But if the Republican is the popular vote winner, it doesn’t matter what the vote is in California. By law, all the electoral votes go to the Republican, thanks to the legislature’s paranoia that the 2000 election could happen again.
I can just see them scrambling to undo that particular piece of legislation when a Republican wins the popular vote.
Not so. Cali may have passed that law, but generally speaking (not ABSOLUTELY sure about Cali) those laws have a provision that they don't go into effect till the same law is passed in states with electoral votes totaling 270 or more. That way, they don't give up the influence that comes with a winner-take-all system until enough of the entire nation is on a majority vote system to elect the winner.
I actually heard some guest who claimed to be conservative shilling for this idea on a supposedly conservative radio talk show in Salt Lake City a couple weeks ago. Jerry Doyle I think was the host. It boggled the mind. Every analysis I've seen says this would give every national election to the liberals and cheaters (but I repeat myself) forever thence, with no chance of rolling it back. I can't imagine two conservatives pushing it.
The National Popular Vote bill that California has enacted would not go into effect until states with 270 electoral votes enact it. It is now 49% of the way, with 9 jurisdictions with 132 electoral votes.