Tag: Primaries

The State’s Primaries Battles

The big news was that the progressive won in Michigan primary but there were other races in other states that did not get as much ink.

We have a little FYI…..breakdown of the races….

https://theweek.com/politics/democratic-primaries-wins-leftist-center

Meanwhile back to Michigan….it is fascinating because AIPAC spent a ba-zillion dollars to defeat El-Sayed and it failed spectacularly….but not to worry AIPAC and their cash will not go away in Michigan….The Democratic establishment squandered its remaining credibility kowtowing to AIPAC, the most powerful foreign lobby, widening the chasm between the Democratic base and its leadership. AIPAC funding and endorsements from Democratic leaders like Chuck Schumer and Gretchen Whitmer carried little weight in Democratic primaries.

AIPAC just spent $32 million trying to beat Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary—and lost. Now the pro-Israel lobbying giant is weighing a second, more unusual maneuver, by putting serious money behind Republican nominee Mike Rogers in the November general election. The tactic would mark a sharp break for an organization that has long cast itself as firmly bipartisan and only began direct election spending in 2022, the New York Times reports. El-Sayed defeated US Rep. Haley Stevens, who had AIPAC’s backing, in a close race on Tuesday.

AIPAC’s United Democracy Project super PAC has about $80 million in the bank, and allies expect “tens of millions” could flow into the Michigan race. AIPAC’s spokesperson said its members are determined to see voters reject El-Sayed, who has centered criticism of Israel in his campaign and pledged to cut off US aid. Rogers, by contrast, calls himself a strong backer of Israel. The group’s primary spending has drawn blowback, per the Times, with polling showing nearly half of Michigan Democrats view AIPAC unfavorably and strategists warning that heavy-handed intervention is backfiring in blue primaries. Still, some donors want AIPAC to “double down.” There are pro-Israel voices warning that siding with a Republican in a swing-state Senate race could further erode AIPAC’s standing with Democrats.

It is no secret that I do not like or trust AIPAC and their intentions….so to say I am pleased that they lost their cash puts a smile on my face.

I doubt that this was a major concern of the voter, their pro-Israel stance, the fact that their candidate lost is a good sign for the US….I just hope this becomes a trend and AIPAC looses all the political teeth.

Maybe now more people will see AIPAC for what it is…..a foreign agent that influences the voting here in the US.

The fun will be that a challenge for debates has been offered…..

After winning Michigan’s Democratic primary contest for US Senate, Abdul El-Sayed wasted no time on Wednesday, challenging the Republican nominee, former Congressman Mike Rogers, to five debates before the November general election.

“Mike,” El-Sayed said at a podium while speaking with reporters on Wednesday morning, “I know you’re gonna say no ‘cause you’re a coward: Five debates, all right?”

“If you’re willing to stand with me and have a conversation—you and I both know that you will wither in front of your own crimes. But Imma make sure Michiganders know about them,” he continued. “By the time we’re done, you are not gonna have safe quarter from people holding you accountable to what you’ve done for them here in Michigan. We will send you back to Florida where you belong.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/abdul-el-sayed-results

It will be fun to hear what excuses Rogers will offer to avoid the debate.

Does anyone think that Rogers is willing to put his MAGA leaning policies to the public in this forum….I say nope…..after all like most MAGA leaning people he is a coward.

Anything to add?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

It Is A Primary Win!

After all the money and mud slung at the progressive candidate the Michigan primary is a win for the progressive….cool!

Abdul El-Sayed has won Michigan’s Democratic nomination for US Senate, defeating US Rep. Haley Stevens in a massive victory for the party’s progressive wing in a battleground state. The real test of El-Sayed’s and progressives’ strength will now come in a November matchup against Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman who ran unopposed for the GOP nomination. The seat is pivotal to Democrats’ chances of flipping the Senate, and El-Sayed will face the challenge of uniting a divided Democratic base after a bruising primary. The race remained tight throughout Tuesday night, with a winner not declared until early Wednesday, reports the AP. In his final remarks at a primary night party before the race was called, El-Sayed said “tomorrow we begin to mend fences.” El-Sayed’s campaign said Stevens called to concede Wednesday.

