Yet another reason to dislike the politics of campaign season

The definition of ‘season’ has been blurred and re-defined out of all historical (or meaningful) proportion. The Chicago Tribune editors expressed voters’ frustration with the whole process.

It’s about changing the rules for the state primaries, over and over again.

But — this is the truly aggravating part — nobody believes that any state’s delegation, of either party, will be punished for this game of primary leapfrog. Here’s why:

*If the Democratic and Republican nominees are set before convention time, those nominees will demand that every delegation be seated in full to avoid potential losses on Election Day. Florida, Michigan — these are tossup states where presidencies are won or Gored.

*If either party’s nomination is still in play, disenfranchising delegates from the rogue states would raise even more howls. Not seating this or that state could swing the nomination. General election voters in the aggrieved states might retaliate by defeating the party’s candidate.

Following this? Maybe we’re not intended to.

*Count on some judge, somewhere, to interpret all those party rules as entitling every delegation to wear silly hats and sound air horns. Florida Democrats already have filed suit to thwart punishment from their national party.

Both national parties are to blame for this mess. They have allowed state parties (and the legislatures they influence) to seize control of the calendar — with no real consequences for states that insist on butting ahead in line.

The two parties are just as powerless as they appear.

And the voters? Who cares about voters?

Really…