Why American politics are so complicated?

Discussion in 'Discussion Group' started by GlobeBiz, Apr 10, 2008.

  1. GlobeBiz

    GlobeBiz Well-Known Member

    Can anyone explain to me what is super delegate? and what is pledge delegate? Why don't they use the popular votes? Whoever won more votes win. It's simple and clear and democratic.
     
  2. KDsGrandma

    KDsGrandma Well-Known Member

    The process that is going on now is the selection process for each party to pick its nominee for the general election. The Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Greens, and any other party that wants to run a candidate in the general election, first has to decide what candidate they want to run on their ticket. Most parties have a big convention where they nominate a candidate for president and vice president, and decide on their party platform that the candidates will run on. Each state will send a certain number of delegates to the convention. This is a very long process (and getting longer every year, it seems).

    Each party makes its own rules about how they pick their nominee. Then states still have some options within those rules - some states will have a primary election, some will have a caucus; they may have "open" or "closed" primaries. In NC we have open primaries to the extent that unaffiliated voters can take either a Democratic or Republican ballot, but voters registered with a party preference can only vote in their own party primary. When you vote for "President" in the primary, you are really voting for delegates who are pledged to that candidate. Those are the pledged delegates, and the actual pledged delegates will be selected at the state convention, based on the results of the primary.

    At some point, the Democratic party decided they wanted to give Democrats in elected office a say in the nominating process. So they made certain elected officials automatic delegates by virtue of their position. That includes all the Democratic members of Congress, both houses; every elected Democratic governor; the President, if he's a Democrat, and all past Democratic Presidents; and members of the Democratic National Committee. And I'm sure I'm leaving out some. Anyway, those are the "super delegates" or "automatic delegates" and they are called that because they do not have to be elected as delegates at their state convention, and they are not pledged to a candidate, they can vote however they see fit. They still only have one vote each, just like the pledged delegates.


    I hope this has answered some of your questions. I didn't want to make this so long nobody would want to read it! ;)
     
  3. Clif

    Clif Guest

    Where are you from? And who the 7734 are you to question our political system?
     
  4. harleygirl

    harleygirl Well-Known Member


    :lol:
    Sometimes, you just make me LOL. :mrgreen:
     
  5. sus

    sus Well-Known Member

    Ok i just figured out what 7734 was...... little slow i know
     
  6. peaches

    peaches Well-Known Member

    Keep up, Altoona! :lol:
     
  7. Karmol

    Karmol Well-Known Member

    Thank you for the info KD...this explained some for me!!
     
  8. sus

    sus Well-Known Member

    lol in altoona we would just say HE double toothpicks LOLOLO
     
  9. KDsGrandma

    KDsGrandma Well-Known Member

    YW! Glad somebody got something out of it! :)
     
  10. sus

    sus Well-Known Member

    KDS Im still reading:D
     
  11. KDsGrandma

    KDsGrandma Well-Known Member

    In New England, it would be H-E-double hockeysticks. :jester:
     
  12. sus

    sus Well-Known Member


    LOLOl that it would.
     
  13. RealityCheck

    RealityCheck Well-Known Member

    Maybe because our form of government is a republic and not a democracy.
     

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