Pip Squeak Politics | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: Alex J. Ortolano is a former U.S. Army Medical Evacuation Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam and now a patient observer of life.

    We are pleased to announce that you will be able to find Alex here at BCN or at his blogspot here.

    On July 10, 2011 I researched what an Iowa Caucus was. I am not going to update that in-depth research because I am still too confused from when I tried to figure out just what an Iowa Caucus was way back then. During my research it became obvious that the people in Iowa are also still trying to figure it out.

    Here is my Pip Squeak Politics posting...

    American Heritage Dictionary defines Pip-Squeak as,

    "One that is small or insignificant"
    That sound about right but it is dead wrong when it comes to Presidential Politics.

    Big & Important States, since they are Big & Important States, have an influence upon the states that are not Big & Important States. That's how it is.

    If you don't live in a Big & Important State and you don't like Big & Important States telling you what to do and think, then move to a Big & Important State, so you can then tell the rest of us what to do.

    I'm fairly certain you did not understand what I was talking about in the above paragraphs because I'm not sure what I was talking about in the above paragraphs either. Let me flip it around and approach my concerns from a different slant.

    Why are Iowa, which has .99% of the population of the U.S. and New Hampshire which has .43% of the population of the U.S., in such positions of power and influence when it comes to who our next President is going to be?

    Why do they get so much attention and money thrown at them every four years? The winners of these Pip Squeak States Contests do not always win the presidency. Heck, many of the winners do not even get their party's nominations.

    In particular regarding Iowa, every four years most Americans are baffled by the following questions...

    • What is a Caucus?
    • What is a Straw Pole?
    • Is there really an Iowa?
    What in the heck is an Iowa Caucus?
    According to a Web Site about the Iowa Caucuses by GazetteOnLine.com...

    Republican Caucuses:

    Those attending will indicate their presidential preferences in what is essentially a straw poll. Voting can be done by a show of hands or by paper ballots.

    Democratic Caucuses:

    The process at Democratic caucuses is more detailed...

    • Beginning no earlier than 7 p.m., Democrats divide into "preference groups" based on which candidate they support.
    • "Undecided" can be a preference group.
    • Generally speaking, a candidate group must have 15 percent of the number of participants to be "viable."
    • Caucus participants have up to 30 minutes to join a preference group.
    • After the caucus chairman determines which groups are viable, participants have another 30 minutes to realign, or join a different caucus group.
    • Throughout this process, members of a preference group may attempt to persuade other caucus-goers, especially members of non-viable groups, to join their preference group.
    • Non-viable groups may merge to gain enough members to meet the viability threshold.
    • Or members of non-viable groups may choose to join the uncommitted preference group.
    • Or they can choose not to join any group.
    • When the preference groups are set, the caucus chairman will determine the number of county convention delegates each preference group is entitled to elect.
    • When those numbers are totaled at the state level, the "winner" of the Democratic caucus is the one with the most delegates.

    After going to all this Confusing Trouble, the results can be ignored by the delegates chosen because the results of the caucuses are not binding on either Republican or Democratic delegates to the county convention.

    Now that you understand Pip Squeak Politics I am sure that you are much more comfortable with little insignificant states like Iowa and New Hampshire having an inordinate influence about who your next president will be ... Or are u?

    Would I kid u?

    Smartfella

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