Many people have questioned the role that early caucus and primary states play in the political process, suggesting they are not representative of the country as a whole. This is especially true in a place such as New Hampshire, which not only insists on having the first primary in the nation, but also demands that no one hold an election within seven days.
Why? So the rest of us can ponder the great and wondrous meaning of the New Hampshire results. That’s why I’ve been giving readers a little chunk of wisdom each day, in what I like to call the Seven Holy Days of Reflection. Today’s thought: New Hampshire is extremely white, and I’m not just talking about snow.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, New Hampshire’s population (1.3 million total, less than the number of people who live here in Las Vegas) is 93.9 percent white, with just 1.1 percent black, 2.2 percent Asian and 2.8 percent Latino.
Now, surely this is not representative of America. (Nevada, by contrast, is 66.2 percent white, with 26.5 percent Latino, 8.1 percent black and 7.2 percent Asian.)
Of course, racial patterns don’t necessarily mean different outcomes at the polls. Mitt Romney, the winner of the New Hampshire primary this week, is also favored in Nevada, although for different reasons. (He’s popular here with members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who turn out in enviable numbers to vote.) So despite our ethnic and racial diversity, Nevada’s caucus results would probably have been very similar to New Hampshire’s, if our contest had been held tomorrow, as originally scheduled.
Alas, it wasn’t. We were screwed out of it by New Hampshire, which stubbornly demanded its Seven Holy Days of Reflection.
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TheY do have great views from the top of Mount Washington, however.
Climbed that mountain when I was in middle school. Some would call it jr. high.
I can attest to those views.
I also do not care about NH primaries or any others. In NV a registered independent does not get to vote in any party primaries. In some other states independents do get to place votes in any parties primary. I like NV, independents like me should stay out of party politics. We then get to tip the scales in the general elections. We are the ones the parties fear and court.