Bay 12 Games Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  
Pages: 1 ... 184 185 [186] 187 188 ... 714

Author Topic: American Election Megathread - It's Over  (Read 763915 times)

Aqizzar

  • Bay Watcher
  • There is no 'U'.
    • View Profile
Re: American Election Megathread
« Reply #2775 on: March 16, 2012, 02:59:55 pm »

Reminder: Tomorrow there's a "makeup" caucus in Missouri, after the state GOP deliberately vacated the state's own set primary back in February (in order to avoid losing half their delegates for jumping early). Rick Santorum won that "beauty contest" primary pretty handily, with 55.2% of the votes.

Can someone please explain to me how this calendar works?  So, I think it's like: Missouri was bound by law to hold an election, but in order to not lose half their delegates, they made a separate caucus to take place later (tomorrow), but then the caucus seats won't be ratified or something until late April.  Right?

As long as "caucuses" and "unbound delegates" exist, I have to wonder why even bother having an election.  Fuck, if I was a party chairman, I'd want to go to a straight primary, just so my party doesn't look like a bunch of idiots when we don't have an answer for who's actually winning.
Logged
And here is where my beef pops up like a looming awkward boner.
Please amplify your relaxed states.
Quote from: PTTG??
The ancients built these quote pyramids to forever store vast quantities of rage.

RedKing

  • Bay Watcher
  • hoo hoo motherfucker
    • View Profile
Re: American Election Megathread
« Reply #2776 on: March 16, 2012, 03:57:03 pm »

Reminder: Tomorrow there's a "makeup" caucus in Missouri, after the state GOP deliberately vacated the state's own set primary back in February (in order to avoid losing half their delegates for jumping early). Rick Santorum won that "beauty contest" primary pretty handily, with 55.2% of the votes.

Can someone please explain to me how this calendar works?  So, I think it's like: Missouri was bound by law to hold an election, but in order to not lose half their delegates, they made a separate caucus to take place later (tomorrow), but then the caucus seats won't be ratified or something until late April.  Right?

As long as "caucuses" and "unbound delegates" exist, I have to wonder why even bother having an election.  Fuck, if I was a party chairman, I'd want to go to a straight primary, just so my party doesn't look like a bunch of idiots when we don't have an answer for who's actually winning.

Bingo. Here's the situation as I understand it: Several months ago when all the state Republican parties were playing "who can cut in front of the line the most?", an impressionable young Missouri GOP thought it sounded like fun and moved their primary up to early February. Finally, when we were facing the specter of Iowa and New Hampshire moving their caucus/primary into December of the previous year, the RNC said, "Okay, this is bullshit. Anbody other than Iowa and New Hampshire that holds their primary before Super Tuesday, we're gonna bitchslap half the delegates out of you."

Most of the "claim jumper" states said, "Nuh uh, you're not the boss of me!" and stayed where they were and got bitchslapped. But Missouri got scared and said "Oh...okay, we'd better move back to mid-March then."

Enter the Democrat-controlled state legislature and Democrat Governor, who said "Oh...gee, I dunno...that's an awful lot of work for the Board of Elections to go reschedule their vacations and stuff...I think you're going to have to ask us nicely." So the Republicans introduced a bill to move the primary back to March, and the Democrats laughed and said "Nope! Enjoy your bitchslap, noobs!"

So in desperation to avoid the bitchslap, the Missouri GOP said "Okay, we're only having a primary in February because state law forces us to! Don't hurt us! We're not going to pay any attention to the results, and we'll hold a caucus in March instead to pick the delegates."

The national GOP was pacified by the sacrifice, and withheld its bitchslap.

And that's how we got to this state of affairs. I hadn't heard anything about a late April anything, but shit...the way this thing has played out so far, I wouldn't be surprised.

Now here's the interesting bit: if all the local caucuses decide they're going to abide by the February result, it can be argued that they really did hold a meaningful primary prior to the penalty-mark deadline. If things get super-tight, I could see Team Romney arguing to the RNC that Missouri should be penalized half its delegates on that basis, which would cut Santorum's total and slightly reduce the overall total needed to hit 50% (by about 11-12 delegates, if I'm right). Wouldn't THAT be a hoot.
Logged

Remember, knowledge is power. The power to make other people feel stupid.
Quote from: Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Science is like an inoculation against charlatans who would have you believe whatever it is they tell you.

nenjin

  • Bay Watcher
  • Inscrubtable Exhortations of the Soul
    • View Profile
Re: American Election Megathread
« Reply #2777 on: March 16, 2012, 03:58:47 pm »

Quote
Fuck, if I was a party chairman, I'd want to go to a straight primary, just so my party doesn't look like a bunch of idiots when we don't have an answer for who's actually winning.

