Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Dissenters in GOP rethink Electoral College [Fred Thompson joins those trying to destroy it]
The Washington Times ^ | June 2, 2011 | Valerie Richardson

Posted on 06/03/2011 7:25:02 PM PDT by EternalVigilance

Popular-vote pact picks up steam

A once-sleepy movement that would upend the Electoral College, reverse two centuries of constitutional practice and elect presidents by direct popular vote has quietly picked up momentum in recent days, with Republican Party leaders scrambling to stanch a steady stream of defections by GOP state lawmakers to the plan.

*snip*

Under the idea introduced in 2006 by Stanford University consulting professor John Koza, states that join the NPV compact pledge to give all of their electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote - even if a majority of the state’s voters supported another candidate. If a group of states with an accumulated tally of 270 electoral votes - the bare majority - sign on, the practical effect would be that the popular-vote winner instantly becomes the Electoral College winner as well.

*snip*

A rash of Republican state legislators have signed on as co-sponsors and even sponsors of this year’s spate of NPV bills. At a May 12 news conference, two prominent Republicans — former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee and former Gov. Jim Edgar of Illinois — endorsed the compact.

“We’re perpetually kind of rolling the dice in presidential elections in this country and risking electing someone who didn’t get the most votes,” Mr. Thompson said at the event. “It’s an unnecessary risk.”

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Front Page News; US: Illinois; US: Tennessee
KEYWORDS: 2001; 200numbnuts; 201106; ec; elections; electoral; electoralcollege; electoralvote; electoralvotes; fred; fredthompson; illinois; jimedgar; johnkoza; nationalpopularvote; popularvote; stanford; stanfordu; stanforduniversity; tennessee; thompson
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 101-120121-140141-160161-177 next last
To: Farmer Dean

I’m probably a pretty small minority here, but if it is done correctly, I would be in favor of popular vote determination, though it should ONLY be done by Constitutional Amendment.

What was the purpose of the Electoral College in the first place? To choose wise individuals who would then work out the best candidate, thereby avoiding being slaves to the passion of the moment. But with electors now obligated to follow the dictates of the popular vote in their own states, the whole point of the system is erased. Now it only serves to confuse and make things more complicated than they need to be while encouraging cynicism.

Dare I say something positive about French elections and the way they are held? Everyone votes, the votes are counted and 15 minutes after the polls close, we know the winner. If nobody gets 50.01%, there is an immediate runoff between the top two just 2 weeks later, which ensures that the winner gets a majority of the citizens’ votes. In our elections, we have a system in which it has become rare for a candidate to get an actual majority, inviting false flag parties, mischief-makers and lawyers (please excuse the redundancy) to distort the result. Look for big-time false-flag Tea Party candidates in the 2012 elections, just to scatter and dilute the conservative vote. It is going to happen.


121 posted on 06/04/2011 11:25:42 AM PDT by cookcounty (Sarah: We love her..we love her not,..we love her..we love her not.....we...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: cookcounty
"What was the purpose of the Electoral College in the first place? To choose wise individuals who would then work out the best candidate, thereby avoiding being slaves to the passion of the moment."

I thought a second reason was to prevent smaller states from becoming totally irrelevant. If we went with a straight popular vote, wouldn't candidates just focus their attention on larger cities (even more than now)?

122 posted on 06/04/2011 11:37:23 AM PDT by Flag_This (Real presidents don't bow.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 121 | View Replies]

To: EternalVigilance

Another temptation to ‘change’ the Constitution. The electoral college was envisioned by the Framers as one of many checks and balances on the concentration of too much political power. Then it was larger states numerical advantage over the smaller states. As many here have posted, it is as valid today as it ever was, maybe more so. And the concept applies to in-state governance as well. Each state of the union has at least one large city, and as every body knows, states like Illinois are led around by the nose by Chicago, a political entity not many of us revere.


123 posted on 06/04/2011 11:43:46 AM PDT by corvus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BillyBoy

I find it troubling that you feel that way about the Founding Fathers.


124 posted on 06/04/2011 11:59:29 AM PDT by conservativebuckeye
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 108 | View Replies]

To: VRWCmember

This is the thought that occurred to me. Can states individually abrogate Constitutional requirements to have electors? Correspondingly , can electors as Constitutionally designated for States give one States voters to to another or more? Sounds like something one would expect out of Russia in 1917 or Germany in 1932 maybe it is.


125 posted on 06/04/2011 11:59:41 AM PDT by noinfringers2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: muawiyah
“Why should I show you anything.”

To give me some some sense that you are not just making numbers up out of whole cloth, that's why. The total number of votes cast in all states in the last presidential election was about 129.5 million.

126 posted on 06/04/2011 12:42:26 PM PDT by SoCal Pubbie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 120 | View Replies]

To: TCH

Nixon on Thompson: ‘Dumb’ but ‘Friendly’

October 09, 2007 9:06 AM
Fred Thompson has made much of his role 30 years ago as a young Senate lawyer helping to lead the investigation of the Watergate scandal and President Richard Nixon.

But a much different, less valiant picture of Thompson emerges from listening to the White House audiotapes made at the time, as President Nixon plotted strategy with his aides in the Oval Office.

