This morning a report came out that Trump is on track for getting a lower percentage of the popular vote than Romney did. He's not taking it well.
Not surprisingly, he's in favor of the Electoral College (this morning anyway - he was opposed to it before).
Truth should never be obnoxious, your input is long overdue That's very interesting - and enlightening. And Time Magazine just came out with an article talking about this very thing: The Troubling Reason the Electoral College Exists It seems that the EC does more to defend backward (if not downright evil) views more than it does to protect good ones. The Constitution outlined a lot of things that have been scrapped over time, the EC should probably be next.
Wait ... we should get rid of the Electoral College because it supports slavery? I don't think Trump is quite that bad.
I think the point is that Trump won the election despite the fact that he was promoting sentiments that were anti-Latino, anti-black, anti-Muslim and anti-women. He won because a lot of people in the bible belt either shared these views or chose not to oppose them (which is almost as bad). While a majority of Americans rejected Trump, the structure of the EC allowed him to win anyway. So the argument seems to be that the EC does more to protect backward views (the extreme case being slavery) than to fight against them. I have to admit, it's a pretty good case. However, I still contend that any change in the EC now would lead to very unpleasant results, not the least of which could be widespread armed revolt. I guess the question we should be asking ourselves is: would eliminating the EC be worth the cost?
"However, I still contend that any change in the EC now would lead to very unpleasant results, not the least of which could be widespread armed revolt. I guess the question we should be asking ourselves is: would eliminating the EC be worth the cost?" We're not that far from it I'm afraid
Unless you count the south as part of the "east coast," Trump DID win the E.C. without the coasts (generally understood to mean the west coast and the northeast). Even though Clinton won some of the "flyover" (midwest/CO/NM).
I do. It's a pet peeve of mine that the "east coast" only accounts for the northern third of the Atlantic coastline in common usage; it's an even smaller portion of the total if we start to consider the coastal areas that face the Gulf. Just another example of New York thinking it's the center of the universe
I agree, but I was talking about the common parlance. If you ask South Carolinians if they consider themselves part of the "east coast," most would probably be horrified to think so. And certainly, when political pundits talk about winning the "east coast," they're not talking about South Carolina either.
And on the flipside, I once had a southern California native tell me that she considered Colorado to be east coast, so it's all a matter of interpretation...or something... EDIT: I think that plays more into the east coast/west coast rivalry that only seems to exist in the minds of people out west. Nobody on the eastern seaboard seems to think much about the west coast in their daily life, since it really just doesn't matter
As someone who's lived on both coasts, I can tell you: NY'ers pretend the west coast doesn't matter, but they know it does and are kind of bothered by it. There's this bravado that "no place but NY matters," but deep down they know CA is just as cosmopolitan, just as smart, etc. etc. (but has better weather) and it bugs them. The rivalry is in their minds too - that's why they're always putting down CA and don't even bother with, say, Nebraska. Now Nebraska really doesn't matter to them (and should).
For sure the Republicans. It has worked too well for them the past 16 years. Went to the mountain to decompress. No TV or WIFI for 5 days. Reading this over, as well as after much contemplation while away has given rise to this question. Are we These United States or The United States? The constitution states: "We the People of the United States..." I find these to be very different though more and more I hear These United States. Plural rather than singular. My Senior History teacher taught us that it was The United States and I agreed with him. But what I am seeing makes me believe we have become These United States.
IF the Electoral College stays, ALL states need to change their votes from all or nothing to proportional. I'm still leaning towards doing away with it. No other Federal offices use it.
I'll just quote FDR's Fireside Chat from 1936 “I do not look upon these United States as a finished product. We are still in the making.” Apparently, still relevant.
Yep! And that is what some of us are aspiring toward. Yes, kind of like “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world. It is something that will never be finished. Something that I can keep developing and adding to.” I get pissed when they change something I love and I am pissed now! Some of it is being old. My father died when Clinton was President and Gore was ahead in the polls. My mother got to vote twice for the first African American President and died content while he was in office. I do not want to die feeling this despondent. Even though my husband and I will feel little effect of this atrocity ourselves; I despair for my children and grandchildren. Yes, it is part of the process/growth but why now?!? Don't they know how important this is to ME?!!? (Over punctuation and sarcasm intended.)
I will use California as an example as they have the most Electoral votes. The San Francisco Bay area, Los Angeles and San Diego areas represent the biggest population areas in the state and tend to vote Democratic, while the rest of the state tends to vote Republican. Why should the Republican parts of the state not have a voice in electing our president? Now, I tend to vote Democratic, however I want it to be fair for all, not just one party.
I'm not arguing with you, but I got the impression you wanted to award electoral votes proportionately AND eliminate the EC. My point was that both accomplish the same thing.
