The Primary Concern is Delegates.

When it comes to the Presidential Election process, it is understandable to see the Primary/Caucus phase as a prediction to the actual outcome of the actual Presidential Election. A primary or a caucus (which is a type of vote that determines a candidates position in the race, and whether or not he/she is awarded delegates) is a way for candidates to win the hearts of prospective voters with swoon-worthy speeches and celebrity type appearances.

Now there are many important campaigning reasons for these primaries/caucuses. They provide candidates with the opportunity to test their chances in the race (many candidates drop out within the first few because of a low amount of votes), raise awareness for themselves as their party nomination, and the most important of all, gain delegates.

Delegates are one of the most critical weapons in a candidates arsenal, and the only way to get Delegates is to do well in primaries/caucuses. The most basic way to understand this is by looking at every state individually. Each state has a certain number of Delegates (who are appointed by the state to determine who will get party nominations). When a state holds a primary or caucus, candidates are really competing for the most delegates. The way candidates receive delegates differs from party to party.

For the Democratic Party, delegates are usually awarded by the percentage of votes that candidate receives in the primary. If a democratic candidate receives 25% of the vote in a state, then he/she is awarded with 25% of that states democratic parties delegates. It is important to note though that if a candidate does not have a percentage of 15% or higher of the vote, then that candidate is awarded not delegates.

However in the republican party the number of delegates awarded to candidates is based wholly upon how the individual state views its policies. It usually can go from a winner take all system (where the candidate with the most votes receives all of that states republican delegates) to the same type of proportional percentage system that the democratic party runs.

One interesting thing to note about this 2008 Presidential Election is that a lot of states have lost their delegates. The reason for this is that such states try to force their state into an earlier date as to increase their influence in the election. As a punishment for this, both parties have taken action to limit or completely reprimand delegates from such states.

So the next time a primary or caucus comes around remember that the most important things to the candidates are the delegates of every state. These presidential hopefuls want their spot for their party nominations set in stone, and the delegates of all 50 states, are the chisels.

Celebrity Endorsements

It seems like everybody is paying attention to this year's election. Among the observant are celebrities that feel it is their duty to publicly support certain candidates. Among the most high-profile endorsers are Oprah Winfrey (who is supporting Barack Obama), and Chuck Norris (who is supporting Mike Huckabee).

Since the presidential race is currently between many candidates, it makes sense that a candidate would try to seek publicity wherever he or she can get it, even from a celebrity. But for now, the race is still in too early of a stage to see if the endorsements really help a candidate's cause.

The Energy Issue of not just America, but the World.

"Our generation must be the one that says, 'we must halt global warming.' Our generation must be the one that says 'yes' to renewable fuels and ends forever our dependence on foreign oil. And our generation must be the one that builds the new energy economy. It won't be easy, but it is time to ask the American people to be patriotic about something other than war." – John Edwards

These are bold words coming from Democratic Candidate John Edwards on the future of Americas fuel dependency, and its change towards the future of alternative energy sources.

Is he right though? Thats the question. Many people in America would agree that Global Warming is an issue that needs to be addressed as quickly as possible, but the question is "When?"

Is now the right time to do something about this issue?

In my own personal opinion I say yes. With the increasing threat of Global Warming, America just can't stand by and watch it happen in front of its eyes anymore. Surely there are other more pressing issues currently, but I think that this one is one that needs not to be overlooked.

However, as I have looked upon many of the Presidential Candidates stances on the issue, I see that they agree with me...for the most part.

New Tech in Solar Power

A new nanosolar powersheet is now only costing $1 per watt, as stated by Michael Moyer in an article in Popular Science. These new powersheets are being made even cheaper, now being practically a sheet of aluminum with paint. The posiblilities are endless. We could put these coating on shingles, windows, siding, roofs, and we probably could even put in on cars.

You can read the article at this link.
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/flat/bown/2007/green/item_59.html

Energy is Important

Energy is an important resource, but can be renewable. We have our fossil fuels like: gasoline, diesel, oil, propane. We also have a whole list of renewable sources like: solar power, electricity, bio-diesel, nuclear power, hydro-power.

Our fossil fuels are depleting and aren't able to be replenished. Plus they're getting more and more expensive as time goes on and we already depend on other countries for oil. These crude oils are also polluting our world.

If we could switch to these cheaper sorces of renewable energy, our world could be a less polluted world with cheaper "fuel" prices.

Another Brother Blog

The last of our blogs have been made. Check it out.

http://thepauliticalblogger.blogspot.com
--------another teammate, PAULitics

Brother Blogs

Right now there are two other blogs supporting this one. Feel free to view them as they are a complete set with this just being the centerpiece.

http://politicsdigitized.blogspot.com/
--------another blog by me, Master G.

http://www.political-bloggage.blogspot.com/
--------one by a teammate, The Political Bloggage-er.