El-Sayed’s win represents a significant shift for the Democratic Party; in 2018 he lost the gubernatorial primary to now-Gov. Gretchen Whitmer by 21 percentage points. El-Sayed, a former health official, campaigned on “Medicare for All,” halting military aid to Israel, and campaign finance reform. Now comes the more difficult challenge for Democrats: uniting the party to defeat Rogers, for whom Republicans have already reserved large sums of money ahead of the general election. Democrats consider the seat a must-win if they are to flip control of the Senate this year. Those stakes have added heat to the rivalry, with moderates arguing that El-Sayed would have a harder time than Stevens against a Republican in the general election.

While El-Sayed has said he is not a democratic socialist, he found support from some of the group’s members. That included Melat Kiros, who recently beat a longtime incumbent in a Democratic primary for a Denver-based House seat and was at El-Sayed’s watch party. Also there was Hasan Piker, a progressive and controversial influencer online. National groups poured unprecedented sums into the race, making it one of the country’s biggest tests of outside spending.

A great thing for Michigan in my opinion…..but do not get too excited just yet for he has to meet the GOP’s candidate and who knows what the spineless moderates will do come election time.

Somebody needs to track where the opposition money comes from and keep us peasants informed….and that will not be the MSM.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Dems Are Looking Confused

This past Tuesday in some primaries especially in NY mainstream Dems were handed their butts….

New York’s primary night delivered a jolt to the Democratic establishment—and a boost to the city’s left flank, the New York Times reports. Brad Lander, a former city comptroller, unseated incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman in a marquee House primary, attacking him from the left and zeroing in on his stance on Israel. In Brooklyn and Queens, state lawmaker Claire Valdez defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso for the seat being vacated by longtime Rep. Nydia Velázquez. And in upper Manhattan and the Bronx, community organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier beat incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat, the AP reports. That means New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani swept the primaries in which he logged endorsements: The Democratic Socialist backed Lander, Valdez, and Chevalier, using the primaries as a test of his growing influence and broader left-wing project.

More on the outcome from these primary wins from a blogger I follow, the Secular Jurist….

Democratic Party establishment rocked by socialist earthquake in New York

The old man of Dem strategists, Carville, is butt hurt that progressives are winning elections….

Longtime figure on the right Tucker Carlson no longer wants to be part of the Republican party because of how it’s changing. Now longtime figure on the left James Carville no longer wants to be part of the Democratic party for the same reason. On the podcast Politicon, Carville said it’s time to openly consider splitting the party after three progressive candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, won House primaries in solidly blue districts on Tuesday, reports Mediaite.

“Lady, I ain’t in the same party as you,” Carville said of union organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier, referencing her past comments that white people should not be in interracial relationships. “I’m sorry. I’m just not. And I actually do think it’s time for Democrats to talk the ‘s’ word: schism. I really do. Everybody’s always said, ‘No, no. We’re a coalition. We’re a big tent. And there’s just some s— I can’t be in the same tent with.” Avila Chevalier unseated Rep. Adriano Espaillat in Tuesday’s primary, while state Rep. Claire Valdez defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, and former New York City comptroller Brad Lander easily beat Rep. Dan Goldman.

“I’m done,” said Carville. “In not in that … political party.” He also referenced Israel, saying that he doesn’t want to be in a party “that denies the right of the state of Israel to exist.” In a separate appearance on NewsNation, Carville suggested the progressives form their own party. “All of these people hate Democrats,” he said. “Why do you want to run as a Democrat? Start your own movement. If it’s such a powerful, sweeping movement that’s got momentum everywhere, then go ahead and be at the head of it. Don’t use the Democratic Party to advance it.”

First of all Carville was never on the Left he has always been a centrist, a big dollar Dem…..second the best thing that could happen to the Dems is he takes a bow and shuts the fuck up….and he has been in Israel’s pocket for decades…time for him to fade away.

It looks like the DNC needs to realize what is happening and adjust their focus……but will they?

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jun/24/socialists-draft-aggressive-new-agenda-democratic-party/

You know the Right will be frothing at the mouth and will inevitably start their bullshit about socialists….personally I am glad to see some progressives getting into the fray with the DNC, a tired dinosaur that needs replacing.

Now if they can just keep up the pressure and win these  damned elections.

