I.                  The People in America DO NOT Choose the Next American President By Direct Popular Vote

In order to understand the importance of last night’s, Iowa State Caucus, one must first understand the American electoral process.  As an American sociologist, I think few American citizens actually understand whereby a candidate i.e., Mitt Romney, becomes the next, President of the United States of America through the electoral process; so allow me to briefly explain.

During the Constitutional Convention, America’s Founding Father’s, explored several methods of choosing a president:

1) have the Congress choose the president;

2) have the State Legislatures select the president;

3) elect the president by a direct popular vote (this is the process by which most Americans think the American president is chosen but are sadly mistaken); and several others.

The prevailing suggestion was to have an  Electoral College Comprised of Electors select the American president through an indirect election instead of merely making the next American President the person merely possessing the majority of votes  from the American public (U.S.citizens).

The way it works is this:  The Electoral College  is comprised of electors from each state. Each state is allocated a certain number of Electors equal to the number of its United States Representatives, plus its two senators (in CA the total electoral votes is 54 and in Iowa it is only 7). So it is much more important for say, a candidate such as, Mitt Romney, to win the majority of votes in the States of California, than it is for him to win the state of Iowa.

The political parties in each American State of the Union submit a list of individuals pledged to be their candidates for president. This must be equivalent to the number of electoral votes each particular State has and send it to that State’s chief election official, For example in the State of California, this official is, the Secretary of State. Each party determines its own way of choosing it selectors or presidential candidates.

Congressional members, as well as employees of the Federal government are prohibited from serving as State Electors. Then, after each the political parties hold their state caucuses (such as the one held in Iowa last night), and after each states hold their primaries, the major political parties in American (being primarily the Republican and Democratic Party’s), then each nominate their political candidate to run to be the next person to be the United States President.

The names of all the major presidential candidates are then submitted to each of the state’s chief election official (in California is it the Secretary of State) as these names will henceforth appear on the general election ballot during the next election.

On November 2 during the next presidential election, all American registered voters in each state then cast their ballot for their choice to hold the Office of President and Vice President. This is the part of the electoral process most Americans are familiar with.

 Whichever presidential candidate obtains the majority of popular votes in a State wins all the Electors for that state, except for the states of Maine and Nebraska (they award electoral votes proportionately). Then, on a predetermined date in December, each state’s electors meet in their respective state and cast their electoral votes (one for President and one for Vice President). So it is not the people who decide who the next American President will be, it is the Electoral Colleges comprised of your State Electors who chose.

Each state Elector cast’s at least one of their two votes for a person outside of their state in order to prevent the election of a president and vice president from the same state (however, the presidential and vice presidential candidates choose each other as running-mates and are on the same ticket in the popular vote).

Then the electoral votes are sealed and sent to the President of the U.S. Senate and are then read aloud to both Houses of Congress in January when the presidential candidate with the most electoral votes – 270 or more – and over one half of the total vote of 538 is declared president.

If no one candidate receives an absolute majority of electoral votes, the U.S. House of Representatives selects the President from the top three vote-getters and in January, the elected president and vice president are sworn into office.

II.               Pro's and Con’s of the Electoral College

In its two-hundred year history, the Electoral College has received its share of criticism and praise. The following is a list of some comments made by supporters and opponents of the Electoral College.

Pro's:

     Requires a distribution of popular support to be elected president and the winning candidate must demonstrate both sufficient popular support to govern as well as a sufficient distribution of that support to govern.

The Electoral College strengthens the status of minority groups , the votes of small minorities within a state may make the difference between winning all of a state’s electoral votes or none of them.

It enhances the political stability of the nation by promoting a two-party system, protecting the US presidency from impassioned  third-party movements, forcing the major parties to absorb the interests of minorities.

It maintains the federal system of government and representation.

Con's:

There is a possibility of electing a president who does not have a majority of direct popular support of the Americans who voted.

There is great risk of having “faithless” Electors and Electors who won’t be loyal to their party or candidate.

The Electoral College may depress voter turnout because each state is only entitled to only so many electoral votes regardless of voter turnout, so there is no incentive for states to encourage voter participation.

It does not accurately reflect the national popular voters will because it does not elect a candidate by a direct popular vote.

In the past 125 years, there have been three occasions when a presidential candidate won the popular vote, but lost the election: in 1876, Samuel J. Tilden won the popular vote, but Rutherford B. Hayes won the electoral vote, and, therefore, the election; and in 1888, Grover Cleveland won the popular vote, but Benjamin Harrison won the election. Most recently, in 2000 Al Gore won the popular vote, but George Bush was elected President.

III.            How many electoral votes does each state have?

AL: 9, AK: 3, AZ: 10, AR: 6, CA: 55, CO: 9, CT: 7, DE:9, DC: 3, FL: 27, GA: 15, HI: 4, ID: 4, IL: 21, IN: 11, IA: 7, KS: 6, KY:8, LA: 9, ME: 4, MD: 10, MA: 12, MI: 17, MN: 10, MS: 6, MO: 11, MT: 3, NE:5, NV: 5, NH: 4, NJ: 15, NM: 5, NY: 31, NC: 15, ND: 3, OH: 20, OK: 7, OR:7, PA: 21, RI: 4, SC: 8, SD: 9, TN: 11, TX: 34, UT: 5, VT: 3, VA: 13, WA:11, WV: 5, WI: 10, WY: 3

IV.            The Iowa Caucuses: What They Really Mean to Romney?

In order to be elected the next, President of the United States of America, the candidate must appeal to the majority of the American voting population. This goes without saying since the winner obtains the majority of American votes.

