Season for Awards

‘Tis the season for awards, alas there will be winners and losers. In the next few days we have two award events, one is the Oscars and the other is the Super Tuesday primary/caucus election. The comparison of the two events is uncanny.

Oscars is when the movie world announces the winners of the best picture, actor, etc. etc. etc. and takes about four hours to do this. For months prior to these awards, members of the Academy of Arts and Science, receive DVDs of movies by the hundreds to watch. Then the 7,000 members have a chance to vote for Best Picture, etc.

To get this award, the movie must receive 50 percent of the votes, if not, the movie with the highest number will keep those votes and then the rest of the votes will be divided among the other movies and finally after many days, some movie will get the award.

Last year people started running for President, some did not run too far. The candidates didn’t send out DVDs like the movie folks, but they did flood the television, radio, and internet with ads. Then after many months registered voters get to go to the polls and vote for either a Republican or a Democrat or a Independent or a write-in, so you could just vote for yourself.

Right now the Georgia Super Tuesday ballot has 12-13 Republican candidates and four Democrats. Each candidate will receive their percentage of delegates to their national convention according to their percentage of votes. There are also other delegates who can vote for whoever. If this sounds complicated, stay tuned for the way the electoral college works.

So in both events, after millions of dollars have been spent to win, it comes down to the motto found on every one of those dollars and cents, “E Pluribus Unum,” Latin for “from many one.