BTW, DSA is not a socialists organization….makes good propaganda to say they are socialists but that would be a lie and we know the the Right has mastered lying.

Not to worry I will be explaining the DSA once again so people can keep up and try to dispel the misinformation from the Far Right slugs.

Any thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

We Have Our Candidates!

Why am I not surprised?

It’s official after yesterday’s primaries the positions for presidential candidates has been filled.

There has not a lot of drama in the recent primaries….not a surprise at all….

First as expected Trump won big yesterday.

Donald Trump on Tuesday won enough delegates to clinch the Republican nomination for president for the third straight time, winning Republican primaries in Georgia, Mississippi, and Washington state, the AP reports. Before Tuesday’s votes, the president was 126 delegates short of the 1,215 needed. Hawaii’s Republican caucuses are also Tuesday and will finish at 2am Eastern. President Biden secured the Democratic nomination with a win in Georgia but the math was a little more complicated for Trump. From the AP:

  • In Georgia and Washington, a candidate can win all of a district’s delegates by winning a vote majority in that district. In Mississippi, a candidate can win all 12 district delegates by winning a statewide vote majority. In all three states, if a candidate doesn’t meet the required vote-majority threshold, the district delegates are allocated in proportion to the vote in that district. Hawaii allocates its six district delegates proportionally according to caucus results, regardless of whether a candidate receives a vote majority.
  • Georgia, Mississippi, and Washington account for 142 delegates. Trump needed to, and did, win all but five of them in order to clinch the nomination before Hawaii finished caucusing.
  • Nikki Haley, meanwhile, had as of this writing won 22% of the vote in Washington state and 13% in Georgia, despite having ended her presidential campaign.

Then there are those pesky Dem primaries with very little drama there as well….

President Biden, facing no serious opposition, clinched the Democratic nomination Tuesday with a victory in Georgia’s primary. The AP called the race for Biden soon after polls closed at 7pm Eastern. CBS News projects that the state’s delegates will give the president the 1,968 delegates needed to make him the presumptive nominee. Biden also won the primaries in Mississippi and Washington state later Tuesday. In a statement, Biden celebrated clinching the nomination and described Donald Trump, who secured the GOP nomination later Tuesday, as a threat to democracy.

Trump is “running a campaign of resentment, revenge, and retribution that threatens the very idea of America,” Biden said, per the AP. “I am honored that the broad coalition of voters representing the rich diversity of the Democratic Party across the country have put their faith in me once again to lead our party—and our country—in a moment when the threat Trump poses is greater than ever.” As of this writing, “uncommitted” had 7.5% of the Democratic vote in Washington state.

If these are the nominees then blow off the rest of the primary BS and go straight into the conventions and get this silliness done with as soon as possible.

One bit of good news….one of the Freedom Caucus will not be around in the next session of Congress.

Republican Rep. Ken Buck announced Tuesday that he’s leaving Congress at the end of next week, further narrowing the GOP’s slender House majority. Buck, a member of the hardline conservative House Freedom Caucus, said in November that he wouldn’t seek re-election in Colorado’s 4th District but the Tuesday announcement surprised colleagues including House Speaker Mike Johnson, the Washington Post reports. In recent months, Buck bucked his party on issues including efforts to impeach President Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

  • Narrowed majority. After Buck’s departure next week, there will be 218 Republicans and 213 Democrats in the House, with four vacancies, meaning that Johnson can only afford to lose two GOP votes in party-line votes if all members are present, the Hill reports.
  • Why he’s leaving early. “It is the worst year of the nine years and three months that I’ve been in Congress and having talked to former members, it’s the worst year in 40, 50 years to be in Congress,” he told CNN. “This place has just devolved into this bickering and nonsense and not really doing the job for the American people.”
  • Next steps. Buck, who has repeatedly criticized his party’s handling of Donald Trump, said the system of choosing candidates is “broken” and he hears from a lot of people who aren’t happy with Trump or President Biden. “I am going to find the right organization to join and I’m going to start working on that issue. We have to have better candidates up and down the ballot.”
  • Special election. A special election will be held to replace Buck for the rest of his term, but it’s not clear whether it will happen before the June 25 Republican primary, the AP reports. Rep. Lauren Boebert, who currently represents Colorado’s 3rd District, is among several candidates in the 4th District GOP primary.

