Spring Break
California: Here they come
Mandie Mohsenzadegan
Issue date: 1/23/08 Section: News
What is a primary? Is it the same as a caucus?
A primary is an election, so anybody who is registered to vote can go and participate.
• Usually, you have to be a registered Democrat to participate in the Democratic primary or a registered Republican to participate in the Republican primary.
• In California, if you haven't registered with either party, you can opt to vote in the Democratic primary but not the Republican primary.
• So Democrats will be getting some independent voters and some non-party voters, which will probably help a candidate like Barack Obama, who appeals to independent voters.
• In California, McCain will be penalized by that because independent voters can't vote in the Republican primary, and he's usually popular with independents.
A caucus is a meeting at which the members of the party go and talk to each other, and they determine right there how they want their delegates to be allocated.
• Usually participation is much higher in a primary because it's an election. It's all day. You go and vote. It's quick. You can do it by mail if you're an absentee voter.
• But a caucus you have to physically go to the meeting at the specified time. So, maybe at the most, one-tenth of the potential elector participates in a caucus system.
What does it mean to win a state, and if a candidate gets second, what does it mean to their campaign?
What all this means is you get a lot of media attention. Why is that good? Voters in other places notice, and campaign contributors notice.
• Barack Obama got a huge influx of money after he won Iowa; and after New Hampshire, both Clinton and Obama are getting over $1 million a day in contributions, usually online, in fairly small amounts - $50, $100, $250.
• Eventually if you're not winning, you're losing … like Dennis Kucinich didn't get invited to the last debate because he's too far out in the Democratic field, and they want people who have a reasonable chance of winning. So that's the first thing winning means.
A primary is an election, so anybody who is registered to vote can go and participate.
• Usually, you have to be a registered Democrat to participate in the Democratic primary or a registered Republican to participate in the Republican primary.
• In California, if you haven't registered with either party, you can opt to vote in the Democratic primary but not the Republican primary.
• So Democrats will be getting some independent voters and some non-party voters, which will probably help a candidate like Barack Obama, who appeals to independent voters.
• In California, McCain will be penalized by that because independent voters can't vote in the Republican primary, and he's usually popular with independents.
A caucus is a meeting at which the members of the party go and talk to each other, and they determine right there how they want their delegates to be allocated.
• Usually participation is much higher in a primary because it's an election. It's all day. You go and vote. It's quick. You can do it by mail if you're an absentee voter.
• But a caucus you have to physically go to the meeting at the specified time. So, maybe at the most, one-tenth of the potential elector participates in a caucus system.
What does it mean to win a state, and if a candidate gets second, what does it mean to their campaign?
What all this means is you get a lot of media attention. Why is that good? Voters in other places notice, and campaign contributors notice.
• Barack Obama got a huge influx of money after he won Iowa; and after New Hampshire, both Clinton and Obama are getting over $1 million a day in contributions, usually online, in fairly small amounts - $50, $100, $250.
• Eventually if you're not winning, you're losing … like Dennis Kucinich didn't get invited to the last debate because he's too far out in the Democratic field, and they want people who have a reasonable chance of winning. So that's the first thing winning means.
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Hispanic4Obama
posted 1/23/08 @ 1:33 AM PST
I think those who accuse Hilary of crying crocodile tears are wrong. What baffles me is why her supporters consider her crying words, "I have so many opportunities from this country. (Continued…)
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