Oh come now. How can you expect anyone to turn a profit off the primaries if there's no circus to fund and spend at?!
Logged
Cautivo del Milagro seamos, Penitente.
Quote from: Viktor Frankl
When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.
Quote from: Sindain
Its kinda silly to complain that a friendly NPC isn't a well designed boss fight.
Quote from: Eric Blank
How will I cheese now assholes?
Quote from: MrRoboto75
Always spaghetti, never forghetti

Aqizzar

  • Bay Watcher
  • There is no 'U'.
    • View Profile
Re: American Election Megathread
« Reply #2778 on: March 16, 2012, 04:23:46 pm »

And that's how we got to this state of affairs. I hadn't heard anything about a late April anything, but shit...the way this thing has played out so far, I wouldn't be surprised.

Yeah, I forgot about the Missouri Dem-controlled government having a field day by making the state Republican party squirm.  But as for the April thing, I'm going by the note on NPR's tracker (I was watching it originally because it was near the top of Google), wherein it states: "Missouri's delegates are chosen at district level conventions on April 21 and the state convention on June 2, and are bound to particular presidential candidates."  I don't know what that means, and I don't know where they're getting it from.

Reminds me of something noted a few days back, that Santorum's campaign finally hired a dedicated "delegate manager" for the express purpose of cajoling and bartering unbound and partially-bound delegates.  That was a big part of how Obama won the Democratic nomination in 2008, and Romney's been at it since before Iowa, which is part of why he has such a massive "reported" delegate total despite the races frequently being as close as they are.
Logged
And here is where my beef pops up like a looming awkward boner.
Please amplify your relaxed states.
Quote from: PTTG??
The ancients built these quote pyramids to forever store vast quantities of rage.

Zrk2

  • Bay Watcher
  • Emperor of the Damned
    • View Profile
Re: American Election Megathread
« Reply #2779 on: March 16, 2012, 10:36:56 pm »

America, you so crazy.
Logged
He's just keeping up with the Cardassians.

roflgar

  • Bay Watcher
  • Legendary Lethargy
    • View Profile
Re: American Election Megathread
« Reply #2780 on: March 17, 2012, 07:07:12 pm »

You know it, baby.
Logged
Quote
NatureLabor:  largest concentration of elf-loving dwarves and a few dwarfs trying to beat that out of them.
-TerrisH

Urist Imiknorris

  • Bay Watcher
  • In the flesh, on the phone and in your account...
    • View Profile
Re: American Election Megathread
« Reply #2781 on: March 17, 2012, 07:33:20 pm »

Insanity, you so American.
Logged
Quote from: LordSlowpoke
I don't know how it works. It does.
Quote from: Jim Groovester
YOU CANT NOT HAVE SUSPECTS IN A GAME OF MAFIA

ITS THE WHOLE POINT OF THE GAME
Quote from: Cheeetar
If Tiruin redirected the lynch, then this means that, and... the Illuminati! Of course!

Aqizzar

  • Bay Watcher
  • There is no 'U'.
    • View Profile
Re: American Election Megathread
« Reply #2782 on: March 17, 2012, 07:35:36 pm »

Crap, reminds me that I'm still two weeks behind on updating the OP list.  Fuuuck.

Hey, hows that Missouri caucus going today?  Insanely, I hear.

Quote
There was no declared winner from Missouri's nearly 140 local caucuses. That's because state party rules did not require delegates to be bound to any particular candidate and no straw poll was conducted. Rather, the local caucuses were to elect 2,123 people to advance to congressional district conventions April 21 and a state convention June 2. It's at those meetings that the bulk of Missouri's 52 delegates will be bound to presidential candidates.

Holy crap, at least that answers my calendar question.  Okay, a winnowing process where you start with 2123 people is still not a good way to hold an election.
« Last Edit: March 17, 2012, 07:38:42 pm by Aqizzar »
Logged
And here is where my beef pops up like a looming awkward boner.
Please amplify your relaxed states.
Quote from: PTTG??
The ancients built these quote pyramids to forever store vast quantities of rage.

Karlito

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: American Election Megathread
« Reply #2783 on: March 17, 2012, 10:49:13 pm »

Does Missouri win the award for Worst Nomination Process, or did that already go out to a state?

EDIT: And why did they try to move up their primary in the first place if it takes them two months to decide on a winner?
« Last Edit: March 17, 2012, 10:53:16 pm by Karlito »
Logged
This sentence contains exactly threee erors.