I find it humorous his reason for leaving….the Freedom Caucus is one of the major thorns in democracy’s side….but somehow he cannot take the heat.

I will say good-bye to him with a smile.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

And The Winners Are….

Yesterday was Black Tuesday….oh my bad….Super Tuesday….I believe that 15 states or so held their presidential primaries and there were a few surp[rises….nothing to write home about but a surprise anyway….

The biggest day so far of the 2024 election is largely in the books, even if the suspense was lackluster. Donald Trump and President Biden racked up multiple Super Tuesday victories, while Nikki Haley has managed a single upset victory in Vermont. Biden was the victim of an upset himself—in American Samoa of all places. Still, he and Trump were on track to lock up their races later this month in terms of delegate counts. Democrats had 1,420 delegates at stake on Tuesday; Republicans, 854. How things were shaking out in the 15 states in play (as well as American Samoa):

  • Haley’s win: She upset Trump in Vermont by a slim margin, reports the AP. (She was up 50% to 46% with 95% of results in, per the New York Times.) But while the victory denied Trump a Super Tuesday sweep, it won’t change the trajectory of the GOP race given his enormous delegate lead. On Tuesday, the former president defeated her in other states with notable blocs of moderate voters such as Maine and Virginia.
  • Trump victories: The AP called him the winner in California, Texas, Alabama, Colorado, Maine, Oklahoma, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Massachusetts, and Minnesota.
  • Biden victories: The AP called him the winner in California, Texas, Alabama, Colorado, Maine, Oklahoma, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Vermont, Minnesota, Iowa, and Utah.
  • Biden’s loss: The president lost to a Democratic rival named Jason Palmer in the US territory of American Samoa. Republicans caucus later in the week, per ABC News.
  • Still outstanding: GOP-only caucus results in Alaska and Utah.

Haley’s cruising now.

There you are all the news in one fairly short post…..

The biggest surprise at least for me was the ‘uncommitted’ vote….

In at least seven states voting on Super Tuesday, President Biden’s main rival in Democratic primaries could be the same option that won two delegates in Michigan with more than 100,000 votes: “Uncommitted.” Organizers with the Listen to Michigan group that pushed for the protest vote in Michigan says the option could be a popular choice in Massachusetts and Minnesota on Tuesday, CBS News reports. Democratic ballots in Alabama, Colorado, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Vermont also have an “uncommitted” line or write-in slot, Axios reports.

  • Organizers are urging people to vote “uncommitted” to protest Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. “This will be another protest vote against Biden with the aim of stopping the war,” Jaylani Hussein, co-chair of the Abandon Biden movement in Minnesota, tells Reuters. Hussein says organizers hope the option will get at least 10,000 votes in the state.
  • Listen to Michigan says groups pushing for “uncommitted” votes are calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, along with more humanitarian aid from the US and an end to “unconditional weapons funding of Israel.” Vice President Kamala Harris called for a six-week ceasefire on Sunday, and while organizers said it didn’t go far enough, they welcomed the “tone shift, CBS reports.
  • It’s not clear how many “uncommitted” voters will also shun Biden in the general election. Massachusetts voter Aliza Hoover tells the AP that she voted “no preference” as a statement on Biden’s approach to Israel but her vote in November might be different. “I think a vote of no preference right now is a statement to make yourself a single-issue voter, and at the moment the fact that my tax dollars are funding a genocide does make me a single-issue voter,” the 29-year-old says. A Michigan exit poll from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, however, found that 40% of Muslim Americans plan to choose a third-party candidate in November.
  • Groups are also pushing for “uncommitted” votes in Democratic primaries in Georgia and Washington state next week. “Listen to Michigan was an inspiration to a lot of movements across the country,” Rami Al-Kabra, a city councilman in Bothell, Washington, tells the New York Times. “This is an antiwar effort. It was not our first choice, but we have to let President Biden know that our votes are not to be taken for granted.”

I guess I am an ‘uncommitted’ voter…..but my reason for saying that is I am not happy with either of the old men that will ultimately lead this country.

I hope this mini round-up of yesterday’s doings was sufficient enough to hold your interests.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Super Tuesday–Where’s The Hype?

