IT'S NEARLY THE LAST TRAIN OUT -- Just A Minute Radio for 100517

Good Day…

 

Glad you could be with us for the kickoff – Nope … not football weather yet [Spring training maybe – but not football]… Today we’re trying to get the kinks straightened out in the primary races.

 

Something basic to pick up is: Primary’s are figured out each by the states themselves.  Sometimes there is coordination and sometimes not.  In the South they virtually stopped having primary races during various periods after the “War for Southern Independence” – because there weren’t candidates and for various and sundry other reasons… So… there’s not time to dissect all that now – just know that up to a couple of decades ago in South Carolina for instance, the primary elections were still being conducted by the political parties.  Now they are run by state government – and they are still supposed to be non-political, non partisan… In other words the election is put on by the local government (In most cases the county) with help from the State and its board of elections.

 

So that’s why there’s no general election date… some states early, some late… all locally controlled…ballots counted locally… and sometimes that gives counting and preserving and making fair the State election has to be done by the state and the results in a Federal election then turned over to the proper officials.  That’s why it takes Maine longer (or shorter in some precincts) to count votes than say Texas.

 

Some states – Virginia for instance, which is a Commonwealth rather than a state (as are a few others) -- has its election of state officers on the “off” years… that is they are planned for years in which the Presidential or Federal Congressional elections are NOT held. 

 

It’s equally confusing because there’s no uniform date set for state primary elections… which are often entangled in run-offs where two candidates get results that are not conclusive and the election is run again except this time it is between only the top TWO  candidates.

 

Easy to tell that foments a LOT of confusion on dates etc… it’s one of the reasons why New Hampshire and Iowa and a handful of others want to be early on the ground in a Presidential year.  It’s not a particularly good system,… but it’s the one we got. (J)  We can change it if there are enough “true and unselfish” people around… but it’s hard to reach a consensus sometimes.

 

Gotta get the rest of the work done… See you next time.

 

Cordially, IN HIM

 

Jack

 

Delayed audio link:

http://www.wmuu.com/blog/category/audio/just-a-minute/

 

 

“JUST A MINUTE”

IT’S NEARLY THE LAST TRAIN OUT

Just a Minute: --  Here’s a question for tomorrow: Since the President is opting not to travel to help out Mr. Specter – how will the Pennsylvanian vote when the Kagan nomination comes up if he’s still in the Senate?

Same question for Arkansas’s Senator Blanche Lincoln? Put another way: When does party loyalty die?

Rand Paul has about a nine point lead over his opponents in the Kentucky race according to respected polling. From all appearances right now it’s a toss-up – while Paul expresses confidence after getting retiring Kentucky Sen. Jim Bunning’s endorsement, if things do work out that way, Sen. Mitch McConnell’s leadership role will be diminished.

The President listens to White House advisors who’re telling him, behind the hand, he already has Massachusetts and New Jersey’s losses on his card -- If  cards falls in, the realistic assessment will be the President’s role, at this stage, amounts to a very slippery set of coattails.

Handicapping House races now turns out to be even more difficult than figuring Senate wins or losses – but it’s more fun than checkers.

<> I’m Jack Buttram (END)

Jebco Editorial Service

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