EagleTribune.com : Blogs : The Soapbox

With the Republican caucuses in Iowa now scheduled for Jan. 3, speculation is increasing that New Hampshire might seek a jump on everyone by scheduling its first-in-the-nation primary for December.
Secretary of State William Gardner has yet to announce his intentions, but Republicans and Democrats, including Gov. John Lynch, have said they will abide by his decision.
At this point we suspect many voters would just as soon have the campaigning over with. But someone has to declare an end to this madness.
With more than a year to go before the presidential election, people are already tuning out the incessant debates. And there’s likely to be such a huge gap between the time the party’s nominees are known early next year and November’s election, that going to the polls will seem anticlimactic.
It’s too late for this cycle, but here’s hoping the parties and election officials will go back to a traditional election-year timetable in 2012.