Today is what has been called ‘Super Tuesday’ because many states , 15 to be exact, hold there presidential primaries. And in elections past it was a super big deal the media would have people on every street corner getting the news for our consumption….but this year the hype is just not there, at least from what I am seeing.

Since I am a political junkie let me be the hype for your consumption….

Another Super Tuesday is upon us. Fifteen states and one US territory vote on this, the biggest voting day of the 2024 presidential primary season, and while the overall picture of what’s to come is fairly predictable—President Biden and Donald Trump will continue what appears to be their inevitable march toward a rematch, most likely—there are still questions to be answered and insights to be gleaned. A look at the coverage surrounding Tuesday’s contests:

  • 3 questions the day might answer: That’s how USA Today frames its preview of Super Tuesday, and those questions are: Will Nikki Haley drop out if she fails to score any big wins? Will Trump start moving more toward the center if he does score a number of big wins, in a bid to court more moderates and independents in the general election? The third question looks away from the presidential primary to wonder who will advance in California Senate race, in which a number of big names are running for Dianne Feinstein’s old seat.
  • The day’s “storylines”: That’s one of the topics in CNN‘s preview, and, in addition to the question of what will become of Haley (which is raised in almost every outlet’s Super Tuesday preview), the other storyline mentioned is Biden’s “wake-up call” in Michigan, where he lost two delegates to “uncommitted,” the option more than 100,000 Democrat voters chose as a way of protesting Biden’s Israel policy.
  • Something else the day could offer: While much of the situation may seem predictable, the Hill points out that “the results could provide insights on [Biden’s and Trump’s] strengths and weaknesses in certain states and voting blocs as the two frontrunners hurtle toward the general election.”
  • Big-picture reading: NPR offers a look at some of the historical and big-picture context around Super Tuesday, and one of the points it makes is that since most delegates are awarded in a winner-take-all method, a frontrunner can gain an “insurmountable lead” on Super Tuesday.
  • The nitty-gritty: CBS News offers a rundown of all the voting hours state by state and how to watch coverage of the results. Regardless of how any of the candidates do, no one is likely to get enough delegates to clinch their party’s nomination until contests on March 12 or 19.

Is the lack of media interest due to the 2 candidates that have this thing all rolled up?

Or could it be that no one really gives a crap?

This is proves that this election is as boring as watching flies mate.

Whatever the reason you can always count on the Old Professor to try and get the news to you in a timely way.

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Mississippi Primaries.

Today is voting day in Mississippi….the primaries that is. It will be another sweltering day of 105+ temps so the turn out will probably be low and unimpressive.

One must vote straight ticket during the primaries…..if you like a certain candidate then you will vote for all in that party.

That brings me to one certain candidate but it pretty much sums up what most Repubs in this state are pushing in their campaigns…..he is running for Lt. Gov, Chris McDaniels (GOP).

I have written about the issues and the voters in Mississippi…..

Is Poverty A Political Choice?

Now armed with that information….this info is straight from the Daniels Campaign….

He Fought to secure our elections by pushing for a stronger voter ID law (meaning….make it harder for people of color to vote)

Led the challenge against Obamacare

Protected rights of our children to religious expression in schools (meaning….forced prayer)

Promoted school choice and parent’s rights in the classroom

Spearheaded legislation to protect children who have been sexually abused and kidnapped, increased sentences against anyone who has killed a minor (this sounds great and is needed but in the same bill was the usual diversion of bathrooms and squashing transgender rights)

Passed EVerify and introduced bills that would prohibit the creation of a sanctuary cities and federal and state benefits for undocumented workers (the last part is pure illusion….there are no undocumented workers getting any kind of state benefits)

Finally voted against any bill that he believed was wasting taxpayer money (you mean like everything above this line?)

Not one word on this flyer about jobs he created (very few) or the business that he helped come to Mississippi….basically he did little to help the economic picture of Mississippi.

Why would anyone vote for this clearly racist asshole?

There is more….his opponent is another Repub, Delbert Hoseman…..McDaniels accuses Delbert….

Being a secret Democrat

Did not support Trump

Supported Obamacare

Supported forced vaccinations

All in all sounds like Delbert might have been looking out for all Mississippians…but that is just a cursory observation….after all he is a Repub.

