“We could do this in Florida, Ohio and Virginia also, even though we would win these states in an even-up election.”
My reply is coming in late in the thread, but I’ll post it anyway.
I think you err in your supposition that we can continue to win the above states in “even-up” elections.
All three of the above are reaching “the tipping point”. They are going to flop over from being [former] red states to “leans blue” or perhaps even “solid blue”.
If a candidate as leftist as is Obama could win them TWICE, after four years as disastrous as the last four have been, then a more palatable ‘rat candidate should have them in his/her pocket in the years to come.
If all three of these states had been on the “proportional electoral vote” system prior to the election, our side would have been much more competitive. This doesn’t mean we would have been guaranteed a win in the Electoral College — but the odds would have have been much less in the ‘rats’ favor.
The right needs something to counteract the “National Popular Vote” push by the left. Just saying “the existing system works” will not be enough. Going to a “proportional electoral vote” system would be a good “foil” against NPV by the left.
However, I’m a realist. The odds of making this change are pretty much against us. The left _knows_ the implications of switching to a proportional EV system in blue states — they would lose power, and will do what it takes to preserve winner-take-all in those states.
No matter how we slice it, the future looks less than bright for conservatives on the national scale. I wish this weren’t so, but that’s the way I see things.
The margins in Ohio and Virginia were about the same as the nationwide margin. The margin in Florida less. (We’re not in control of the process in Colorado, but the margin there was similar to the nationwide margin.)
If you’re point is that the country leans blue, well doesn’t it alway when the other side wins. The permanent majorities sometimes are rather permanent (as in the Republican advantage in Presidential from 1860 to 1928, and the Democratic advantage in Congress from 1932 to 1996). But, we’d normally expect political parties to shift around on issues so as to be competitive.
On the other hand, if you’re saying that the U.S. is becoming a welfare nation, so that even the Republicans have to cut deals (e.g., with voters over 55), yes, you may be right, and the country - which is headed down the tubes - may have to crash and burn before it can be re-constructed. The coming hyperinflation may be just the enema this country needs.
To paraphrase de Toqueville, America is no longer great because it is no longer good. Even though the country is no longer among the best countries in the world, it is still worth fighting for. We can still turn this country around. But, ask me whether this country is worth fighting for in four years.