Nevada Caucus

Iowa Democrats flipped a coin to break their caucus deadlocks, but today’s caucus is in Nevada:

“‘In these very limited circumstances where two or more presidential preference groups are tied for the loss or gain of a delegate, groups must each draw a single card from a deck of cards to break the tie. The high card determines the winner, and aces are high.’

The party will furnish each precinct location with an ‘unopened deck’ to be shuffled ‘at least seven times’ after extra cards, like jokers, are removed. If the two sides pull cards of the same rank, the winner will be determined by suit: spades are the highest, with hearts, diamonds and clubs — in that order — to follow.”

–“Nevada Democrats will break caucus ties with high-card draw,” Gregory Krieg, CNN

–“Here’s how the Nevada caucuses work,” Michelle Rindels, AP via PBS Newshour

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Short Link: http://wp.me/p6sb6-neE

Image (“Nevada Caucus, after Cassius Marcellus Coolidge”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Remote Control: Congressional Drone Caucus

Drone aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs, have battled in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Yemen, and, now, the United States House of Representatives. While it’s been flying under the radar until now, Congress has a Drone Caucus, officially the Unmanned Systems Caucus.

Congress has spent $12 Billion on UAVs since 2009, an amount that will increase dramatically now that domestic use of drones has been approved. Most of the new drones flying in the U.S. will be used for border security. Twenty-one congressmen from border states belong to the Drone Caucus, and the big drone manufacturers have donated around $1 Million to their campaigns. Expect that amount to ramp up, too.

More:

“The Drone Makers and Their Friends in Washington,”Jill Replogle, KPBS

Iowa Matters. For a Day. Every 4 Years.

Tonight in Iowa, citizens will huddle in 800 little groups to determine which Republican Presidential candidate they would prefer as a dinner partner. The Iowa Caucus process has not changed much over the years except for the inclusion of womenfolk and Republicans with dark complexions (if the latter can be found in Iowa).