The Democrats are getting tough. Watch out, Republicans -- er, Democrats!

A change recommended Friday by the party's rules and bylaws committee would deny national convention delegates to any presidential candidate who campaigns in a state that leapfrogs its primary over others.

The tough stance is part of a proposed overhaul of party rules to change the decades-long tradition of keeping Iowa and New Hampshire at the starting gate of presidential nomination voting. The new party plan would insert Nevada between the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary and give South Carolina greater influence by scheduling its primary a week after New Hampshire.

In other words, if the country doesn't obey the Democratic National Committee, then Democratic candidates for president will be forced to restrict their campaigns only to states that do obey the DNC.

That strikes me as ridiculous.

Sure, the primary system is rather ridiculous, what with its drawn out timetables and arcane rules, and the general elections aren't any better, what with the mysterious "black boxes" that are called voting machines to the mess the Electoral College.

Yet I have to wonder at the DNC's priorities here. While they've been largely silent about the rampant election fraud throughout the country, they claim to be reforming the primary system through these strongarm tactics that do little but increase the animosity between the Beltway big shots and the local parties that find all the people, do all the work, get out the vote and get kicked in the teeth for their efforts.

The culture of DC's Democratic Party is way way out of touch, too eager to play the game of power plays while treating the voters with patronizing rhetoric and little else.

Is it any wonder that the Democrats have joined the Republicans in the cellar of the polls?

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