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Math Against Tyranny
Discover Magazine ^
| Sept. 30, 2004 (Originally the Nov. 1996 Issue)
| Will Hively
Posted on 10/03/2004 6:06:44 PM PDT by Paleo Conservative
click here to read article
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To: prairiebreeze
21
posted on
10/05/2004 8:25:25 AM PDT
by
Mo1
(So tell us Senator Kerry .. why do you think giving Iran nuclear fuel is a good idea ??)
To: Paleo Conservative
The electoral college also helps to protect us against fraud by sealing off each state from every other.
If we had a direct, popular election, cheating in one or two states that were already heavily partisan (with, say, Democratic governors and attornies general) could affect the election as a whole.
If there was another close election (like Kennedy/Nixon), and one candidate wanted a recount, he could demand it from every single precinct in the country--because picking up an exttra vote, anywhere, would benefit him.
22
posted on
10/05/2004 8:38:15 AM PDT
by
xm177e2
(Stalinists, Maoists, Ba'athists, Pacifists: Why are they always on the same side?)
To: Paleo Conservative
23
posted on
12/14/2005 12:50:38 AM PST
by
Gordongekko909
(I know. Let's cut his WHOLE BODY off.)
To: yooper
Hooray! Finally, a scientific defense of the Electoral College. My father, a historian AND a mathematician, always maintained one of the College's purposes was to prevent the wild political swings that often cause political unrest. Mr. Natapoff's findings seem to verify Dad's long held theory.
24
posted on
12/14/2005 1:19:17 AM PST
by
singfreedom
("Victory at all costs,.......for without victory there is no survival."--Churchill--that's "Winston")
To: AzSteven
25
posted on
05/08/2006 10:16:28 PM PDT
by
AzSteven
To: Paleo Conservative
Wow thanks for posting this! Can't wait to show this to my husband!
26
posted on
05/08/2006 10:17:56 PM PDT
by
BamaGirl
(The Framers Rule!)
To: Paleo Conservative
Excellent article, indeed - with one tiny exception not germane to the argument:
"Similarly, a spin of the roulette wheel isn't really random. The laws of physics, the shape of the ball, the currents in the air, and other factors will all determine where the ball lands. But a gambler can't calculate those factors any more than a voting booth can know which candidate an individual voter will choose."
The gambler can indeed calculate these factors, and has:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&isbn=0595142362&itm=1
27
posted on
05/08/2006 10:38:36 PM PDT
by
decal
(My name is "decal" and I approve this tagline)
Comment #28 Removed by Moderator
To: yooper
Show me someone who condemns the electoral college process and I'll show you an idiot who didn't pay attention in American History..... I regret to say that I used to be one of those idiots. Fortunately before I was able to vote I came to the realization that no, the majority isn't always right. Now I'd like to repeal the 17th Amendment. (It's conveniently located next to the 16th; just keep going with the whiteout).
To: Rocko
31
posted on
01/18/2008 6:00:44 PM PST
by
Gondring
(I'll give up my right to die when hell freezes over my dead body!)
To: Paleo Conservative
One big advantage of the electoral system is that it tends to focus candidates into keeping people evenly happy with them all across the country, rather than being able to get enough support in narrow niches to win the popular vote
It works best under a two-party system, which tends to avoid the possibility of a candidate winning with much less than a majority. One dramatic example of minor parties splitting the vote was the Election of 1860. Lincoln only won 39.8% of the popular vote, with his voters concentrated in the North. The Southern vote was split among three parties. Lincoln won in an electoral landslide.
The result was a bloody civil war.
32
posted on
01/18/2008 6:21:34 PM PST
by
SauronOfMordor
(When injustice becomes law, rebellion becomes duty)
To: xm177e2
If we had a direct, popular election, cheating in one or two states that were already heavily partisan (with, say, Democratic governors and attornies general) could affect the election as a whole. In Pennsylvania, there's evidence of massive cheating in Philadelphia, which tipped the state as a whole into the Dem column. Good luck prosecuting Philly fraud with a Dem governor
33
posted on
01/18/2008 6:25:05 PM PST
by
SauronOfMordor
(When injustice becomes law, rebellion becomes duty)
To: Paleo Conservative
34
posted on
01/18/2008 8:25:25 PM PST
by
ken21
( people die + you never hear from them again.)
Comment #35 Removed by Moderator
To: Paleo Conservative; DuncanWaring
36
posted on
06/16/2008 12:04:22 PM PDT
by
Paleo Conservative
(1984 was supposed to be a warning not an instruction manual!)
To: Paleo Conservative
Thanks for the update Paleo! This he is some GREAT reading, for all us wannabe math heads.
37
posted on
07/08/2008 11:16:57 AM PDT
by
Paradox
(Politics: The art of convincing the populace that your delusions are superior to others.)
To: Paleo Conservative
I am totally amazed that with the number of people today who claim to be "politically smart" have no clue about how and why the Electoral College works.
- Traveler
38
posted on
07/12/2008 7:48:59 AM PDT
by
Traveler59
(Truth is a journey, not a destination.)
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