In all fairness the idea was to balance out the small population states versus large population states. My biggest problem with it is the apportionment based on raw population + 2, even if you do not vote your vote is counted and your vote if you do vote may actually go to the other candidate. Any way you look at it in that manner it is bad. But Bush beat Gore so that was good.
With a popular vote, the big (inner cities) would control the government and the rest of us would have no voice. Just a few cities have more than half America's population. The liberals know that and are pushing this, along with trying to allow felons to vote.
In all fairness, the only genuine argument against the Electoral College is that it is "undemocratic".
That is exactly why it exists. It is part of what makes us a republic. Changing to the direct election of Senators was bad enough, but that's another story.