RNC Announces Major Changes to Presidential Primary Process

Say that three times fast. As our friends from "The Fix" explain:

The Republican National Committee voted on Friday to drastically compress its presidential nomination process in hopes of avoiding a drawn-out and expensive fight that weakens the GOP's eventual standard-bearer in 2016.  The changes include protecting the rights of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada to early votes  in February and making it far more punitive for other states — Florida, we are looking at you — to move up their primaries. The party's national convention will also move from late summer/early fall to no later than the end of July.

The moves were the brainchild of RNC commitee Chair Reince Prieubus, but will it ultimately be a good thing for Republicans? As "The Fix" notes, the Primary changes could end up forcing a candidate upon the GOP that might not be their best option in a General Election (like that's new):

Whether or not that was the right move — a compressed calendar puts a premium on momentum and makes it hard to stop a candidate with momentum even if it's not the candidate the establishment wants — remains to be seen, but Priebus has now left a major mark on how the party will pick its next presidential nominee. It may wind up being his lasting legacy at the head of the party.

What say you, Polsters? Is this good or bad for Republican hopes of winning the White House in 2016?

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Changes to Realtor®.com - Am I getting closer???

Real Estate agents would not be as far as they have gotten without such a powerful ally as the National Association of Realtors. They have such a powerful lobby, I suppose sometimes it's easy to ...

Real Estate agents would not be as far as they have gotten without such a powerful ally as the National Association of Realtors. They have such a powerful lobby, I suppose sometimes it's easy to forget the original purpose. To protect the clients that use their members, above and beyond any other trade org could and would. Through sharing and collaboration, keeping the real estate seller and buyer safe from harm. Some members of the Realtor Trade organization don't agree with changes of late, here are a few that I have taken from Google, Twitter and Linkedin. Be safe and thanks for sharing and commenting for sure...

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Big Line Updates: Buck Changes Senate, AG Lines

We've updated The Big Line to reflect Ken Buck's entry into the U.S. Senate race.

Buck is the early favorite to capture the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate, but we still have Sen. Mark Udall as a heavy favorite to win re-election. The biggest impact of Buck's candidacy is on the Republican side, where Owen Hill and Amy Stephens have some decisions to make. This is an entirely different race for Hill, who a week ago had little to lose politically so long as he didn't make a fool of himself in a race no-one would expect him to win (we don't consider Randy Baumgardner a serious obstacle for, well, anyone). Does Hill keep running and risk a drubbing in a Primary? Probably not.

As for Stephens, if she was serious about running for Senate she probably waited too long. We first reported back in June that Stephens was being recruited by some to run in 2014, but she really need to jump into the race before Buck in order to coalesce the support she would need to win a Primary. It's quite possible that Stephens could have done enough to keep Buck from running if she had moved quicker. If she still intends to run, the clock is ticking fast — she can't let Buck get even a few weeks' head start in fundraising.

Buck's decision should also finally end Bob Beauprez's sad flirtation with running for Senate. Beauprez really, really, really wanted to run for Senate, and Republicans really, really, really had no interest in supporting him.

Things are also clarified a bit on the GOP side for Attorney General, where Cynthia Coffman and Mark Waller are now free to battle it out for the Republican nomination.

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