FearfulJesuit

  • Bay Watcher
  • True neoliberalism has never been tried
    • View Profile
Re: American Election Megathread
« Reply #2784 on: March 17, 2012, 11:23:48 pm »

Every time I watch this whole trainwreck of a process, I think "I don't want this. I never wanted to grow up with this system. There are a bunch of bad choices and one person who is a mediocre choice against them."

You know who I want to vote for?



Hell, Reinhard would be a better choice than the Trunicht knockoffs running.

« Last Edit: March 17, 2012, 11:32:01 pm by dhokarena56 »
Logged


@Footjob, you can microwave most grains I've tried pretty easily through the microwave, even if they aren't packaged for it.

Urist Imiknorris

  • Bay Watcher
  • In the flesh, on the phone and in your account...
    • View Profile
Re: American Election Megathread
« Reply #2785 on: March 17, 2012, 11:44:39 pm »

Does Missouri win the award for Worst Nomination Process, or did that already go out to a state?

EDIT: And why did they try to move up their primary in the first place if it takes them two months to decide on a winner?

So they can decide on a winner before the new president is sworn in?
Logged
Quote from: LordSlowpoke
I don't know how it works. It does.
Quote from: Jim Groovester
YOU CANT NOT HAVE SUSPECTS IN A GAME OF MAFIA

ITS THE WHOLE POINT OF THE GAME
Quote from: Cheeetar
If Tiruin redirected the lynch, then this means that, and... the Illuminati! Of course!

Zrk2

  • Bay Watcher
  • Emperor of the Damned
    • View Profile
Re: American Election Megathread
« Reply #2786 on: March 18, 2012, 12:12:54 am »

Crap, reminds me that I'm still two weeks behind on updating the OP list.  Fuuuck.

Hey, hows that Missouri caucus going today?  Insanely, I hear.

Quote
There was no declared winner from Missouri's nearly 140 local caucuses. That's because state party rules did not require delegates to be bound to any particular candidate and no straw poll was conducted. Rather, the local caucuses were to elect 2,123 people to advance to congressional district conventions April 21 and a state convention June 2. It's at those meetings that the bulk of Missouri's 52 delegates will be bound to presidential candidates.

Holy crap, at least that answers my calendar question.  Okay, a winnowing process where you start with 2123 people is still not a good way to hold an election.

Jesus FUCKING Christ. How has your entire government not collapsed in an orgy of lawsuits yet?
Logged
He's just keeping up with the Cardassians.

mainiac

  • Bay Watcher
  • Na vazeal kwah-kai
    • View Profile
Re: American Election Megathread
« Reply #2787 on: March 18, 2012, 12:22:11 am »

Tradition mostly.
Logged
Ancient Babylonian god of RAEG
--------------
[CAN_INTERNET]
[PREFSTRING:google]
"Don't tell me what you value. Show me your budget and I will tell you what you value"
« Last Edit: February 10, 1988, 03:27:23 pm by UR MOM »
mainiac is always a little sarcastic, at least.

Bauglir

  • Bay Watcher
  • Let us make Good
    • View Profile
Re: American Election Megathread
« Reply #2788 on: March 18, 2012, 01:45:15 am »

Give us a couple more decades. We're trying as hard as we can. It's just hard to get legal briefs to copulate.
Logged
In the days when Sussman was a novice, Minsky once came to him as he sat hacking at the PDP-6.
“What are you doing?”, asked Minsky. “I am training a randomly wired neural net to play Tic-Tac-Toe” Sussman replied. “Why is the net wired randomly?”, asked Minsky. “I do not want it to have any preconceptions of how to play”, Sussman said.
Minsky then shut his eyes. “Why do you close your eyes?”, Sussman asked his teacher.
“So that the room will be empty.”
At that moment, Sussman was enlightened.

RedKing

  • Bay Watcher
  • hoo hoo motherfucker
    • View Profile
Re: American Election Megathread
« Reply #2789 on: March 18, 2012, 06:17:26 am »

Crap, reminds me that I'm still two weeks behind on updating the OP list.  Fuuuck.

Hey, hows that Missouri caucus going today?  Insanely, I hear.

Quote
There was no declared winner from Missouri's nearly 140 local caucuses. That's because state party rules did not require delegates to be bound to any particular candidate and no straw poll was conducted. Rather, the local caucuses were to elect 2,123 people to advance to congressional district conventions April 21 and a state convention June 2. It's at those meetings that the bulk of Missouri's 52 delegates will be bound to presidential candidates.

That's awesome. It's like voting has become some sort of quantum experiment constrained by the Heisenberg principle.
Logged

Remember, knowledge is power. The power to make other people feel stupid.
Quote from: Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Science is like an inoculation against charlatans who would have you believe whatever it is they tell you.
Pages: 1 ... 184 185 [186] 187 188 ... 714