Anuzis-Dingell: The Future Of The Primaries?

Two political stalwarts, one Republican and one Democrat, both frustrated with the primary system as it stands, are tag-teaming the national parties this week with a plan to create a series of regional primaries ahead of the 2012.

Saul Anuzis is the chair of the Michigan Republican Party. Debbie Dingell is a Democratic National Committee member from Michigan and the spouse of Rep. John Dingell.

Their plan:

"....would divide up states into six regions. There would be six sub-regions set up in each region, designating a representative cross section of America. The national parties would then set six distinct dates for when contests would be held. A lottery would determine the dates each designated sub-region could hold a presidential primary or caucus and no one region could be selected to go first for two consecutive presidential cycles, eliminating incentives for states to break the rules."

Both Anuzis and Dingell will present the plan to their respective parties this week. Dingell's plan faces opposition off the bat and will rub some in the party the wrong way. But there is bound to be some sort of rules committee fracas over the calendar at the Democratic national convention, and the Anuzis-Dingell proposal might be seen as a launching pad for more discussion.

Anuzis's success or failure may well be determined by whether the next GOP nominee and his designated RNC chair are keen on the plan.