I don’t really know why for the life of me, Republican hopeful, Mitt Romney, is so excited about coming in first last night at the Iowa Caucuses. Why? Because his win in Iowa tells him, he will not win the majority of American votes elsewhere he needs to become the next American President because Iowa is NOT at all representative of the American majority. Let’s take a look:

Examine the Iowa’s Demographic breakdown here:

http://www.infoplease.com/us/census/data/iowa/demographic.html White Persons in Iowa comprise 94.9 % of the total population, Black persons are only 2.3% of Iowa’s population and American Indians and other nationalities comprise even less a percentage of Iowa’s citizenry. This is hardly representative of the majority of the majority making up the rest of average American citizens. To see the demographics of the entire country, check this link out http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06000.html This tells us by state demographics, the voters, Mitt Romney, will necessitate obtaining votes from IF he is going to become the next United States President. And, when examining the data, we see from the State of California for example. A State in which is known most candidates must win IF they win the Presidential Office, is comprised of not only a very different population comprisal insofar as race, but also is a State in which is much more important owing to possessing more electoral votes. And in California, middle and upper class wealthy white persons only make up about 54% of the population as of the country’s last Census. Can, Mitt Romney, continue his “roll” and become the next United States President (?) If so, he will have to prove he will give every American, no matter their race, religion, sexuality and/or bank account holdings, a better standard of living then they have now during Obama’s presidency. And also, the Electoral College as aforementioned, must chose him; not only the majority of direct voters in America.

          Furthermore, was not a matter of sexual preference that Barbara Bachmann came in sixth place last night. She lost most likely owing to her bigoted attitude in referring to gays and lesbians “evil people,” her view against abortion, and because she wants to overturn Obama’s national health care program granting every American the basic human right and need to obtain medical care. I saw this owing to the matter of fact in Iowa, the population is just about equal with half citizens being male and half being female. No one seemed to like Barbara Bachmann of either sex.

          Regarding, Ron Paul, who came in third. He will never win the United States Presidency because it is obvious the country is not ready to “get rid of all government.” And “getting rid of all government,” eventually is what  his http://www.lp.org/platform Liberatarian Party has as its ultimate goal “one day,”to be rid of Government altogether! Just read there campaign Platform at the aforementioned link if you doubt me. Their Preamble has in it “Libertarians would phase out the current government-sponsored Social Security system and transition to a private voluntary system. The proper and most effective source of help for the poor is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals. We believe members of society will become more charitable begins.”  I actually met with the Vice President of the Liberatarian Party once in Tarrytown at the Headquarters there and he told me, “Yes Jill, I not only want to do away with Social Security altogether, I want to get rid of the entire government agency in America!” When I asked him who and what would be responsible for maintain law and order in America, under such circumstances, he did not have any answer for me. So while, Ron Paul, has lots of little teenagers wanting to legalize drugs  hoping he will become the next United States President, it is truly doubtful he will be. The Electoral College would never allow it!

Insofar, as Newt Gingrich, there is nothing much impressive to say about him. He is merely another Conservative Republican who believes in protecting big billionaires at the expense of balancing the American budget by cutting social security, Medicare and every other Social Service Program existing today such as Food Stamps to protect those whom no fault of their own may one day find themselves in necessity of temporary and/or permanent assistance such as myself who worked for years and paid taxes into the tax system before becoming disabled. It is a cold hearted affair to be a Conservative Republican!

I personally witnessed America’s future posterity, people between the ages of 20 and 30 years old be turned down at State Hospitals because they have and cannot afford health insurance. My dear friend in her third year of undergraduate college at William Paterson University (my own college I graduated) cannot obtain the student loans she formerly had owing to Republican backed bills to cut student loan funding, and had to drop out completely this year before graduating next year. Now she cannot find work, and cannot repay her student loans in addition to being homeless without e employment, and, these are the persons, Newt Gingrich, will hurt further if elected President!  American can not become the great country economically it once was, IF its future posterity are sick and uneducated, something the Republicans just are too retarded to understand! And, Newt, is one of them!

I personally have never voted in America, but, I am going to vote during the next election and I personally endorse, President Barack Obama. He has been the only President, once elected, who had the guts to move forward with radical “changes” the first day forward!

I am a Pacifist and although I did not agree with the bombing of Lybia as I was against the bombing of Serbia in 1999, when assessing the greatest good that each future candidate for American president promises us, Obama has shown and proven to do the MOST AMOUNT OF HUMAN GOOD FOR AMERICAN CITIZEZNS INSOFAR AS GAURANTEEING HEALTH CARE AND SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS ALTHOUGH TAKE A TOLL ON THE AMERICAN BUDGET, OBAMA KNOWS THEY ARE NECESSARY TO KEEP AMERICAN POOR STRUGGLING PEOPLE ALIVE AND GIVE THEM NOT ONLY A CHANCE A LIVING A BETTER LIFE, LIVING A  LIFE. WITHOUT OBAMA AND HIS STRONG BELIEF INSOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS SUCH AS FOOD STAMPS, STUDENT LOANS, EXTENDING UN-EMPLOYMENT PAYMENTS/INSURANCE FOR THOSE OUT OF WORK, ENTIRE FAMILLIES WOULD BE LIVING IN THE CARS, SICK AND DIE NATIONWIDE!

This is wherefore, I, Miss Jill Louise Starr, a champion of Human Rights and Basic Human Needs, for all Humanity, chose to endorse, Barack Obama to continue into 2012 as US President. And moreover, I am helping get votes for Obama by getting this message out to my friends in the inner cities such as, Paterson New Jersey, whom  usually also such as myself never vote.

My friends say if I ask it of them, they will vote, and they will vote for Obama in the Housing Projects etc..and this I personally believe will comprise enough people to rock the vote for Obama to win the next Presidential Election!

By Miss Jill Louise Starr