I guess the NYT would rather have presidential candidates offer political handouts in America's largest cities and tell everyone in flyover country to go to hell.
Exactly. If the EC were abolished, no GOP candidate could ever again be elected President, barring some economic catastrophe like in the Carter years. The campaign would be centered around the national media markets of L.A, Chicago, and NYC. Guess who comes out ahead? Its not about making every vote count, its about making it easier for a liberal Democratic presidential candidate to ignore the rest of the country. And that is why the EC will remain intact as a political institution.