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FEINSTEIN WILL MOVE TO ABOLISH ELECTORAL COLLEGE - (They'll never give in or give UP!)
USGOV.INFO.COM ^ | DECEMBER 27, 2004 | ROBERT LONGLEY

Posted on 12/29/2004 5:15:20 PM PST by CHARLITE

Amendment would provide for direct popular election
Dateline: December 27, 2004

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) has announced that she will introduce legislation to abolish the Electoral College system and provide for direct popular election of the President and Vice President when the Senate convenes for the 109th Congress in January.

“The Electoral College is an anachronism and the time has come to bring our democracy into the 21st Century,” Sen. Feinstein said in a press release. “During the founding years of the Republic, the Electoral College may have been a suitable system, but today it is flawed and amounts to national elections being decided in several battleground states.

“We need to have a serious, comprehensive debate on reforming the Electoral College.

"I will press for hearings in the Judiciary Committee on which I sit and ultimately a vote on the Senate floor, as occurred 25 years ago on this subject. My goal is simply to allow the popular will of the American people to be expressed every four years when we elect our President. Right now, that is not happening.”

In further denouncing the Electoral College system, Sen. Feinstein pointed out that under the current system for electing the President of the United States:

Candidates focus only on a handful of contested states and ignore the concerns of tens of millions of Americans living in other states.

A candidate can lose in 39 states, but still win the Presidency.

A candidate can lose the popular vote by more than 10 million votes, but still win the Presidency.

A candidate can win 20 million votes in the general election, but win zero electoral votes, as happened to Ross Perot in 1992.

In most states, the candidate who wins a state’s election, wins all of that state’s electoral votes, no matter the winning margin, which can disenfranchise those who supported the losing candidate.

A candidate can win a state’s vote, but an elector can refuse to represent the will of a majority of the voters in that state by voting arbitrarily for the losing candidate (this has reportedly happened 9 times since 1820).

Smaller states have a disproportionate advantage over larger states because of the two “constant” or “senatorial” electors assigned to each state.

A tie in the Electoral College is decided by a single vote from each state’s delegation in the House of Representatives, which would unfairly grant California’s 36 million residents equal status with Wyoming’s 500,000 residents.

In case of such a tie, House members are not bound to support the candidate who won their state’s election, which has the potential to further distort the will of the majority. “Sooner or later we will have a situation where there is a great disparity between the electoral vote winner and the popular vote winner. If the President and Vice President are elected by a direct popular vote of the American people, then every American’s vote will count the same regardless of whether they live in California, Maine, Ohio or Florida,” Sen. Feinstein said.

In the history of the country, there have been four instances of disputed elections where the President who was elected won the electoral vote, but lost the popular vote – John Quincy Adams in 1824, Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876, Benjamin Harrison in 1888 and George W. Bush in 2000. According to some estimates there have been at least 22 instances where a similar scenario could have occurred in close elections.

“Our system is not undemocratic, but it is imperfect, and we have the power to do something about it,” Sen. Feinstein said. “It is no small feat to amend the Constitution as it has only been done only 27 times in the history of our great nation.”


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; Philosophy; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: abolish; college; directvote; electionpresident; elections; electoral; electoralcollege; judiciarycmte; rats; senatebill; senfeinstein; sorelosers
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1 posted on 12/29/2004 5:15:22 PM PST by CHARLITE
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To: CHARLITE

That would be the deathnell for the Democrats. As it was, 100,000 votes in Ohio could have given John Kerry the election even with a 3+ million vote defecit in the popular vote. These DUmbasses can't see past their "election fraud" blinders.


2 posted on 12/29/2004 5:18:41 PM PST by speed_addiction (Ninja's last words, "Hey guys. Watch me just flip out on that big dude over there!")
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To: CHARLITE
Goin' nowhere.

Like it or not, Dianne, you're stuck with the flyover people.

3 posted on 12/29/2004 5:18:53 PM PST by dighton
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To: CHARLITE

Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous. The US will be a far, far, different place if they ever manage to pull this off. I would predict that it will change the US in ways that, in the end, the Democrats will hate.


4 posted on 12/29/2004 5:19:52 PM PST by Arkinsaw
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To: CHARLITE

So she wants to replace a few battle ground states with a few urban centers? Let's see, who resides in the states and who resides in the urban centers? I think things are just fine.


