Annoying election process begins.

[dda]

In the U. S., the presidential campaign season has reached its slow death march to completion in November.

There was a time when people didn't really start campaigning to get nominated for the presidency until about this time of year in the year the election is to be held. However, all of that has changed and we have seen a lot of campaigning by would-be candidates and candidates for about a year now. This has come about because or the way the American electoral process is set up.

First of all each party has its own primary election in each state at a time that each state determines. So today the state of Iowa, a state which will be of little importance in the ultimate presidential election, is having their "caucuses." These caucuses are not regular elections, as such. They are votes by whoever can get through the snow to meeting where everyone who makes it votes for whoever they want with independents being able to vote in either Democratic or Republican primary.

This primary elects delegates to attend each party's Nominating Convention in July or August. So, okay an inconsequential number of delegates will be elected. The problem is that since this is the FIRST even semi-election, much media attention has been placed on in and quite often those who don't fare well in Iowa and the primary election soon in New Hampshire may be eliminated from any chance to win ultimately because the big money people won/t donate to someone who they think is out of it.

Thus a few, very small, states have a very large impact on who runs for president in each party.

Many states who are envious of this power have moved their primary elections forward to the time that New Hampshire and Iowa formaly held theirs. (early February). This forced Iowa and New Hampshire, if they wanted to have the same kind of national clout that they previously enjoyed, to move their elections even earlier (and this is where my complaint comes in). Prompting candidates for president to start running and jockying for position a year ahead of these preliminary contests or almost two years before the actual election. This means I have to listen (and I assure you it is almost impossible to ignore) to all of these assholes for almost two years.

Arrrrgh!