The sad situation in Mississippi will not change for these people will not alter their ignorance and neither will the voter.

This is what we get in Mississippi….manure spread by idiots.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

2020 Latest Abbreviated Primary

In these days of virus panic and we are still exercising our right to vote (while we still have it)…..3 more 2020 primaries were settled yesterday.

The MSM can be proud of their efforts to make the corporate stooge Biden the nominee…..Florida, Illinois and Arizona…..

Polls have closed in the three states that went ahead with their primaries Tuesday, and the result is another dominating night for Joe Biden. The former VP cemented his lead over Bernie Sanders in the delegate race by sweeping all three contests—Florida, Illinois, and Arizona, as called by the AP. Despite Ohio’s decision to postpone its own primary Tuesday, the night still has a large number of delegates at stake, 441, and margins of victory will be important. In incomplete results, Biden led 61% to 22% in Florida, 59% to 36% in Illinois, and 42% to 29% in Arizona. Tulsi Gabbard was registering at less than 1% in all three states. Florida was the biggest prize of the night, with 219 delegates up for grabs.

Generally speaking, missing poll workers, reshuffled voting locations, and a lack of disinfectant supplies made for a “chaotic” day of voting, notes the Washington Post. On Tuesday night, both candidates addressed the COVID-19 crisis. “You know, it’s in moments like these we realize we need to put politics aside and work together as Americans,” Biden said. “The coronavirus doesn’t care if you’re a Democrat or Republican.” Sanders, for his part, said “this is an unprecedented moment that will require an unprecedented amount of money,” via livestream from DC, per CNN. He estimated it would take “$2 trillion to prevent deaths, job losses and to avoid an economic catastrophe.”

The countdown to the convention has started and Biden is looking like the nominee….

Looks like another “hold your nose and vote” election.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

May We Call It A Mini Super Tuesday?

Yesterday the 2020 election moved to 6 other states……among which is Michigan….an almost must win for the nominee….

Without more editorializing let’s go to the result.

Bernie Sanders’ chances of winning the Democratic nomination just got much more difficult. The AP called all-important Michigan (125 delegates) for Joe Biden Tuesday night. Sanders won the state in 2016 in a stunning upset over Hillary Clinton, but he could not repeat the magic. He trailed Biden by 12 percentage points with more than half the results counted, per CNN. The former VP earlier won in Mississippi (36) and Missouri (68) by wide margins. Polls also have closed in North Dakota (14), Idaho (20) and Washington state (89), but those races have not been called.

The Washington Post reports that Biden has won the Idaho caucuses with around 49% of the vote. In 2016, Sanders defeated Hillary Clinton in Idaho with 78% of the vote. In Washington, which was also Sanders country in 2016, Biden and Sanders were in a “virtual tie” early Wednesday, with 32.7% for Sanders and 32.5% for Biden, with only 2,000 out of 1 million votes counted separating the candidates, reports the Seattle Times. In what may be his only win of the night, Sanders has a big lead in North Dakota’s caucuses, though the state’s 14 delegates may end up being split evenly between him and Biden.

Exit polls from the early states show that Biden got strong support from African-American voters, reports the Washington Post. Late deciders and older white voters also tended to go Biden’s way. Sanders won Washington state in 2016, and he had a decent chance of winning there again on Tuesday, per Politico. Still, the loss in battleground Michigan is seen as a serious blow to his chances of winning the nomination. A total of 352 delegates were up for grabs Tuesday, which means that nearly half of all delegates in the 2020 primary will have been awarded when the latest results are tallied.

Just one month into the election and we now have an idea who will be the Dem nominee (as if there was much doubt if you listen to the media form the last year)

And the election drags on.

Watch This Blog!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Primaries And Caucasus–Why?

This week will be a busy week…..the vote in Iowa, the impeachment trial and the State of the Union…..busy, busy, busy!

The 2020 election is on….let the sham begin!

This is #1 in a series that I will post on the process of picking a candidate and president….

It is finally here…..the 2020 campaign and primaries season….that political theater that does little but help the media make billions in ad dollars and the media has a way to drive the conversation and help pick the candidate.

