Thirty-two years ago, an Oklahoma senator named Fred Harris ran for a second time in the Democratic primaries, offering himself as a liberal-left alternative to Jimmy Carter, the eventual winner. He ran on a message of economic populism, which is the theme of this day, on the verge of the primary in economically-battered Wisconsin.
Harris these days is a super-delegate in the Obama camp and a professor in New Mexico. A couple of months ago he bemoaned the changes in the primary process that was supposed to end Feb. 5 -- a process that did seem to favor better-financed players as he described. But the Super Tuesday firewall has since burned, and now we are in the uncharted waters of a tough race. For an excerpt of Harris' December interview, with the Center for Public Integrity, hit the 'continue' bar and the full text is here. It is worth relating if only because he once played something akin to the John Edwards role.
Dan Janison
"The haphazard sort of system that grew up somehow worked. And you could run in Iowa, and sort of like running for governor of a state, one county at a time. And in the process of becoming well known in the county race, you had become well-known in the state at the same time. And if you did well in the first county, you could raise enough money to go on to some more."
"I am really very disturbed about what’s happening now. This thing is going to be over by February 5. And that greatly favors those who are already very well-known and very well-financed. And furthermore, I think there is something pretty good about a process that lasts over a period of time. I know the media likes to write 'Well, it’s too long of a campaign, and people are tired of it,' and all that."
"I think what’s better about a longer process — and I am talking about once the actual voting starts until the convention, or until we know what the decision is — the longer the better in a way. It seems to me there is a real contest, because it gives everybody — the press and everybody else — a chance to really look these candidates over and find out a great deal about them long before we ever get to the general election, weeding out those people who have some kind of serious deficiency. So I am worried about what’s happening. And we are going to have to give a lot more thought to this in the future."