Posted on 07/27/2010 2:40:29 PM PDT by Erik Latranyi
The Massachusetts Legislature has approved a new law intended to bypass the Electoral College system and ensure that the winner of the presidential election is determined by the national popular vote.
"What we are submitting is the idea that the president should be selected by the majority of people in the United States of America," Senator James B. Eldridge, an Acton Democrat, said before the Senate voted to enact the bill.
Under the new bill, he said, "Every vote will be of the same weight across the country."
But Senate minority leader Richard Tisei said the state was meddling with a system that was "tried and true" since the founding of the country.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
#24: The problem is, most people in this country think this is the right thing to do. They have never understood the Electoral College process. They don’t even understand what it means to be a Republic, not a simple Democracy.
If states end up doing this and the courts allow it, this will open the door for lots of fraud in voting.
Gee, I seem to remember a clause in the dusty old piece of paper called the US Constitution stating that each State shall guarantee a republican form of government.
It will never get 67 votes in the Senate.
Apparently they have a provision to ignore the law if a non socialist wins the popular vote
Considering the number of folks voting with their feet and bugging out of MA, more now than they'll have later.
But what about states that are mainly republican? If those legislatures pass a similar bill, then their votes would to to the Democrats, should the democrat win the popular vote. We must keep our legislatures from passing this bill!
I say, let ‘em pass it!
This scenario would be worth the entertainment value alone.
**Won’t that be funny to watch the next time a republican wins the popular vote...?**
It surely will - watching those folks choke on their own bile. giggle
You can bet that law will then be repealed as quickly as the Ted Kennedy succession bill.
Oh, heck yes. Laws in Massachusetts are temporary, at best.
Voter FRAUD will determine who wins."
That's pretty much what happens today....look at the Florida Fiasco and how an attempt was made by the Progressives (aka, Communists/Socialists) tried to steal the Presidential Election, and how Franken was illegally winning his seat.
The "SOS Project" (to win as many Secretary of State positions) was solely purposed to make sure a close election count resulted in the "Progressive" candidate winning, using whatever maneuvers were necessary to tilt the election.
A National Popular vote will merely mean that Flyover Country will not matter, and NY, CA, FL, etc. will simply pack the popular vote in their handouts' favor.
Same as All-Star Baseball is packed with CA and NY players due to sheer numbers, we will have Democrats/Progressives/Socialists forever elected in National Elections, period.
This will be the impetus for movements to seceed from the Union, as being merely the source of cash for handouts in the Big States and Big Cities (aka, cesspools) will cause the people in the small states to say "we're outa here...."
I'd like to think there isn't a Republican with more than two brain cells who would ever entertain the idea of swapping out the Electoral Collage for popular vote.
:)
The Electoral College compromise is the only reason the constitution was ratified.
The Electoral College can only be abolished by Constituional Ammendment
States are free to designate their electors anway they choose, even give them to some candidate that lost in their state, but their electors still must vote in the Electoral College if they are to be counted
More of the attempt to perform an end-run around the mandatory process required to amend the Constitution for such things; an amendment which I would also oppose if they tried that route.
What I don’t get with these nuts, is that the bare bones of their action is that their “law” tries to disregard the selection that results from their own voters, throw it out whether or not their voters chose someone else, and replace it with a decision some other “majority” made.
The Electoral College helps preserve the Federal nature of our republic. It ties the “popular” vote of individuals to the votes of the 50 states, as entities with Federal representation no less than individuals.
It also still (but not for long) prevents a small minority of states from electing a President on their own, just because, though only a few states, they have a large population.
A nation is not just “the people”. It is the land, the places, the regions, the states, the communities with all their distinct qualities and characters. To simply tie together the votes of the two coasts, add possibly Florida and a couple other states and, by such means achieve a “majority”, and consider it the “choice” of the nation would be a farce.
If anything, if the bi-coastal regions and a few other areas continue to have out-sized population increases, we may need an amendment to add an additional one or more Senators so that the Electoral College can continue to keep “a majority of the states” as what wins a Presidential election.
If these communist idiots are “bypassing” the electoral college, then why would they still be sending their electors to vote there?
RE: “But what about states that are mainly republican? If those legislatures pass a similar bill, then their votes would to to the Democrats, should the democrat win the popular vote. We must keep our legislatures from passing this bill!”
**************
I agree with you — there’s a REASON blue states are pushing so hard for this! Mark Levin is talking about it now and is livid!
The Socialist Democratic Workers Peoples Republic of Maryland strikes again.
“Bypassing” is a bad word. This isnt unconstitutional at all.
According to Article 2, Section 1:
“Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress..”
The Constitution says it is up to the state to decide how their electors are to be distributed.
States like Maine and Nebraska have split their electoral votes by congressional districts.
The States have a right to do this. It is perfectly constitutional.
Massachusetts to the rescue!!!
A state with a history of passing laws of political convenience.
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.