Personally, I think the whole system needs to be put down the toilet where they belong.

This is no way to pick the nominee.

Let’s start at the top: Our system for choosing presidential nominees makes little sense. As Brookings Institution senior fellow Elaine Kamarck wrote recently, “There are many different ways to organize a presidential nominating system and almost all of them are more rational and orderly than the hodgepodge of systems that voters experience today.”

To start, Iowa and New Hampshire go first simply because they do, even though they are wildly unrepresentative of the nation as a whole. They’re smaller, way more white and way more rural, and, in the case of Iowa, more evangelical, with a side of bizarre special-interest politics in the form of the ethanol lobby. Yet they shake up the race, thinning the herd before most of the country has a chance to vote.

https://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2016-02-19/americas-primary-elections-are-broken

Really!  These primaries are worthless and boring….only the media loves them….below was from 2004….

If you’re Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe — who has reportedly told all the contenders that if they’re not winning by March 10, they need to drop out of the race — this is good news. The sooner Democrats agree on a nominee, the sooner they can prepare for the general election. It’s also not troubling if you’re a voter in New Hampshire or Iowa, because you will have helped select the party’s candidate.

But if you’re a voter in California, New York or any of the 10 states that vote in the “Super Tuesday” primaries March 2, it’s a different story. You’re going to have a very limited choice — many candidates will already have dropped out of the race, and the front-runner will probably have so many delegates and so much momentum that no one can catch up.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-feb-15-oe-panagopoulos15-story.html

I have rattled on for long enough….how many know exactly what the primary system is all about (a show of hands please)……

A little history is a good thing……these things are not provided for in the Constitution……but yet here they are…..

The presidential primaries are one of the most important elements of the American constitutional order. Given that general elections give voters just two starkly opposed choices, it’s largely through the primaries that nuance enters the political process. Parties define themselves by whom they select to run for president, and the ideological alignments that result end up defining the contours of political conflict.

And yet, despite primaries’ central role, nothing about them is laid out in the Constitution.

In fact, the framers didn’t envision American politics taking the form of two-party competition, so they gave no thought to how parties would select their candidates.

This, in turn, is part of what makes the primaries so fascinating. While the Constitution itself is incredibly difficult to change, party nominating rules and state laws are much more flexible.

https://www.vox.com/a/presidential-primaries-2016-republican-democrat/presidential-primaries-explained

Now you have the history…..now what I would rather see….

I would like t see the primary system abolished…it is only a beauty contest and a way for the media to rape dollars out of the system.  But if we must have them then go to regional primaries or better yet a National Primary.

The idea that candidates build name recognition in Iowa and New Hampshire and then slowly build momentum as the process moves on is a quaint one but largely mythological. Since Jimmy Carter in 1976, has any candidate emerged as a major party nominee who wasn’t an early front-runner and well-heeled? Certainly, the nominees in the past several cycles have all been early front runners.

A national primary in, say, March, with a run-off in, say, June, would be much preferable to the way we do it now. If a candidate got 50% of the vote, he’d be the nominee. If not, the top two candidates would run against one another for another six to eight weeks.

That would force everyone to engage in retail politics on the issues rather than hanging around Merrimack Restaurant with the locals. And it would virtually guarantee substantive campaigning would continue into the early summer since only shoo-ins such as sitting presidents would likely capture a majority in a multi-candidate race.

YouGov’s latest research shows that most Americans (54%) think that presidential campaigns are too long and drawn out. Only 23% of Americans say that they prefer a long campaign which gives them a better chance of getting to know the candidates.

Currently the primary and caucus season stretches out over months, with the first Iowa caucuses scheduled to take place in January 2016. This has been criticized for giving small states such as Iowa and New Hampshire undue influence as well as prolonging the already lengthy presidential election campaign. Most Americans (54%) want the primaries to all take place on the same day in May or early June. Only 22% of Americans want the current system to continue.

A single national primary day is particularly popular in the Northeast, where 64% of people want to consolidate all the days. The midwest has the highest proportion of people (25%) wanting to continue with the current system where primaries and caucuses are spread out over several months…….https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/articles-reports/2015/03/05/primaries

I made my thoughts known….anyone else feel like they have a better thought or opinion…if so please jump in here…..

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”