Posted on 05/31/2006 3:09:09 PM PDT by BurbankKarl
Six years after Democrat Al Gore won the popular vote but lost the presidency to Republican George W. Bush, there's a new move afoot in the California Legislature and other states to ensure that such things never happen again.
The linchpin is a proposed "interstate compact," designed to guarantee that presidents will be selected by popular vote, without amending the U.S. Constitution or eliminating the electoral college.
Assemblyman Tom Umberg, a Santa Ana Democrat who chairs the Assembly Election and Redistricting Committee, said the basic premise is understandable even to children.
"When you're in first grade, if the person who got the second-most votes became class leader, the kids would recognize that this is not a fair system," he said.
Umberg's Assembly Bill 2948, proposing such a compact, passed the Assembly's elections and appropriations committees on party-line votes, with Republicans opposed.
"We have a system that's worked effectively for more than 200 years," said Sal Russo, a GOP political consultant. "We probably should be very hesitant to change that."
John Koza, an official of National Popular Vote, which is pushing the proposal, said sentiment has not split along party lines in other states.
"I don't think anyone can convincingly put their finger on any partisan advantage," said Koza, a consulting professor at Stanford University.
Though Republicans disproportionately benefited from the electoral college in 2000, when Bush edged Gore despite getting 544,000 fewer votes, Democrats nearly turned the tables four years later.
(Excerpt) Read more at contracostatimes.com ...
...And God Created California!
In the Beginning....
God was missing for six days. Eventually, Michael the archangel found him, resting on the seventh day. He inquired of God. "Where have you been?"
God sighed a deep sigh of satisfaction and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, "Look, Michael. Look what I've made."
Archangel Michael looked puzzled and said, "What is it?"
"It's a planet," replied God, "and I've put Life on it. I'm going to call it Earth and it's going to be a great place of balance."
"Balance?" Inquired Michael, still confused.
God explained, pointing to different parts of earth. "For example, northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth while southern Europe is going to be poor. Over there I've placed a continent of white people and over there is a continent of black people,"
God continued pointing to different countries. "This one will be extremely hot and while this one will be very cold and covered in ice."
The Archangel, impressed by God's work, then pointed to a land mass and said "What's that one?"
"Ah," said God. "That's California the most glorious place on earth. There are beautiful beaches, deserts, streams, hills, and forests. The people from California are going to be handsome, modest, intelligent and humorous and they are going to be found traveling the world. They will be extremely sociable, hardworking and high achieving, and they will be known throughout the world as diplomats and carriers of peace."
Michael gasped in wonder and admiration but then proclaimed, "What about balance, God? You said there would be balance!!!"
God replied wisely, "Wait until you see the idiots I put in Sacramento."
I don't think I'd have to travel that far to find one.
Mark
I think the last time their was such an interstate compact designed to get around the pesky Constitution it was called The Confederacy.
Of course the concept of the electoral college is a little more complicated, thus children coming up through the ca public school system and democrats will have a hard time comprehending it
Yes. The Electoral College discourages regional candidates in several ways. It also moderates the effect of a regional disaster (like a hurricane suppressing votes in the east or south), and limits the effects of vote fraud (massive fraud in Florida doesn't directly affect Georgia).
They are so stupid (and ignorant of the Constitution) that they are even going so far as to call it "an interstate compact"! They aren't even using some weasel words to make people think it's not an unconstitutional compact among states.
Well, f-ck, why not just dissolve all of the states and have one central Politburo running the entire nation. That's worked well before.
If the voters in a few heavily populated states could determine the outcome (because they would determine the popular vote) wouldn't Presidential candidates pander to urbanized areas and ignore rural states?
You mean blue cities and red states?
Exactly.
;).
From the real party of corruption, of coarse.
Compact? - me arse!
The frist time that the GOP wins an election with this, it's a sure bet that it will be quietly rescinded the next sessions by the dems.
It's a crap proposal, a crap idea, and not enforceable. The idea of this is akin to throwing fuel on fire. It could lead to serious disruptions.
Why then the most corrupt state finds enough votes for the candidate they like. Being pro-corruption, the Democrats favor such a system. They don't like photo IDs either.
No, 3/4ths of the states need to approve Amendments to the US Constitution. In short, it'd never pass.
What an idiot. James Madison explained this very well in Federalist Paper #11. It's all about avoiding the tyranny of faction. Most kids learn this in High School but this guy must have gone to public school in California.
Are interstate compacts like this constitutional?
Oh, were that still so. See ya on the WONA threads.
Yet as long as that idea is still out there, "Keep Hope Alive!"
And how many folks in the heavily republican Florida pan handle didn't vote when the state was called for Gore before the polls closed there?
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