Who is in charge, anyway?

Three primary candidates are pulling out of the Michigan primary. The reason is interesting: it's to punish Michigan for moving its primary to a date earlier than the Party wants. Story here. Note that both Michigan and Florida are being threatened with punishment by the Party by having their delegates stripped from the Party convention.

While the ever-earlier campaigning is annoying, and the mad rush of states to be earlier and earlier is silly*, I have no sympathy for the Party here. Nor would I for the other Party, or another other. Political parties do not get to dictate what states do. State government does that. If a Party wants to control what a state does, let it get its candidates elected into that state government, ideally with the platform stated up front and in the open.

Note that other candidates have not said that they are pulling out. That's interesting, and somewhat suspicious. Do these other candidates figure that if they need the votes from Florida and Michigan they'll finagle some deal? Some deal that those who toed the Party line won't be able to make?

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* There is at least one state that I wish would move its primary a bit earlier: Minnesota. Why even bother with it when the primary is after all the party conventions?