5 posted on 12/29/2004 5:20:09 PM PST by blue-duncan
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To: CHARLITE

As expected, the dictatorial-oriented Left will seek, once again, to eliminate one of the best systems in place to prevent mob rule from destroying our Republic. Let her go down in flames as other previous attempts by these lunatics have. Long live the Republic.


6 posted on 12/29/2004 5:20:12 PM PST by john drake (roman military maxim: "oderint dum metuant, i.e., let them hate, as long as they fear")
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To: CHARLITE

Undermining the Constitutional is all the National Socialist want to do. Time to get them out of office!!


7 posted on 12/29/2004 5:20:27 PM PST by 26lemoncharlie (Defending America)
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To: CHARLITE
Don't you mean "Frankenfeinstien"? She just can't stand not having a spotlight on her. I guess if it wasn't so sad, it would be "Hillaryarious"

[[groan]]

8 posted on 12/29/2004 5:21:10 PM PST by xcamel (Deep Red, stuck in a "bleu" state.)
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To: CHARLITE

Ha, the demwit knows how hard it will be for her party to win in the electoral college process in the future.


9 posted on 12/29/2004 5:21:59 PM PST by hope (GOP: It gets the Blue out.)
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To: speed_addiction
It will never never....ever happen. It's a non starter and I don't see why they waste their time. Unless it's for her constituents favor.
10 posted on 12/29/2004 5:22:44 PM PST by KoRn
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To: CHARLITE

You may not believe it but many Freepers apparently don't mind the idea.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1309093/posts

Amazing.


11 posted on 12/29/2004 5:23:38 PM PST by mcg1969
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To: CHARLITE

That's because unless we let California and New York vote for everybody in this great country they'll never see a DemocRAT in the white house again!


12 posted on 12/29/2004 5:26:45 PM PST by Bush gal in LA
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To: CHARLITE

It will never happen. There are too many small states whose representation in the Electoral College is larger in proportion to their population. Voting for this amendment would reduce their citizen's voting power. Why would they do that? Since an amendment needs 38 states to pass, it's just not going to happen.


13 posted on 12/29/2004 5:26:51 PM PST by mcg1969
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To: mcg1969
Is it just me or do the 'rats seem bent on self destruction.... I don't know if the electoral college needs to be revamped but a straight up popular vote might be a good thing. A true democracy is something that is achievable with todays technology.
14 posted on 12/29/2004 5:29:00 PM PST by Hu Gadarn
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To: CHARLITE

Just goes to show that if they can't get a judge to rule in their favor its times to declare the Constitution null and void.


15 posted on 12/29/2004 5:29:21 PM PST by taxesareforever
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To: CHARLITE

Obviously Diane knows better, than our Founding Fathers. (sarcasm)


16 posted on 12/29/2004 5:29:34 PM PST by FairOpinion
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To: 26lemoncharlie

You've got the right name for the Demo Rats = National Socialists. They want to abolish the U.S. Constitution. Maybe their next presidential nominee will look something like Adolph Hitler, or Josef Stalin? Demo Rats, Socialists and Communists have a lot in common.


17 posted on 12/29/2004 5:31:47 PM PST by foofoopowder
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To: CHARLITE
"FEINSTEIN WILL MOVE TO ABOLISH ELECTORAL COLLEGE - (They'll never give in or give UP!) "

It's almost as if they don't know they're losers!...Can they be that dumb?

18 posted on 12/29/2004 5:32:02 PM PST by patriot_wes
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To: CHARLITE
Democrats see their boat floating away.
They need to have elections that favor both coasts, and move aside those behind the times hinder landers.
Yes, Hollywood, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, New York are places destined for influence towards an enlightened USA.
Without winning a national election the Democrat's cherished priorities will stay put.
19 posted on 12/29/2004 5:32:23 PM PST by hermgem
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To: CHARLITE
Feinstein and other liberals are so blind. There is absolutely nothing that can be said to characterize the Electoral College as anachronistic that cannot also be said of the United States Senate.

As much as I would like to see Feinstein removed from government, abolishing the Senate is not something I would support.

If our Founders knew the mischief that would be committed by Congress, there would be three houses in the US legislature instead of just two and supermajority votes would be required for many classes of legislation.

20 posted on 12/29/2004 5:32:29 PM PST by William Tell
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