morden considers it more appropriate, I have no problem with him merging this thread with the pinned one about the primary calendar.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0311/SC_Republicans_escalate_calendar_feud.html?showall

South Carolina Republican Party Chair Karen Floyd today brought into the open the simmering tensions between the traditional early states and the others -- particularly Florida -- jockeying to break into the primary calendar.
Floyd's demand: If Florida won't step aside, the RNC should move its convention out of the state.

She writes to fellow RNC members:

...

Simply put, if Florida does not respect the process by which our primary calendar was set, the RNC should not be bound to the process by which the convention site was selected.

If Florida refuses to move its primary date into compliance with RNC rules, I am respectfully requesting that the Committee convene a special task force to select a new site for the 2012 Convention outside the state of Florida...

...

It is, in other words, on.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Maryland officially moves to April 3:

http://frontloading.blogspot.com/2011/05/maryland-presidential-primary-to-april.html

Missouri is the one to watch right now.  The legislature adjourns for the year on Friday, and the primary is still scheduled for Feb. 7.  The House has passed several bills that would move the primary to a later date, but the Senate won't pass them.  The GOP actually controls both houses of the legislature.

Why this discord between the houses?

[Landslide Lyndon]

At least the prospect of everyone celebrating Christmas at Iowa is now extremely remote.

[Landslide Lyndon]

The 11-day gap between NH and SC will also be VERY interesting. Especially if we take under consideration the latter's reputation for dirty campaigning.