The Primary Election Season Is Officially Here!

[MineralMan]

It's finally 2016, and thank goodness for that. In a month, we'll have the first Democratic primary election and its results. We've all been watching the polls, the debates, and the candidates. It's time to start the actual nominee selection process. Will there be surprises? Possibly. It doesn't matter. People will finally begin voting for their favorite candidate for the Democratic nomination.

My own opportunity to vote won't come until March 1, in Minnesota's precinct caucuses. Like everyone else, I get exactly one vote. I'll be glad to head over to our precinct caucus meeting and cast that vote, and I'll be watching for the results of that and the other primaries and caucuses held on that date.

On March 2, I think it will be clear who the Democratic nominee will be. Given current polling, it looks like that will be the case. If so, I expect DU's TOS to kick into force. Perhaps that will encourage the discussion to shift from fighting over Democratic candidates to figuring out the best strategy to defeat the Republicans in November. That's what I'm hoping for here.

On March 2, the focus should shift from primary campaigns to planning for a massive GOTV effort, culminating in a huge turnout of Democrats for the general election. If we succeed in that, we'll not only elect a Democrat to occupy the White House, but regain majority control of the Senate and pick up some seats in the House.

That's what I'm hoping will happen. I'll do my best to help it happen.

[KingCharlemagne]

1. The great task remaining before us on March 2 will be to welcome graciously the many

disappointed Hillary supporters to make common cause with the presumptive nominee Bernard Sanders to slay the Republican dragon in November. We must appeal to Hillary's supporters' better angels of their nature to do so. No less than the fate of the republic lies in the balance.

[MineralMan]

3. Whichever candidate prevails, we must elect a Democrat

as President. That is fundamental.

[Backwoodsrider]

2. best one EVER

Should be lots of excitement next 6 weeks

[workinclasszero]

4. Iowa in 31 days

Monday, February 1 Iowa caucus

Tuesday, February 9 New Hampshire

Saturday, February 20 Nevada caucus

Saturday, February 27 South Carolina


Tuesday, March 1
(Super Tuesday)

Alabama
Arkansas
Colorado caucuses
Georgia
Massachusetts
Minnesota caucuses
Oklahoma
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Virginia

This place will bern up with inchoate rage when Hillary wins it all on March 1st!!

Go Hillary!!

[Jim Lane]

19. A side note for those watching the Republican slugfest

A quirk of the scheduling is that the clown car follows a different route in late February.

Democrats: Nevada on Feb. 20, South Carolina on Feb. 27, as you wrote
Republicans: South Carolina on Feb. 20, Nevada on Feb. 23

AFAIK, the roster of "Super Tuesday" states on March 1 is the same for both parties.

[workinclasszero]

20. Thanks for the info

[saltpoint]

5. It's a crucial investment for all our

futures to work very hard to elect Democrats up and down the ballot, and equally, to defeat Republicans.

'Am suggesting these as separate considerations. The first requires a focus on mobilization, turn-out, and issues outreach.

The second stands as a repudiation of the disastrous and unethical platform the modern-day GOP has come to represent.

[brooklynite]

6. I believe TOS doesn't kick in unti there's an official nominee...

....which won't happen until the Convention.

[MineralMan]

7. Not exactly:

But when general election season begins, DU members must support Democratic nominees (EXCEPT in rare cases where a non-Democrat is most likely to defeat the conservative alternative, or where there is no possibility of splitting the liberal vote and inadvertently throwing the election to the conservative alternative). For presidential contests, election season begins when both major-party nominees become clear.

In reality, it begins when the admins of this site say it begins.

[riversedge]

8. Yes, when the boss says it begins is spot on.

[JonLeibowitz]

11. Yeah, SCREW those of us who vote in our primaries in June. Process be damned!

You don't think they cancel those primaries because of Skinner's say-so do you?

[MineralMan]

12. Of course they will not be canceled.

However, the outcome of the primaries will almost certainly be known before June. Delegate counts can be tallied following each primary that is held. At some point, the nominee will become obvious by earning enough delegates to ensure the nomination.

We have a primary later in the year here in Minnesota, although it has no impact on delegates to the Democratic convention. However, as in other states, that primary will decide who appears on the November ballot for a wide range of other offices. That is the function of the primary election in Minnesota.

California's primary, too, is held late, but delegates to the Democratic convention are selected through county caucuses and congressional district conventions. Few ever show up at those caucuses, oddly enough. People think the presidential convention delegates are based on the primaries. They aren't in that state, actually.

But, primaries are very important in state and federal legislative elections all across the country. That's more than enough reason to go to vote in your state's primary.

The Democratic nominee for President will be known before the primaries in many states, however.

I encourage everyone to visit the site at the link below and look up how delegates are chosen in their state:
http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P16/D

[JonLeibowitz]

13. I agree with everything you said. However, it is still disgusting.

I plan to vote for my candidate in California's June primary, plan to apply to be a delegate (they start accepting applications on Monday I think), and damned if DU doesn't let me talk about my candidate before voting. They'll have to PPR before they stop me from talking about my primary and the differences between the candidates. Of course, after the primaries, sure.

I fiercely object to people trying to shutter the conversation when it seems their candidate will win; democracy is about a process. It simply seems that people in this thread are hoping to stifle the conversation because of the frequent unconvenient truths of their candidate that are currently being discussed.

[MineralMan]

14. Be sure to attend your county caucus meeting, then.

You'll find out when and where on the state's Democratic Party site. Few people ever show up to them, so your vote there can be crucial.

[upaloopa]

15. I think we all accept you're talking about

your candidate. It's the anti Hillary crap that will get KOed.

[MeNMyVolt]

9. K&R. But I wouldn't get my hopes up on TOS enforcement.

Without actual moderators, it will still be left to the juries, and they've never stuck me as being all that concerned about the TOS.

[MineralMan]

10. What I hope for is a common recognition of the

real goals of DU, which are to elect Democrats to office. The truth is that only the admins of this website can remove posting privileges permanently from DUers. In the end, it is always the decision of the admins. Only the admins enforce the TOS of this website. Juries are only supposed to hide posts that do not meet the site's community standards.

That's a common misunderstanding, I think.

[bigwillq]

16. Can't wait to vote for Bernie!

[MineralMan]

18. I hope everyone votes for his or her favorite.

The people will speak through their votes. The result will be the winning candidate for the nomination.

That's all that matters, really.

[lunamagica]

17. Can't wait! eom