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Let's do the math for real (call to drop the electoral college)
Atlanta Journal Constitution ^
| November 9, 2004
Posted on 11/09/2004 12:43:37 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
The mini-drama that played itself out Wednesday morning over Ohio's vote was eerily reminiscent of the turmoil in Florida that greeted the nation four years ago. And while the suspense was short-lived and the results clearer in Ohio in 2004 than in Florida in 2000, it should never have happened.
The time has come after the second election in a row where the results in one state ultimately determined the outcome of the election for the nation to drop out of the Electoral College.
President Bush amassed a 3.5 million-vote margin nationwide over Sen. John Kerry, and at the same time garnered the most votes ever cast for a presidential candidate. That should have been enough to seal his victory.
Yet a swing of 1 percent of Ohio's more than 5.5 million votes cast would have put Ohio's 20 electoral votes in Kerry's column, made him president-elect, and pushed the 2004 campaign into the same demoralizing funk that inflicted the electorate for the past four years when Democrat Al Gore won the popular vote contest but lost the Electoral College.
Confidence that every vote counts is a bedrock principle of American democracy, even if, as a republic, our Constitution binds us to the anachronism of voting for electors rather than candidates. The old reasoning that the campaigns would ignore small states and spend all their time and money in the largest, voter-rich states simply no longer holds true.
Instead, the candidates spent the campaign in a dozen or so states where polls showed the race was closest. In the end, the votes cast by 1.8 million Georgians for the president were worth much less than the 2.8 million he got in Ohio.
For the better part of 50 years, polls have indicated a majority of Americans think the Electoral College is outdated. After two close elections where its existence has contributed to voter distrust of the system, it's time to end it.
TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: election; electoralcollege; liberalagenda; popularvote; states; statesrights; votes
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To: MortMan
"Can I vote for a dimocrat for pooper-scooper? They just seem so natural at the job ;-P"
NO!!! He might be drafted by the 'rats' to be Hillary's running mate!
41
posted on
11/09/2004 5:47:12 AM PST
by
cricket
(Don't lose your head. . vote Republican. . .)
To: cricket
To: Cincinatus' Wife
We are NOT a Democracy.
We are a Constitutional Republic.
Study our Constitution before you make such wild and crazy statements.
43
posted on
11/09/2004 6:40:51 AM PST
by
vannrox
(The Preamble to the Bill of Rights - without it, our Bill of Rights is meaningless!)
To: Darkwolf377
I've been told that we "became" a democracy in the 1940's, when liberals started calling us a democracy. Or when we passed the 17th amendment. No we have two people's houses.
To: Cincinatus' Wife
Imagine the following scenario:
We elect Presidents based on popular vote.
Bush wins with a popular vote margin of 5000 votes.
Kerry demands a recount in all 50 states
Kerry contests the vote count in all 50 states.
If you though Florida 2000 was a circus you would have the time of your life with this one. And the Democrats would always win because they have the vote manufacturing systems in place to win the close ones. They could get the votes they need in the most convenient places: Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco ...
To: Cincinatus' Wife
Problems with getting rid of the EC:
- Fraud writ large. A few thousand "votes" in Chicago could change the entire election and Republicans in Iowa could do nothing to remedy it.
- Endless streams of candidates. The prize of the presidency will be too hard for any two bit publicity hound to resist. Even an Australian instant runoff won't solve it. Too many peoples' second choice will be another third party loser. We'd have to have a runoff. I don't want a runoff.
- Non-uniform voting standards. We'd have to have a department of elections on the national level just to keep things straight. Lots of potential corruption.
- Campaign by TV. A candidate would never have to travel anywhere. He could campaign wholly through television ads in a few select markets. This would allow the candidate to avoid scrutiny and contact with the press. No wonder Hillary wants it.
- Short campaigns. The primary system weeds out weak candidates like Howard Deans and Alan Keyeseses. With a popular vote system, they can bypass this process, stand for the general election and have a very good chance of winning. See Ross Perot.
To: Cincinatus' Wife
Oh great, so instead of having to recount a couple of million votes in a close election, we'll have to count over 120 million ballots instead. Yeah that sounds like a good idea...NOT!
47
posted on
11/09/2004 6:51:25 AM PST
by
dfwgator
(It's sad that the news media treats Michael Jackson better than our military.)
To: Cincinatus' Wife
The old reasoning that the campaigns would ignore small states and spend all their time and money in the largest, voter-rich states simply no longer holds true. Instead, the candidates spent the campaign in a dozen or so states where polls showed the race was closest Precisely because of the Electoral College, you dolts.
