American election process...

Thoughts_ArriveThoughts_Arrive Melbourne, Australia Posts: 15,165
edited January 2012 in A Moving Train
I don't understand why so many candidates to lead the one party?
Over here members of a party vote who they want as leader of the party.
I don't get how you can be up against one candidate from your own party then should that person win the election you support him/her.
Adelaide 17/11/2009, Melbourne 20/11/2009, Sydney 22/11/2009, Melbourne (Big Day Out Festival) 24/01/2014
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • kenny olavkenny olav Posts: 3,319
    I don't think it's exactly fair to say that the nominee for President is the same as the leader of the party, although it's not totally unfair to view it that way, because he/she does become the main figurehead for the party. But technically the parties don't have just one leader. They have a leader in the Senate, and then a leader in the House, and then if in charge of the House they elect the Speaker of the House, which is like a bonus leader. and then the parties have national committees which elect a Chairman. It's all far too complicated, and I would prefer that we have the multi-party parliamentary system that most modern countries have. but many Americans think our system was set up by God himself, working His will through our Founding Fathers, and therefore our system is perfect as is.
  • because their public chooses (throught the primarys) who is going to stand for president for, in this case, the republican party whereas our party chooses from within.

    It's interesting from our point of view because if we had their system Turnbull probably would have one the Coalitions' candidacy and then would have beaten Gillard.

    We had a complicated election last time with the individuals mattering far more than other elections in recent history, as evidence by the ridiculously close result.

    as far as I could work out

    Gillard beat Abbot (sort of!)
    He would have beaten Rudd
    Rudd would have beaten Turnbull
    Turnbull would have beaten Gillard

    However Turnbull was chucked when Rudd was still in charge and Tony promoted at the same time. The Liberals clearly had no idea of how much support Gillard had from within the party
    I don't mean to offend anyone, a lot of what I say should be taken with a grain of salt... that said for most of you I'm a stranger on a computer on the other side of the world, don't give me that sort of power!
  • __ Posts: 6,651
    I don't understand why so many candidates to lead the one party?
    Over here members of a party vote who they want as leader of the party.
    I don't get how you can be up against one candidate from your own party then should that person win the election you support him/her.

    I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. Over here members of a party vote who they want as leader of their party, too (if by leader, you mean one who runs for president). Maybe you're thinking of states that have open primaries (where you don't have to be a member of a certain party to vote for who will represent them)? But that's not the case with most states.
  • cincybearcatcincybearcat Posts: 16,495
    _ wrote:
    I don't understand why so many candidates to lead the one party?
    Over here members of a party vote who they want as leader of the party.
    I don't get how you can be up against one candidate from your own party then should that person win the election you support him/her.

    I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. Over here members of a party vote who they want as leader of their party, too (if by leader, you mean one who runs for president). Maybe you're thinking of states that have open primaries (where you don't have to be a member of a certain party to vote for who will represent them)? But that's not the case with most states.

    I thought they were saying that the politicians in the party select who to run instead of the people.
    hippiemom = goodness
  • __ Posts: 6,651
    _ wrote:
    I don't understand why so many candidates to lead the one party?
    Over here members of a party vote who they want as leader of the party.
    I don't get how you can be up against one candidate from your own party then should that person win the election you support him/her.

    I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. Over here members of a party vote who they want as leader of their party, too (if by leader, you mean one who runs for president). Maybe you're thinking of states that have open primaries (where you don't have to be a member of a certain party to vote for who will represent them)? But that's not the case with most states.

    I thought they were saying that the politicians in the party select who to run instead of the people.

