Which State, If Not Iowa?

#266: Getting To Know The Candidates
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On this Presidents' Day 2020 let's examine primary season alternatives (Which states go first?, What role do dollar$ have in our elections?, and What about the debates?).  To do this, we'll quote a recent article: How To Fix Democrats' Busted Primary.  First, Andy Kroll's proposed remedies (in Rolling Stone), in black, then my reaction, in green.

Replace Iowa with Georgia
....Two-dozen presidential candidates building grassroots organizations and spending tens of millions of dollars on advertising [in 2024] will do wonders in Georgia.

Use my Neighborhood Forums idea, which provides candidates with voter feedback, debate experience, and media savvy, while also giving voters a close-up look at candidates, and a chance to winnow the field with non-binding voting.  This in-person interaction substitutes for Iowa and New Hampshire, and thus allows the Democratic Party to choose the first states based on factors other than intimate size.  So, Georgia, or even Illinois--the nation's most representative state (when income, education, race, religion, etc. are compared).

Get rid of the debates
....Candidates don’t have enough time to adequately explain their positions.... News organization... hosts...care more about conflict.... And in...2020, the DNC’s debate rules penalized grassroots candidates [and those] who didn’t have high name recognition. Save the debates until the general election. Stick with town halls or issue-focused forums....

Town halls usually involve a single candidate.  Issue forums usually feature stale talking points.  Debates are as close as we get to honest, real time reactions.  And, debaters, with practice, get better and better at it, while incumbent presidents, along with any candidate lacking prior debate experience, will invariably stumble badly, when first entering the ring.

Reward states that make it easy to vote
....Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina — three of the four opening contests in 2020 — all have some of the most restrictive voting-rights laws in the country. ...Reward the states that use automatic or same-day registration, secure voting technology, early voting, and mail-in ballots.

This would be a good excuse to award 'first-in-the-nation' status to different states in 2024.

Demand candidates take a ‘Ban the Big Money’ pledge
....Democrats should demand that...primary candidates vow...to not... take money from Super PACs, use wealthy bundlers, or accept corporate money. Such a pledge would build trust with voters, give upstart candidates a fair shot, and make the Democratic Party responsive to...working people.

Using my Neighborhood Forums idea, this would work, since all viable candidates would receive exposure, and gain followers/resources, before the first primary.  The general election would, of course, have to be different, unless all parties agree to limit the role of money.

[Discard the "turning out the base" versus "winning over swing voters" false choice]
...it will take a multiracial movement like the one that elected Obama in 2008 to inspire Democrats and independent voters alike.

The trick to effecting this is a sunny disposition, coupled with honest effort.  Obama had them.

So, overall, I agree with all but one suggestion (the value of debates), and am neutral on another (base versus swing voters).