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This was my first primary I’ve voted in. I thought I was really into the 2004 election, but I didn’t even know of the primaries when it happened. I still don’t really understand the delegates and the super delegates and what all of that exactly means; heck, I just learned what a caucus was last month.
Getting There: I woke up at around 8 or so, and got in the car to go to the school next door. I thought I would be home pretty quick because I didn’t even have to leave the neighborhood. First off, it took 3 times as longer to just turn out of my complex because of the traffic on the road. When I finally got out, I pulled into the school around the corner, and there was a line of cars and buses backed up to the road. I decided to pull out of line and park on the road at the side of the school to bypass the line of traffic, but when I pulled up, there were kids everywhere, and crossing guards and parents and I decided it might seem creepy, me walking out of the neighborhood following the kids into their school. Then I decided to go back to the main entrance. I got to the parking area, and the road forked, but the fork was one way, and it wasn’t my way.....actually it said Do Not Enter. I looked at the line of cars and buses, I looked at the empty spot right behind the Do Not Enter sign and then back at the line of cars and buses, and made a decision. 10 second later, I got out of my car, which was parked behind the Do Not Enter Sign. I looked at the line of cars and buses again, but this time, I wasn’t in the line.
Getting Inside: The past couple of days, I was wondering whether or not the schools would close today because of the primaries. They usually do during the November elections, and I figured they would today. My question was answered very quickly when I saw the school buses and hordes of little with bright colors loudly walking into school. As I was walking into the school, my goal was not to get swallowed up by the cattle of children walking towards the door at the same time as me. Of course I have to catch a bus unloading right as it was happening. So I stand there and let the kids though, feeling pretty much like a creepy old man. Who stands out front of a school at 8:15 in the morning? As I got to the door I opened it and a few stragglers made their way inside. One girl looked at me with this odd questioning look, and then didn’t even say thank you. I wanted to do the thing I do at Wawa when I say You're Welcome to people who don’t say thank you when I hold the door, but she was just a kid, and again, I’m trying to stay least creepy as possible. I finally make it in the building and get stuck behind these slow children, and then there was a couple administrators standing in the hallway directing children and saying good morning to them. I tried to make eye contact with them as to say good morning, and as to not seem like a creepy man walking into an elementary school. After all that, I finally see the sign for 'Polling Place' and walk in and am relieved at the site of adults, and voting booths.
Actually Voting: I finally made it. There were three tables to choose from with old ladies behind them. There was no indication as to which table I should go to, so I went to the first one. The nice old took my license and looked, looked again, and looked somewhere else, and looked at my license again and told me my neighborhood is at the other table. So I went to the next table of nice old ladies and gave my license. The lady looked at my license and said Mr. Z like 3 times, and handed it to the old lady next to her and said Mr. Z. Then she attempted to pronounce my last name, which was unsuccessful. I pronounced it for her and she told me how beautiful my last name was and tried to say it herself. She told the lady next to her how it was pronounced and she also found the beauty of it. The second old lady asked me if my family owned a bakery and I said I wasn’t sure. She told me it was on Lincoln Street (wherever that is), but then she told me it was when she was a little girl, like 60 years ago. I proceeded to be affable and tell her the old line 'well with that last name, we have to be related!' (just imagine me with a thumbs up and a wink). The third old lady found my card and told me there was someone else on the list from my last name, so I had to confirm it was my uncle. So I signed my card, and finally went behind the blue curtain and voted. It was nothing magical, I didn’t feel a volt of hope/electricity run through me, no religious experience, but I’m glad I did, and I hope you did too. Polling places are open until 8pm, so do it......vote.
Delegates are apportioned to the states based on population, and in some cases party turnout from the most recent election(s). Some are pledged on the basis of congressional district, and some are given out to state winners. Some states also do winner-take-all in alloting their delegates. At the first round of the convention, they are pledged to vote the way their respective districts went in the primary.
Superdelegates are more of an issue on the Democratic side because of the way they do their convention/nominating. They are House Reps, Senators, Governors and other state-level officials - the party establishment, if you will. They are not pledged to vote in any particular way at the convention.
If the Hillary-Obama race is narrow enough electorally, the superdelegates might wind up casting the deciding votes at the Dems' convention. Hope that clears it up.
Post by koyaanisqatsi on Feb 5, 2008 16:09:00 GMT -5
Delegate count notwithstanding, the extended primary season predominantly demonstrates longevity in the form of financing. It is outrightly unfair in terms of momentum given by winning early. It's a case similar to the news media broadcasting results in eastern states having a demonstrable effect in the west during a general presidential election.
In addition, it takes away from the favorite son advantage that politicians from the early primary states enjoy. Not that a democrat can be expected to carry his/her home state in a general in recent history !
Perhaps, for example, it wouldn't have been so easy for MSNBC to exclude Kucinich from their debate, had Ohio been one of the early voting states.(not that polls would support this necessarily, but rather for the sake of pure theory).
I went to lunch with my Grandma (who is nearly 83) and discussed politics. We talked about the economy and she told me she fears that I'll see another depression in my lifetime. We talked about how much different "war" is for my generation than it was for hers. WWII affected every aspect of people's lives. Every day the name of someone you knew was in the paper- killed in the war. It's not like that now. We barely know there is a war. We can still buy however much flour we want... new tires... nylon stockings... all things they had to do without. My generation has never had to go without anything. I don't know many people who could plant a victory garden if they had too. We talked about how important this election is. She said that she will not be around much longer to see the future, but she thinks things are going to get much worse for us. Scary words from an intelligent informed old woman. She's the most open-minded person in my family. I just love her to death.
After that extremely stimulating conversation... I went to the polls feeling the weight of this election on my shoulders. I had to drive across town to vote because I haven't updated my voter's card. I walked through the rain. There was no line. I asked for a Democratic ballot. I filled in the little black circles with great reverence and thoughts of my future. I claimed my "I Voted" sticker and left the polling place.
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