Posted on 12/23/2008 4:37:28 PM PST by CalifScreaming
According to this story in the Tampa Tribune of December 22, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson will again introduce a constitutional amendment in January, to abolish the electoral college. Nelson had introduced it in June 2008 as SJR 39, but it made no headway.
SJR 39 is worded this way: “Sec. 1. The President and Vice President shall be jointly elected by the direct vote of the qualified electors of the several States and territories and the District constituting the seat of Government of the United States. The electors in each State, territory, and the District constituting the seat of Government of the United States shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the legislative body where they reside.
Sec. 2. Congress may determine the time, place and manner of holding the election, the entitlement to inclusion on the ballot, and the manner in which the results of the election shall be ascertained and declared.”
(Excerpt) Read more at ballot-access.org ...
Well it would save a lot of carbon credits. After all only about 4 states would be required to get the win.
He is doing it right. No court rulings or backdoor deals.
Of course, he’s unlikely to get 3/4 of the states to ratify it.
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it!
The end of America already happened with the 17th amendment.
This is all window dressing.
I always thought he flew one shuttle mission too soon.
Once again, these morons think they’re smarter than our Founding Fathers. The only way you can prevent California and New York from deciding our presidential elections is the Electoral College. But, hey, we’re about to seat a Kenyan-born, illegal alien as president, so to hell with the Constitution. Libs know better.
Sheesh. It’s a proposed amendment. Not the first time being that the 12th amendment changed presidential voting by the electoral college in 1804 and the 23rd gave electors to DC. in 1961.
I don’t want to see the EC go away but “we (or they) the people” have that choice to ratify it.
Go to hell, Bill.
No, more like 6 cities
You really need to think this through a bit more.
Since I am uneducated, why is the method incorrect?
Now is NOT the time to remove the mechanism set up to prevent mob rule by the most populous states....
Gee if California and NY get to pick our president, does that mean they will pay all the taxes too? Oh, and contribute their “fair share” (fav lib term) to manning the us military. I mean, it seems inequitable that most troops come from the southeast.
Didnt the RATS just win an election? whats the fuss?
So Nelson thinks he’s smarter than James Madison. Well, I got news for him, he’s not, not by a long shot.
In the Congress we have today - there are NONE wise enough to question the wisdom of our founders..
NONE.
“The only way you can prevent California and New York from deciding our presidential elections is the Electoral College”
Texas has more people than New York, and Florida will surpass New York in 2012. I agree it doesn’t need fixing, and that’s the argument - not the Calif/NY thing.
That deserves Post of the decade if there were ever to be such a thing.
Well said!
“Sheesh. It’s a proposed amendment”
Democrats nationwide are pushing for this.
Sounds to me like desperate attempts to skirt around the POTUS eligibility issue.
Whats next, a military coup? Though I doubt Hussein O will get much support from American Armed Forces.
I am almost able to accept concepts of out of the blue scenarios right now manufactured by Obamas handlers, something massive to divert attention away from his dual citizenship problem.
Imagine a presidential race being fought like the current Franken/Coleman race in Minnesota? We could be without a President for years of litigation.
People who belive the Federal Government is the be all end all hate the electoral college. People who realize that the Federal Government was created by the states (not the other way around) believe in States rights and favor the electoral college.
“I agree it doesn’t need fixing, and that’s the argument - not the Calif/NY thing.”
I know, but I was just stating that two large populated states could control our presidency forever unless we had an electoral college.
The method is correct, the intent is evil. " Doing the right thing" should not apply in this case as he is attempting to hoist us on our own petard.
“U.S. Senator Bill Nelson will again introduce a constitutional amendment in January, to abolish the electoral college. Nelson had introduced it in June 2008 as SJR 39, but it made no headway.”
Well, don’t do a half-assed job of it, Nelson. Include in your amendment that the U.S. Senate should have its seats apportioned based on population. Both the two senators per states, and the electoral college come from the same need to compromise when the union was formed. Or, heck, just abolish the U. S. Senate and base everything purely on population and popular vote: a U. S. House only and popular election of the president.
Why? Congress has the authority to do this, if they wish.
Just like any citizen can ask for a change in the law. For example, robbers can petition the legislature to make robbery legal.
only 3/4? omgosh.........how many stupid blue states are there?
Strap him alone on to The0ne’s last Shuttle out of KFC.
0riginal or Extra Crispy?
That's a good start... we'd still have to do the same to Congress. Nothing is safer than an ineffective feralfederal government.
/johnny
Ths load of crap thinks he represents me.
If this ever did change, the smaller states would become insignficant regarding presidential elections.
Now, many of them become important in the election.
We do not need NYC, LA, Chicago, and a few other major cities determining the president.
The Founding Fathers had more sense than the entire crop of politicians in Washington.
Leave it alone, Senator Nelson.
Sorry. Just a clarification.
Senator Bill, being so much smarter than all the Founding Fathers, smarter than Sam Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington, smarter than Thomas Payne and John Adams and Benjamin Franklin...
Or not.
It’s time to do away with the electoral college. And the sooner, the better.
Sec. 2. Congress may determine the time, place and manner of holding the election, the entitlement to inclusion on the ballot, and the manner in which the results of the election shall be ascertained and declared.
Four reasons for why this particular proposed will never be adopted (not that there aren't more reasons):
1 - The balance struck by the Electoral College would be destroyed.
2 - Every Presidential election would have the entire country be one giant Florida.
3 - This proposal would allow the Territories to vote in Presidential elections.
4 - This proposal would transfer over to the Congress the authority the States have over Presidential elections.
No it isn;t time to get rid of it. It is about states’ rights, and having a larger base of people candidates have to be concerned about, rather than just a few states or a few big cities.
And besides, since when has an idea that a whole bunch of democrats wanted been a good one? Why are you so on board to give them what they want? You think they know better about the Electoral College than the founders?
Whyever do you say that?
The Founding Fathers had good reasons for employing the Electoral College, as opposed to direct popular election.
Do you know what they were?
Why are they no longer applicable?
This of course would require an amendment to the Constitution, a process which our Founding Fathers wisely made difficult. If they had not invented the Electoral system, a candidate could ignore the views of millions of voters in smaller states. He could campaign almost exclusively in the big states and major cities, and get elected. Voters who are residents of states such as Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Kentucky, West Virginia, Delaware, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire would be completely disenfranchised. If this were to happen, we would no longer have a republic of 50 sovereign states. We would have mob rule.
Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) displays his ignorance of the Constitution and his lack of understanding of how our republic was originally formed.
1 word
ACORN
He is a real moron. They could never get the votes from the small states to ratify.
Senator Bill Nelson.... ready for the next Senate session
to Introduce Amendment for Direct Election of President.
The 17th Amendment broke it. Need to start over, but that will never happen.
Who cares? The Constitution has been dead for some time now. But dare I say you won't find one man in this country willing to fight for its return. Too many "risks".
Certainly an elaboration of the justification of that that post/rationale is forthcoming.
Please ping me to it.
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