Home » The obligatory “the electors should vote for Hillary” articles

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The obligatory “the electors should vote for Hillary” articles — 14 Comments

  1. Don’t push too hard on this point. There are a lot of people who would like to abolish the Senate.

  2. This is the stupidest idea going. Given the gains of Reps on the state level, why would people chosen by the state party want to stage a fruitless rebellion and lose their standing in their state.
    Lessig sounds like a law prof on the Obama level.

  3. “The Electoral College was meant to do exactly what it has done.”

    Yes, it is exactly cases such as Trump vs. Clinton or Bush vs. Gore where, despite all the boo-hooing, the electoral college has WORKED!

    If some think it only works when the most popular, nationally that is, president is elected then they really don’t understand the electoral college – and I blame left-leaning educators for that.

    Trump did win the popular vote – just not on a national scale; he won the popular vote state by state which is how it should work and how it does work. (If Maine and Nebraska want to “dilute” their votes whom am I to tell them not to?)

  4. The day that “faithless electors” unilaterally decide the election of the President is the day they end the republic and make America a pure democracy.

    Which is the point of these articles, to build momentum in a movement to make the election of the President a direct vote, i.e. a popularity contest.

  5. Hey, lefties, let’s make a deal:

    – we agree to do away with the Electoral College and go to a national popular vote for President of USA

    * when and only when *

    – you-all agree to cooperate in *fully* (and regularly) cleansing the voter rolls of *all* cemetery residents and illegal voters.

    Deal?

    Sincerely,
    M J R

  6. Before going out on this limb, I should probably consult Michael Barone’s books, but here goes.

    Despite the intent of the electoral college system, for many years, Democrats have so dominated New York, California, Illinois, and a few other high-population states, that they start every election by putting Republicans in a deep hole.

    Democrats are free to build a strategy to achieve 270 electoral votes, without committing any time or resources to their sure-thing states. Usually they can pour everything into winning the rust belt and a few other states, and the election is over.

    On the other hand, Republican sure-things are limited to a small number of thinly populated states in the Great Plains. To win, they need to spread campaign time and resources all over the country — excepting New York, California, and Illinois. This is obviously a more difficult strategy.

    I wrote this off the top of my head, without consulting any data or maps. Still, I think the general idea is right. In saying so, I’m not denying that the purpose of the electoral college is still in force, but I would argue that the modern electoral map has given Democrats a running start, and they have little reason to complain about the electoral college.

  7. Cornflour,

    I don’t think the Democrats’ edge really comes from having California, New York, and Illinois locked up, and it really doesn’t even come from adding NJ, CT, MA, DE, DC, VT, MD, WA, HI, and OR to that list. It came from having MI, PA, and in the last three elections, NV, VA and CO.

    I guess what I am saying is that the parties have largely battled each other in the exact same states over and over, with every Republican making stab at PA and MI, but only Trump was able to break through- which is what had to happen, or the Republican Party was/is going to be locked out of the White House.

  8. I predict there will be zero Trump electoral defections, and probably less than 4 defectors from Clinton.

  9. Right. I think there are several things going on here —

    – grief and disbelief at the election’s outcome;

    – fury at the thought that some Democrat electors might defect — and a futile attempt to contain the damage by suggesting/demanding that the Other Side do the same (rosta ruck)…

    – wishful thinking for the sweet sake of wishful thinking.

    This can be considered in the same category as the attempts to force a vote recount (but only in the areas that might help Hillary, natch). It’s desperation, and unless Trump is truly asleep at the switch, it won’t work.

  10. I note that a very important reason to keep the electoral college has not been mentioned:
    To ensure that vote fraud does NOT cross state lines. I shudder to think of how many fraudulent votes would be cast in urban areas if every vote was tallied at the national level (I won’t name the party involved).

  11. Deal?

    Sincerely,
    M J R

    A loser’s deal, since it wouldn’t include computer hack/cracks or immigrant votes.

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