The candidates for the Democratic Party are: Hilary Clinton her polotical initiavties are to strengthen the middle class, to provide affortable healthcare, ending the war in Iraq, restoring Americas standing in the world, strenghtening our democracy, reforming our immigration system, and so much more. John Edwards is also running. There are three major initiatives John Edwards wants to focus on. They are standing up for regular families(health care, poverty, tax reform, morgages, ect.), Restoing Americas leadership role in the world is another, and the last major initiative is investing in our future and our communities. Mike Gravel is another person who is running for president under the democratic party. Mike Gravels initiatives are the war in Iraq, heping Global warming/Climate change, healthcare, immagration, education, and human rights are all the big topic that Mike wants to focus on. Another person running for president under the democrate party is Dennis J. Kucinich. Dennis J. Kucinich has many issues he wants to focus on but the main topics are strength through peace, having a healthy nation, survival of the middle class, having a sustainable future, end poverty, and saving capitalism. Barack H. Obama, Jr is yet another person running in the democratis party. Obama also has many initiatives but the most improtant ones are civil rights, the economy, education, Energy and the enviorment, healthcare, homeland security, the war with Iraq, poverty and so much more. The last person running in the democratic party is William Richardson. William's main issuse are the war with Iraq, AIDS, Darfur, education, the enviorment, and immagration.The many canadites who are running for the Republican party are:Rudolph Giuliani has a few major initiatives cutting taxes, education, energy independence, healthcare, immagration, and the war in Irag. Mike Huckabee is another person who is running for the republican party. Some of his major issues are faith and politics, education and art, taxes, and marrage. Another person running is John McCain. His initiatives are stragites for winning the war in Iraq, Government spending, ethics reform, and the enviorment. Ron Paul is another person running for te repuvlican party. His main initiatives are Debt on taxes, war and forgein policy, life and liberty, the second admendment, no taxes on tips, home schooling, and rasim. Mitt Romny is another person running. His main initiavtives are keeping americans safe, ending energy dependence, ending illeagl immagrents, reducing healthcare coasts, and education. Fred Thompson is the last runner running for the republicans. A Caucus is a closed meeting of party members within a legislative body to decide on questions of policy or leadership. It's the lowest level of party politics — the real grassroots. These meetings, held in each of the state's nearly 1,800 precincts, typically draw anywhere from a handful of people in rural areas to hundreds in suburban areas. They are here to help the citizens choose who will have been able to have a convention and to show who the favorite in the presidential election.The National Convention for the Republican party will be held in Chicago on June 2, and on August 25-28 for the Democratic party. These are held to nominate candidates and the candidates for President and Vice President are determined here for each party.According to the United States Constitution, a presidential election is to be held once every fourth year. The process of electing a President and Vice-President begins long before Election Day. Candidates from both major and minor political parties and independent candidates begin to raise money and campaign at least one year in advance of the general presidential election. In order to officially represent a political party, a candidate must be nominated by that party. The nominating process officially begins with the first state primaries and caucuses, which usually occur in the month of February of the election year. It is at these local events that voters are given their first chance to participate in electing the nation’s next President. Once at the national party conventions, the delegates from the states cast votes for the person who will represent the political party in the November general election. In order to secure a party’s nomination, a candidate must receive a majority of the votes from the delegates. It is not unusual for delegates to vote several times before one candidate secures the majority of the votes and officially becomes that party’s candidate for the election to determine the next President of the United States. The candidate for President then must choose a vice-presidential candidate. Generally, a running mate is chosen that will in some way balance the party’s ticket for the general election. This balance may be geographic and the balance is intended to make the overall general election ticket of a political party acceptable to as wide a range of voters as possible.
(http://bensguide.gpo.gov/9-12/election/primary.html).The public is exposed to candidates by we re-elect presidents every four years using the election process. First the candidates get nominated for President nd Vice President form each party. Then for eight to ten weeks the candidates go to the public to tell them of what they are going to do in office and to get voters to vote for them. Then in November, the voters go to the voting polls to vote for electors who in turn vote for the President and Vice President. Next the Electoral College votes on the President and Vice President. The candidate that gets the vote majority or 50% or more wins the election. If no one wins majority the House of Representatives votes to determine the President. Besides election techniques, the canduidates get known through the media on talk shows, and news, speeches, and rallies.The presidential election is not broken because people are still very honest and they vote for the person who they believe is best suited for the job. It can be a populaity contest but it is nothing like the voting like on America Idol and Survivor.