Doug Kerr
Well-known member
The process by which the candidates of the two major US political parties are chosen is nightmarish.
Of course the actual selection of those two candidates will be made at the national conventions of the respective parties, to be held this coming July. There, a vote of a majority of the delegates serves to produce the candidate. It no contender attains that majority on the first round of balloting, there is then a period of "wheeling and dealing" among the delegates to the convention, followed by another round of balloting. And so on and so forth.
For the Democratic Party, of which Carla and I are members, there are 4765 delegates to the national convention, apportioned among the 50 states and various non-states (such as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico).
New Mexico, albeit larger in geographic size than Poland, by virtue of its small population, and its voting history, is allocated only 43 of those delegates.
As a result of the voting in the recent Democratic Party primary election in New Mexico, 18 of those delegate "seats" (which at that time did not have specific humans filling them) are committed to vote, at the first round of balloting at the national convention, for contender Hillary Clinton. 16 of those seats are committed to contender Bernie Sanders.
Of the 18 Clinton seats, four of them ("district seats") were filled with humans by elections at each of three Democratic Party "district" conventions (recently held). Then four ("at-large" seats) will be filled with "ordinary" humans by an election at the upcoming Democratic state convention, and 2 will be filled by "party bigwigs" - Democratic elected officials and Democratic Party officials - by an election at the state convention.
The remaining 9 seats are not committed to vote for either contender. They will be filled by "party bigwigs" by an election at the state convention.
Now, of the four seats committed to vote for Clinton to be filled at each of the three district conventions, two are reserved for males and two for females. The same is true of the four seats committed to Clinton to be filled at the state convention. This is to seek "gender balance" in the state's overall delegation to the national convention. "Fight sexism with sexism!"
Got that? Isn't this wonderful?
Carla applied to stand for either of the two Clinton/female seats to be awarded at out district convention. Here we see her at that convention "schmoozing" a couple of the convention delegates who were supporters of Clinton (and who would therefor have signed up to vote for the humans to fill "Clinton" seats, both the two male ones and the two female ones).
Douglas A. Kerr: Carla at full schmooze
Of course, her face is largely obscured by - well, you know what.
To facilitate this schmoozing, and in the interest of civility of the social intercourse, the Clinton and Sanders supporters were asked to take seats at tables on opposite sides of the center aisle. The boundary wasn't too clear, and Carla inadvertently approached a table of Sanders supporters to greet them and to pass out "flyers" promoting her candidacy for a delegate position. She was very rudely turned away. Shame, shame!
In any case, sadly, Carla did not win a "district" national convention delegate position. She was beaten out by two very nice and very competent woman who were well known in local political circles and in fact were from the county in which the district convention was held, which county (by virtue of its population) had many more delegates (e.g., electors) to the district convention than from our county (where Carla is better known).
But Carla is also eligible (now that she wasn't elected to a "district" seat) for either of the two "at large" Clinton/female delegate slots to be awarded at the state convention (this coming Saturday, 2016.06.25, in Albuquerque).
I'll let you know what happens.
Best regards,
Doug
Of course the actual selection of those two candidates will be made at the national conventions of the respective parties, to be held this coming July. There, a vote of a majority of the delegates serves to produce the candidate. It no contender attains that majority on the first round of balloting, there is then a period of "wheeling and dealing" among the delegates to the convention, followed by another round of balloting. And so on and so forth.
For the Democratic Party, of which Carla and I are members, there are 4765 delegates to the national convention, apportioned among the 50 states and various non-states (such as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico).
New Mexico, albeit larger in geographic size than Poland, by virtue of its small population, and its voting history, is allocated only 43 of those delegates.
As a result of the voting in the recent Democratic Party primary election in New Mexico, 18 of those delegate "seats" (which at that time did not have specific humans filling them) are committed to vote, at the first round of balloting at the national convention, for contender Hillary Clinton. 16 of those seats are committed to contender Bernie Sanders.
Of the 18 Clinton seats, four of them ("district seats") were filled with humans by elections at each of three Democratic Party "district" conventions (recently held). Then four ("at-large" seats) will be filled with "ordinary" humans by an election at the upcoming Democratic state convention, and 2 will be filled by "party bigwigs" - Democratic elected officials and Democratic Party officials - by an election at the state convention.
The remaining 9 seats are not committed to vote for either contender. They will be filled by "party bigwigs" by an election at the state convention.
Now, of the four seats committed to vote for Clinton to be filled at each of the three district conventions, two are reserved for males and two for females. The same is true of the four seats committed to Clinton to be filled at the state convention. This is to seek "gender balance" in the state's overall delegation to the national convention. "Fight sexism with sexism!"
Got that? Isn't this wonderful?
Carla applied to stand for either of the two Clinton/female seats to be awarded at out district convention. Here we see her at that convention "schmoozing" a couple of the convention delegates who were supporters of Clinton (and who would therefor have signed up to vote for the humans to fill "Clinton" seats, both the two male ones and the two female ones).
Douglas A. Kerr: Carla at full schmooze
Of course, her face is largely obscured by - well, you know what.
To facilitate this schmoozing, and in the interest of civility of the social intercourse, the Clinton and Sanders supporters were asked to take seats at tables on opposite sides of the center aisle. The boundary wasn't too clear, and Carla inadvertently approached a table of Sanders supporters to greet them and to pass out "flyers" promoting her candidacy for a delegate position. She was very rudely turned away. Shame, shame!
In any case, sadly, Carla did not win a "district" national convention delegate position. She was beaten out by two very nice and very competent woman who were well known in local political circles and in fact were from the county in which the district convention was held, which county (by virtue of its population) had many more delegates (e.g., electors) to the district convention than from our county (where Carla is better known).
But Carla is also eligible (now that she wasn't elected to a "district" seat) for either of the two "at large" Clinton/female delegate slots to be awarded at the state convention (this coming Saturday, 2016.06.25, in Albuquerque).
I'll let you know what happens.
Best regards,
Doug
