The anomalous primary

According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, 19,639 new voters signed up in the period between March 10 and 17, the latest statewide data available. Of those, 14,256 registered as Democrats.

Also, 29,060 people changed their party affiliation to Democrat in just those seven days.

(The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Rush Limbaugh's "Operation Chaos" in action? Who knows? But the Inquirer editors dropped a hint that they suspect as much by titling the story "Rush to register at Pa. deadline."
I tip my hat to them. Nice touch.

Though the impact of Limbaugh on this statistical phenomenon remains uncertain for the moment, the political craze in Pennsylvania highlights an unusual primary season in which the late-voting states carry disproportionate weight. During most past primary seasons the state's primary is perfunctory, occurring after both parties' candidates have effectively sewn up the respective nominations.

The situation gets a golden touch of irony from the fact that 2008 saw a number of significant attempts by states to move up in the primary order to increase their influence. While those states may have ended up with less influence on this year's primary as a result of their jockeying for position, their actions may eventually prove helpful in forcing both parties to revise an arcane primary system that treats some states more fairly than others.

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