Thompson’s job on the Watergate committee was to lead the Republican side of the investigation. He was appointed by his mentor, Sen. Howard Baker of Tennessee, who is now co-chair of Thompson’s 2008 presidential bid.


127 posted on 06/04/2011 2:09:22 PM PDT by itsahoot (We make jokes, they make progress. Progressivism, Support Palin, or get used to it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: VRWCmember
Each state can choose to award its electoral votes however it likes, BUT that decision must be on its own.

Two words, Faithless Electors.

128 posted on 06/04/2011 2:19:25 PM PDT by itsahoot (We make jokes, they make progress. Progressivism, Support Palin, or get used to it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]

To: stilloftyhenight
Since they are overwhelmingly Democrat Socialist.
129 posted on 06/04/2011 2:26:25 PM PDT by itsahoot (We make jokes, they make progress. Progressivism, Support Palin, or get used to it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 63 | View Replies]

To: Grumplestiltskin; conservativebuckeye
“That’s exactly why the left wants this. They want inner city thugs to control us.”

Actually I think they only want the inner city thugs to put them in power, then they will rule over us.

130 posted on 06/04/2011 2:31:54 PM PDT by itsahoot (We make jokes, they make progress. Progressivism, Support Palin, or get used to it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 81 | View Replies]

To: Tzimisce
Anything else is just corruption on a Grand Scale....

Like that s a new concept?

131 posted on 06/04/2011 2:35:01 PM PDT by itsahoot (We make jokes, they make progress. Progressivism, Support Palin, or get used to it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 94 | View Replies]

To: SoCal Pubbie
Look, you are missing the point. You should go back and rethink your position. IF California can cheat like crazy and show 150 million people voting, and has no requirement for voter ID, and that wins a hypothetical popular direct election for President, they'll do it.

You have a very corrupt government in California at all levels. They'll cheat.

132 posted on 06/04/2011 2:47:15 PM PDT by muawiyah
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 126 | View Replies]

To: The_Reader_David
...require all states to adopt the Maine/Nebraska system of apportioning one elector to the winner of the popular vote in each Congressional district, and two electors to the winner of the popular vote state-wide.

I would be in favor of that, it would prevent the constant loss of Republican/conservative EVs that occur in the "winner take all" blue states. For many of us in blue states, it is painful to see all of the EVs go to the Dim candidate even from districts that are always red.

133 posted on 06/04/2011 2:50:28 PM PDT by zzeeman ("We can evade reality, but we cannot evade the consequences of evading reality.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies]

To: Farmer Dean; EternalVigilance
Insanity.WTF is wrong with Fred?

God, I don't know ..... they're twisting his arm somehow? The man is a constitutional scholar -- he knows better than this! He knows the practical effects, too. It'd make the blue hellhole cities absolute kingmakers.

Maybe he couldn't stand George W. Bush? Al Gore went to some Tennessee pals and they got something on Fred?

134 posted on 06/04/2011 3:17:23 PM PDT by lentulusgracchus (Concealed carry is a pro-life position.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Blood of Tyrants
I would prefer a single day when ALL the candidates were voted on by ALL the states.

The Electoral College used to do just that. The Electors represented the States, not some candidate.

135 posted on 06/04/2011 3:19:58 PM PDT by lentulusgracchus (Concealed carry is a pro-life position.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: hellbender
And yet a large contingent here at FR thought Fred Thompson was the second coming of Ronald Reagan, and ignored the real conservative in the race—Duncan Hunter.

Sorry about your disappointment, but Duncan Hunter got ignored by everybody. The reason? He was a good man, but he was a small man. No clout, no swing, no pull, no friends. Nothing.

Sorry.

136 posted on 06/04/2011 3:22:56 PM PDT by lentulusgracchus (Concealed carry is a pro-life position.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]

To: EternalVigilance; P-Marlowe

These people don’t have a clue what the electoral college was all about.

If one notices that the word “political party” appears absolutely no place in the US Constitution, nor does two-party system, nor does “campaign”, ... then it is imperative that the person figure out HOW the electoral college operated in the absence of “parties” and “campaigns.”

And therein lies the divinely inspired genius of the Founders when it came to selecting a president.


137 posted on 06/04/2011 5:08:37 PM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain & proud of it: Truly Supporting the Troops means praying for their Victory!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lentulusgracchus

I was talking about the process to select the candidate. Why the hell should we let Iowa and New Hampshire and a couple other states be the ones who select our candidate?


138 posted on 06/04/2011 5:30:01 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (Islam is the religion of Satan and Mohammed was his minion.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 135 | View Replies]

To: xzins

Absolutely.


139 posted on 06/04/2011 5:41:27 PM PDT by EternalVigilance (Some of us still 'hold these truths to be self-evident'..Enough to save the country? Time will tell.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 137 | View Replies]

To: Theodore R.
Palin like McPain is for open borders, something her backers seem to forget.

That is absolutely not true, and I've got the quotes to prove it.

140 posted on 06/04/2011 5:52:23 PM PDT by lentulusgracchus (Concealed carry is a pro-life position.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 89 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 101-120121-140141-160161-177 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson