Can you hear the fingers drumming impatiently?

The man in charge of the New Hampshire primary calendar says he's still not ready to set the date for the first-in-the-nation primary.  So what's holding up Secretary of State William Gardner?

Michigan.

Democrats and Republicans there tried to jump the line of the sanctioned primaries, setting it for Jan. 15, and Democrats say they'll stick with it even though most of the party's candidates aren't running and the Democratic National Committee has taken the state party to the woodshed.  The Republican National Committee has also moved against the state party, trying to strip the state of some of its convention delegates.

A Michigan court ruled last week that the law used to set the Michigan date is unconstitutional, but the decision is being appealed -- there's a hearing today, with a possible ruling by the weekend.

Why does any of this matter in New Hampshire?  Because Gardner is required by New Hampshire law to set the date for that state's primary at least a week ahead of any other state (see 653:9).

As goes Michigan, so goes New Hampshire.

-- Scott Martelle