GOP Trying To Rig The Presidential Election (Now George "Slumberin" Skelton Has Lost It! Alert)

Los Angeles Times ^ | 09/03/2007 | George "Slumberin" Skelton

[goldstategop]

The chutzpah award for this summer has a runaway winner. It's the small team of Republican operatives trying to rig the 2008 presidential race.

"Rig" means tilting the playing field to assure continued Republican occupancy of the White House -- perhaps for a very long time.

The GOP would do this by ending the winner-take-all system of parceling out electoral college votes in Democratic-leaning California. Instead of all 55 of California's electoral votes being awarded to the candidate who wins the popular vote statewide -- presumably the Democrat -- they'd be divvied up by congressional district. Whichever candidate carried a congressional district would get that district's one electoral vote.

The 53 congressional districts are mostly Democratic, but at least 20 favor Republicans. In fact, President Bush carried 22 in 2004. So the GOP scheme would seize 20 or more electoral votes that otherwise would go to the Democratic nominee. That's tantamount to losing Ohio.

The two other California electors, pegged to the two U.S. Senate seats, would be awarded to the winner of the statewide vote. ...

There's a Democratic suspicion that the GOP operatives realize their rig job is doomed, but are moving ahead anyway to force Democrats to spend millions.

But 2008 isn't exactly looking like a banner year for Republicans. You've got to wonder why they'd want to waste millions on a likely losing cause. Chutzpah can be costly.

[goldstategop]

OK... so we know the Los Angeles Times Sacramento Bureau Chief George "Slumberin" Skelton is a hardcore Lefty who hates conservatives and all things Republican. But I had to laugh this morning when he blew his stack over the Thomas Hiltachk initiative to institute a district formula method used in Nebraska and Maine to award Electoral College votes for decades. He decries it as "chutzpah" and says the GOP will lose for trying to grab 22 electoral votes in a Democratic-leaning Blue State. How un-American! How unfair! How dare those nasty conservatives to try to take away the White House from her appointed Royal Highness, Hillary Rodham Clinton! I get a rise out of seeing a grossly biased Lefty panicked this morning. That is worth all his fulmination... if its going nowhere, why give it publicity? Oh George, this is good - the CAGOP needed that big time!

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Vanders9]

“Rig” is a very strong word to describe a process of electoral reform. Even if it does favor the GOP, you could argue that for years and years now a democrat candidate have been steamrollered.in against the wishes of the republican dominated 20+ districts.

[Darkwolf377]

he GOP would do this by ending the winner-take-all system of parceling out electoral college votes in Democratic-leaning California.

I could have sworn in 2000 the leftists were screaming to end the electoral college, that we needed to pay attention to the individual voices of The People.

Now, when a change that will give more power to individual districts, more power to COMMUNITIES, they call it a GOP conspiracy to rig an election?

[freekitty]

I see the dimwits have started their old mantra of the electorial college is bad junk.

[goldstategop]

It gets even better. Dear old George says this that he would never accuse the Democrats of:

"This is about an attempted Republican theft."

Right George, we're in the business of stealing elections. Democrats just win them honestly. Pinch me - is this guy living in the Twilight Zone or what? The truth is exactly the reverse and he knows it. Apportioning electoral votes FAIRLY is hardly theft. Only a Lefty gone berserk would resort to such a slander of the Republican Party.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[goldstategop]

If it keeps Hillary out of the White House, its amusing how Lefties are suddenly against fairness. Dear old George knows its all about her and all about presidential politics. I love how something so simple can get them all foaming at the mouth!

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[SAJ]

Goldie, c'mon. The Republican proposal in your state isn't about fairness; it's about power, as are almost all ballot proposals in any state.

48 states operate on a 'winner-take-all' system for their presidential electors, 2 use the proportional, district-based scheme. Neither system is ''right'', it's what the states, severally, have decided to do, as is their right under the Constitution.

Sure, the district-based scheme would favour the 'Pubbies (duh!), but if this proposal is unsatisfactory to the citizens of California, all they need do is vote it down.

Given that California seems to have a preponderance of 'Rats among the electorate, I'd have a VERY hard time believing that the electorate will approve this ballot measure. Heck, even if they do, you absolutely KNOW that the Calbanian legislature and/or the Ninth Circus (which, Constitutionally, has utterly no jurisdiction upon this question...which won't stop them for a NY taxicab minute) will find some pretext by which to block its enforcement.

In short, this is possibly the ultimate non-story story. Ain't gonna happen. Might as well write about an invasion of Oxnard by the Squilorish (nasty outer-space buggers, dontchaknow).

[Doctor Raoul]

For Pete's sake, hasn't this halfwit heard that Hillary wants to do exactly what he's railing against?

Poor bastard is going to be SO conflicted when he finds out about that.

[goldstategop]

You'll recall the local federal district court blocked the recall election in 2003 only to be reversed by the Nine Circus. Harry Pregerson and his gang wanted to take the decision out of the hands of the people of California on facetious grounds - for their own good, of course. I have no doubt some liberal judge or the Nine Circus will find a way to squash the Hiltachk initiative in the event it passes. Still, if this is a non-event, its amazing to see Lefties up in arms about it. You have to wonder what they're afraid of.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

but are moving ahead anyway to force Democrats to spend millions.

What a joke show me a democrat that has to be forced to spend millions ! they don't nor are they forced to spend anything ... Remember it's not your money it's theirs to spend on whatever crook that begs their walk of course Now the Republicans are turning out to be cut from the same soiled cloth !

[goldstategop]

I had no idea honestly - the Democrats have to spend millions to defeat democracy. All the more ironic as they claim to embody democracy in their party's title.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[JohnLongIsland]

if it was up to the libs there wouldn’t even be an election just a coronation.

[Lancey Howard]

Hah! I read the thread title and was sure that the story was about the GOP “rigging” the election by doing everything in its power to make sure Hillary gets the rat nomination.

[goldstategop]

Exactly. If Hillary can't win all of California's electoral votes, she's doomed. No way the Left allows the GOP to sabotage her White House hopes with a dastardly initiative!

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[goldstategop]

Nah - they would name her President For Life like Hugo Chavez - if they could do it.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Lancey Howard]

If Hillary can't win all of California's electoral votes

Hillary cannot win, period. I would be floored if she even won Massachusetts.

[Smartaleck]

Winner take all is the exception not the rule. Election to the Senate is the only exception. All other “winner take all” elections have been deemed unconstitutional...”trees don’t vote, according to the SC.

Throw out LA and the bung hole surfers of SF and the state is pretty much Republican.

[mountainlyons]

Getting rid of the Electoral College would favor the Rats. The Electoral College was a compromise between small high population states and large less populated states so that the high population states would not ride rough shod over the larger states. The rats could win most elections this way and the less populated states would be in trouble. Klinton got around this by hiring a shill that took votes away from the main opponent to insure victory but only won with a 34% vote. Thanks Perot.

[doug from upland]

What about the other states trying to do this?

[weegee]

As opposed to some states (liek Massachusetts) wanting to use thier illegal immigrant population to determine the number seats they should get in the House of Representatives???