DONALD TRUMP to grab your attention
I really just wanted to talk about the Iowa caucuses, but then I realized that the old 2016 election thread is way buried and it's probably better to create a new thread than to necro the old one.
So let's all talk about the 2016 election here, we know that it's probably going to be the most exciting election since 2008 at least and definitely since 2012 so WHERE ARE ALL THE TRUMP RELATED THREADS? Put all Trump/Hilary/Sanders/Cruz/Rubio/other Republican candidates who might still have a chance content here.
Okay to kick off the first topic: the Iowa caucuses are tomorrow (or today depending on when I finish this post)! For those of you who aren't familiar with American politics here's a quick introduction.
In the United States, presidential candidates for each party are not the party leaders, but are selected through elections called primaries. However, it's not like all the party members get to vote on a leader - no - because the United States insists on being the most decentralized federal democracy ever, every state and territory (and even overseas Americans) get to vote in their own primary election. Each primary from each state will give each candidate a number of delegates based on how much of the vote they got, and whoever gets the most delegates at the end gets the nomination of the party. If it's not confusing enough already, each state has a choice of running a caucus or a primary, which may be closed, semi-closed or open, and these primaries/caucuses are held from February all the way until June.
So basically there are these primaries which are held at different dates and might have different rules, which collectively select a candidate for a party for the Presidency of the United States. What's so special about the one in Iowa? It's the first caucus/primary, which means a lot to political news, but I think it's important because it gives underdog candidates a fighting chance if they can deliver most of the delegates in the first concrete event of the election.
I am super excited about Bernie Sanders possibly being the Presidential candidate for the Democratic Party. Right now he's polling nationally around 37% vs. Hilary Clinton's 52% (which is already a pretty high number considering how un-establishment he is), but the polls are indicating that he is neck and neck with Clinton for the Iowa caucus. If he ekes out a victory there (imo by securing at least half of the delegates), then that might nudge voters to be more confident about his electability.
Anyways, the floor is yours. Let's talk about the Presidential election this year - starting with the Iowa caucuses, but continuing with basically any event or topic related to the election as it twists and turns. Talk about your thoughts, your most important issues, your favourite candidates, your preferred party, fears, concerns, and predictions. Or we can just talk about Trump. I might edit the OP later on to be more reflective of the election in general.
And lastly, let's all play nice and not get too heated/snappy in here. It's a long election ahead.
I really just wanted to talk about the Iowa caucuses, but then I realized that the old 2016 election thread is way buried and it's probably better to create a new thread than to necro the old one.
So let's all talk about the 2016 election here, we know that it's probably going to be the most exciting election since 2008 at least and definitely since 2012 so WHERE ARE ALL THE TRUMP RELATED THREADS? Put all Trump/Hilary/Sanders/Cruz/Rubio/other Republican candidates who might still have a chance content here.
Okay to kick off the first topic: the Iowa caucuses are tomorrow (or today depending on when I finish this post)! For those of you who aren't familiar with American politics here's a quick introduction.
Spoiler:
In the United States, presidential candidates for each party are not the party leaders, but are selected through elections called primaries. However, it's not like all the party members get to vote on a leader - no - because the United States insists on being the most decentralized federal democracy ever, every state and territory (and even overseas Americans) get to vote in their own primary election. Each primary from each state will give each candidate a number of delegates based on how much of the vote they got, and whoever gets the most delegates at the end gets the nomination of the party. If it's not confusing enough already, each state has a choice of running a caucus or a primary, which may be closed, semi-closed or open, and these primaries/caucuses are held from February all the way until June.
So basically there are these primaries which are held at different dates and might have different rules, which collectively select a candidate for a party for the Presidency of the United States. What's so special about the one in Iowa? It's the first caucus/primary, which means a lot to political news, but I think it's important because it gives underdog candidates a fighting chance if they can deliver most of the delegates in the first concrete event of the election.
I am super excited about Bernie Sanders possibly being the Presidential candidate for the Democratic Party. Right now he's polling nationally around 37% vs. Hilary Clinton's 52% (which is already a pretty high number considering how un-establishment he is), but the polls are indicating that he is neck and neck with Clinton for the Iowa caucus. If he ekes out a victory there (imo by securing at least half of the delegates), then that might nudge voters to be more confident about his electability.
Anyways, the floor is yours. Let's talk about the Presidential election this year - starting with the Iowa caucuses, but continuing with basically any event or topic related to the election as it twists and turns. Talk about your thoughts, your most important issues, your favourite candidates, your preferred party, fears, concerns, and predictions. Or we can just talk about Trump. I might edit the OP later on to be more reflective of the election in general.
And lastly, let's all play nice and not get too heated/snappy in here. It's a long election ahead.
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