    You mean "members of a party" = only other politicians in the party, not regular people who are registered as party members? Do non-politicians not register as party members in other countries?
  • ONCE DEVIDEDONCE DEVIDED Posts: 1,131
    Thoughts arrive
    if you remember when we had our referendum on getting rid of the monarchy. the politicians ( turnbull) only gave us the option of a politician chosen president.
    it was voted down
    the monarchists will tell you that it was voted down because we all want the queen. but it was more so the idea
    that politicians got the choice , not the people

    i agree the whole process in the USA is a bit silly. but you can join a party and your vote counts.
    try joining the libs and get a choice who will lead. or labor for that matter
    AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE
  • CommyCommy Posts: 4,984
    we should at least have a true representative democracy. if the green party gets 5% of the vote they should at least have 5% of the seats in congress and the senate.
  • that's ridiculous, you need to win your seat, that's the whole point of having a representative. I've written to my Federal rep on more than one occassion and had him call me in response.
    If the greens get 5% of the total vote but no more than 20% in any given electorate then that is too bad. That sort of thinking is what the senate is for, and how it works here in the senate.
    The only place where this becomes an issue is in Qld state politics as they have no upper house up there - and this is a problem because it discourages smaller parties from running candidates or even registering as a state party. Many are more likely to endorse independents as with no upper house they are unlikely to recieve not only a result that will get them elected, unlikely for a small party anyway, but a result good enough to gain them funding and these small parties do not have the money to throw away up there.
    Of course it does keep all the power safely in the hands of the big parties (and I do include the greens here in this case)
    I don't mean to offend anyone, a lot of what I say should be taken with a grain of salt... that said for most of you I'm a stranger on a computer on the other side of the world, don't give me that sort of power!
  • was knowingly rigged in 2000 and 2004. GW Bush was an illegal president to only help carry out the plans of evil and also illegal NWO. But heck, the world is a sellout anyway, lacking of any intelligent conversation and integrity, so does it matter?
  • cincybearcatcincybearcat Posts: 16,495
    was knowingly rigged in 2000 and 2004. GW Bush was an illegal president to only help carry out the plans of evil and also illegal NWO. But heck, the world is a sellout anyway, lacking of any intelligent conversation and integrity, so does it matter?


    Oh man, this made my day. The old, my team lost, blame the refs routine. Awesome!!!!
    hippiemom = goodness
  • nuffingmannuffingman Posts: 3,014
    What I don't understand about the American election is why wherever I go we have it rammed down our throats. Like many I just don't care.

    The other thing I don't understand is how a country can possibly in the future vote in someone called Newt Gingrich! :lol:
  • They have to ram it down your throats because unlike Australia - which as far as I know is one of the only places - you don't have compulsory voting.
    I think you you should care about how your country is governed, too many people even over here where we have to vote don't think about their vote or just always vote for the party their parents voted for, I find it very sad that in a lot of cases the people who understand the privlige of voting are those who can't
    I don't mean to offend anyone, a lot of what I say should be taken with a grain of salt... that said for most of you I'm a stranger on a computer on the other side of the world, don't give me that sort of power!
  • was knowingly rigged in 2000 and 2004. GW Bush was an illegal president to only help carry out the plans of evil and also illegal NWO. But heck, the world is a sellout anyway, lacking of any intelligent conversation and integrity, so does it matter?


    Oh man, this made my day. The old, my team lost, blame the refs routine. Awesome!!!!
    I mean you have a "ref" in 2000 whose brother is fighting for the seat of presidency in your state. How crooked is that? All in their pocket. C'mon you dont have to be a PhD in Poli Sci to figure out that dirty trick. Nevermind your Daddy is the Head of th CIA and planted dirty tricks all over the world for decades and then vicariously ran the country through his son. Gimme a break. Im not a fox news reject subliminally looking at coochie shots.
  • cincybearcatcincybearcat Posts: 16,495
    was knowingly rigged in 2000 and 2004. GW Bush was an illegal president to only help carry out the plans of evil and also illegal NWO. But heck, the world is a sellout anyway, lacking of any intelligent conversation and integrity, so does it matter?


    Oh man, this made my day. The old, my team lost, blame the refs routine. Awesome!!!!
    I mean you have a "ref" in 2000 whose brother is fighting for the seat of presidency in your state. How crooked is that? All in their pocket. C'mon you dont have to be a PhD in Poli Sci to figure out that dirty trick. Nevermind your Daddy is the Head of th CIA and planted dirty tricks all over the world for decades and then vicariously ran the country through his son. Gimme a break. Im not a fox news reject subliminally looking at coochie shots.

    Nope, just a MSNBC reject.
    hippiemom = goodness
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