October 24, 2004
The battle for more than the presidency
Listening to Drudge this evening, and he quoted a poll which stated 56% of persons polled want the Electoral College disbanded. Can you imagine the implications of this in future elections?
All future presidents would be picked, essentially, by the urban areas on each coast. We in the fly-over states would be "disenfranchised" by such a move. Rural states, smaller urban areas in the heartland would completely lose their voice in national politics.
Scary? You bet. I, for one, do not relish the thought of losing my voice to persons in regions who have no clue about what vast segments of this county need as representation.
If your senators or congressmen are in favor of such a move, it behooves you to make sure they are not given the opportunity. This is, afterall, more than a presidential race. Fully a third of the Senate and all of the House of Representatives is fighting for their seats, and this is your opportunity to make sure their seats are filled by persons who will represent their constituants.
Yes, it's important to make your vote count in ways you cannot imagine. But you must.
Actually, I'd prefer a return to the early system of having the President elected by the Senate. Each state's Senators would be appointed by the individual state legislatures. That way, the Senate would return to its role as the body representing State's rights, while the House would represent the people. Do away with the Presidential Beauty Contest altogether. The most important votes you would then cast would be for your State and House representatives, resulting in greatly diminished power for the Federal Government. As it should be.
Posted by: tybee mike at October 25, 2004 08:16 AMDrudge's poll probably didn't say much about which party is pushing this idea, in my area it has been exclulively the liberals and indoctrinated youth. It's just another attempt by the left to dismantle our constitutional checks and balances. Most people don't understand the elecroral college and how it works or why it was designed. It was designed to keep large typically government dependant cities and large population centers from disenfranchising the rest of the country. As a nation do we want cities like New York, Los Angeles, Boston or Washington DC to install our president? I sure don't. I posted a lengthy 3 part piece that thoroughly explains the Electoral College here: http://www.conservative-insurgent.blog-city.com/read/847987.htm
I had misconceptions about the necessity of the Electoral College until I researched it and it's history.
Just for the sake of arguing, is it fair to the large urban areas in which most of this countries people reside to have their votes discounted by the electoral college?
It goes both ways.
With the electoral college it is possible for the least favored person to get elected. How is that just in a democratic society?
Again, just for the sake of argument,
SlagleRock Out!
Posted by: SlagleRock at October 25, 2004 05:42 PMSlagle sez: "Just for the sake of arguing, is it fair to the large urban areas in which most of this countries people reside to have their votes discounted by the electoral college?
"It goes both ways.
"With the electoral college it is possible for the least favored person to get elected. How is that just in a democratic society?"
It is dead wrong for larger states to impose their values on lesser-populated ones. I view the Electoral College as one of the most elegant solutions to the problem of equality, back when there were only New York and lesser states---and when New York was also the national capital.
The libs have indeed been pushing for the end to the Electoral College, but then again, it appears they also have the strongest, longest history of stuffing the ballot boxes. (See Cook County, Illinois for the template on that one.) With the Electoral College, the damage from crooked balloting is contained. With "direct vote," those phony ballots would be catastrophic.
Leave the system alone. If the Dems would field better candidates than the Talking Tree, or Botox Boy, they wouldn't have so much to snivel about.
Posted by: weaselteeth at October 25, 2004 08:08 PM