GET RID OF BILL NELSON INSTEAD
Posted on 06/07/2008 9:55:32 PM PDT by Dawnsblood
The U.S. would no longer use the Electoral College to choose its presidents under a proposal introduced Friday by Florida's Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.
Instead, presidents would be picked by popular vote, a method that would have given former Vice President Al Gore the White House after the contested 2000 election.
"It's time for Congress to really give Americans the power of one person, one vote," Nelson said in a statement.
But changing the system requires a constitutional amendment and a meat grinder of legislative tests.
First, Congress must approve the idea, and then 38 state legislatures must ratify the change within seven years. Even if it succeeds, a change likely wouldn't come until the next decade.
"Election reform is always a subject that gets people's attention, but it's always more difficult to do than people anticipate," said Susan MacManus, a political scientist at the University of South Florida.
The problem is twofold, she said. Throughout U.S. history, the idea of eliminating the Electoral College has been opposed by whichever major party would be put at a disadvantage. Smaller states also have resisted the change because it diminishes their influence in presidential races.
(Excerpt) Read more at orlandosentinel.com ...
bump
Geez, the Democrats and the Popular Vote. If they’re so enamored of the Popular Vote why are they nominating a guy who lost the Popular Vote in their own primaries?
The Dems will pump up turnout in the big cities and win national elections if these changes happened.
And has anyone explained why state legislatures other than New York, California, Texas and Florida would agree to make their states irrelevant in presidential elections?
Imagine that..... A democrat Senator believes he knows better how to preserve the Republic than the founders.
This ass clown is dangerous.
They simply can’t leave well enough alone.
Nelson left the better part of his thought processes on his Space Shuttle mission...
Not necessarily so. Campaigning is done based on the electoral college. It would have been an entirely different game had they known it would be strictly on popular vote. I don't say that it wouldn't have been so, just that it's not the slam dunk the say it is.
Changing it at this stage in our country's history and development would be just one more step in dissolution of the greatest nation in the history of the world.
Feelings...
They should have introduced Nelson to the airlock on the Space Shuttle mission he bribed his way onto.
But....
I would not support it unless:
1. The polls were opened for 24 hours and at the exact same time in every state. IE open at 0100 in NY, 0200 in IL, 0300 in CO, 0400 in CA an so on. And close of course at the exact same time 24 hour later.
2. ANYONE caught conducting exit polls would be subject to election tampering charges and serve 1 to 5 years in prison if convicted.
3. Any Media outlet “Projecting” winners/losers in election returns PRIOR to the closing of polls would be subject to same said Election tampering charges and prison terms.
4. Primary elections would be conducted in the same manner except 3 or 4 primary elections would be held monthly starting with the first Tuesday in April with the parties choosing how they would weed out the non-contenders before their conventions. Caucuses would be outlawed.
5. Surely others could come up with some more good ideas to make 1 man 1 vote a viable alternative to the Main Stream Media, the New Hampshire voters, and the Iowa Caucus Controllers picking the Presidential candidates for the whole country.
Another demented Washington politician yearning to tinker with the Constitution.
Three quarters of these freaks need to retire before they do any more damage to the country.
A few more times I would guess :)
Tell this to your Dem friends: You live in Massachusetts.
Under the electoral college, Obama wins the state and gets
the electoral votes. If he puts together the right coalition of states, small or big, he is elected.
But suppose McCain gets more popular
votes nationally. Obama won Mass. but it doesn’t matter because McCain won more pop. votes nationally. If electoral college is banned, and pop votes only counted, McCain’s in, in
that example. How does it feel, Dems?
2004 election; suppose there’s no elec college
Final
Bush 62,040,610
Kerry 59,028,444
Bush still wins.
But smaller states don’t get ignored in
the campaign. Obama could lose the popular vote but still
get in via electoral votes, if he puts the right states
together.
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