Article snippet: This week, a bill in front of the New Hampshire Legislature to create a commission on how to best protect the state’s prized presidential primary received significant pushback. The bill once had the backing of nearly everyone from the most progressive to the most conservative of members, but Secretary of State Bill Gardner read it as micromanaging his ability to fend off other states who might want to schedule their primaries ahead of the Granite State’s. After that, a prominent conservative dropped his support. It’s unclear what will happen going forward. But in 2019, Gardner’s focus on being first, shared by much of the state’s political establishment, is misplaced. The threat this time is cable news. No one doubts Gardner’s sincerity about his role as the keeper of the first-in-the-nation presidential primary. No one doubts that Iowa or New Hampshire are sincere when they say that their system of forcing US senators and governors and business moguls to take time to talk to regular people is a wonderful counter against a political system driven by big money and branding. Being first for a century, as New Hampshire has been, sounds good. It’s the clout every four years that matters and that makes other states jealous. In the past, states have jockeyed for that influence, and it was easy for Gardner and the state’s leaders to spot and outmaneuver. Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Gary Hart, Pat Buchanan, John McCain, Bill Bradley, and Howard Dean, and a slew of candi... Link to the full article to read more