Only a liberal could screw up the application of a fact this badly.
48
posted on
11/09/2004 6:52:16 AM PST
by
dirtboy
(Tagline temporarily out of commission due to excessive intake of gin-soaked raisins)
To: Cincinatus' Wife
It will never happen.
Let the liberals tilt at this windmill for a couple generations.
It'll keep them from attaining more realistic goals.
49
posted on
11/09/2004 6:52:29 AM PST
by
dead
(I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
To: Cincinatus' Wife
I got a better idea.
Decide the election by the number of square miles of counties won.
50
posted on
11/09/2004 6:54:07 AM PST
by
N. Theknow
(DU, Michael Moore, Hollywood, etc. are all dogcrap on the Shoe Of Life)
To: Cincinatus' Wife
And while were about it, we just should allot Senators by state population. It's unfair that NH has two senators and so does CA. (do I need the sarcasm tag?)
51
posted on
11/09/2004 6:54:25 AM PST
by
SCALEMAN
(Super Cards Fan)
To: Cincinatus' Wife
For the better part of 50 years, polls have indicated a majority of Americans think the Electoral College is outdated.And for the better part of 215 years, the Electoral College has been a bulwhark against the tyranny of the majority in a pure democracy. The libs can whine all they want, but there ain't enough small states willing to ratify an amendment that will diminish their influence and dismantle a key protection against larger states.
52
posted on
11/09/2004 6:54:30 AM PST
by
dirtboy
(Tagline temporarily out of commission due to excessive intake of gin-soaked raisins)
To: Cincinatus' Wife
Great idea: Let allow a few urban areas, the NE Corridor, Chicago, LA, and few others to totally dominate the rest of the country and determine its policies.
NOT.
53
posted on
11/09/2004 6:57:13 AM PST
by
Little Ray
(I'm a reactionary, hirsute, gun-owning, knuckle dragging, Christian Neanderthal and proud of it!)
To: michigander; Walt Griffith
....but the Senators kept getting drunk, so they passed Prohibition? ;>)
54
posted on
11/09/2004 7:04:01 AM PST
by
Ready4Freddy
(Carpe Sharpei !)
To: Cincinatus' Wife
"Confidence that every vote counts is a bedrock principle of American democracy,"
Only one vote counts. The one that puts you ahead of the other guy.
And, naturally, the same can be said of EVs. And States. In 2000 the State that mattered was FL. In 2004 it was OH. The only reason OH wasn't called much earlier for President Bush was because the media wanted to extend the drama. The election was over long before OH was called.
55
posted on
11/09/2004 7:04:10 AM PST
by
calenel
(The Democratic Party is the Socialist Mafia. It is a Criminal Enterprise.)
To: Cincinatus' Wife
Why is it that we only hear of this when the Dem's lose?
56
posted on
11/09/2004 7:09:39 AM PST
by
Only1choice____Freedom
("Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks,"-President Bush)
To: Cincinatus' Wife
I still like the Mundt Plan. One vote for each Congressional District and two for each State. Fraud in one district only one EV directly and two at most.
57
posted on
11/09/2004 7:11:15 AM PST
by
Doctor Stochastic
(Vegetabilisch = chaotisch is der Charakter der Modernen. - Friedrich Schlegel)
To: Cincinatus' Wife
"On tonight's "America Votes" we we come to the end of our televised election. Districts T through Z casts their votes! The tension builds as the representative of the District of Tennessee, stretching from the mighty Mississippi to the northern Atlanta suburbs to the outskirts of Knoxville comes to the podium"
"This is so exciting Regis! Democracy in action, live on TV!"
58
posted on
11/09/2004 7:12:36 AM PST
by
mrsmith
("Oyez, oyez! All rise for the Honorable Chief Justice.. NOT Hillary Rodham Clinton ")
To: Cincinatus' Wife
Since this can only happen if 3/4ths of the states vote to change the Constitution, this is a silly pipe dream on the part of the losing libs. The states with smaller populations know that 3 or 4 states would run the country, and obviously, that with the exception of Texas, they would be blue states. Fugeddaboudit. It will never happen.
To: Doctor Stochastic
One vote for each Congressional District and two for each State.Not a bad idea, but it'd have to be implemented uniformly all at once.
60
posted on
11/09/2004 7:46:46 AM PST
by
Chemist_Geek
("Drill, R&D, and conserve" should be our watchwords! Energy independence for America!)
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