
Imagine you live in a Red State. Tennessee is a good example. We can call Tennessee a “dead red cat state.” The voters of Tennessee would vote for a dead red cat before they would vote for Obama. Yet, all of Tennessee’s votes could go to Barack Obama.
Voter fraud? No something much worse.
The worse is a proposal gathering steam, sponsored by some Republicans called the National Popular Vote. The National Popular Vote is a stealth way to repeal the Electoral College that our founding fathers gave us.
As most people probably know, every four years in November, we go to the polls but we do not vote for President. Instead we vote for the electors that go to the meeting of the Electoral College and that is the official vote for President. Since the electors are committed to a particular candidate, the end result is never a surprise.
Under the NPV, the states sign an agreement that says whichever candidate gets the most votes nationally, gets the electoral votes from that state. For example, you could live in Tennessee, where 60% of the population is going to vote for a Republican. Even Mitt Romney could carry 60% in Tennessee. Yet if Barack Obama has more votes nationally, all of Tennessee’s 11 electoral votes would go to Barack Obama.
Under the NPV a candidate does not even have to take a majority of the popular vote, only be the largest vote getter.
When the founding fathers established the Electoral College, they set up a brilliant system. The Electoral College requires that candidates have a broad appeal. Candidates cannot simply restrict their campaign to a few densely populated areas and ignore the rest of the country. Even small states play a crucial role in the elections when we have the Electoral College. Many of those who push the NPV point to the 2000 election, which is one of three times in our country’s history where a candidate won more popular votes but lost the Electoral College. Had Al Gore paid attention to his alleged home state of Tennessee, he would have become the 43rd President. Had he won Tennessee, Florida’s votes would not have mattered.
When you eliminate the Electoral College you basically wipe out the state lines. This is nothing less than an assault on federalism. Eliminating the Electoral College changes the American states from state to more like administrative departments of the national government.
Technically, this is not abolishing the Electoral College. It is simply gaming the results.
Currently, the NPV has passed in eight states.
When you are undecided about an idea, you can often gauge its merit by looking who supports it. The National Popular Vote is endorsed by a multitude of liberal newspapers. If liberals think something is a good idea, it probably is not. The Advisory Board consists of liberal Democrats and moderate Republicans. There is not a single conservative on that list.
The National Popular vote is tailor made for a billionaire to run a campaign in a few large metropolitan areas, collecting a plurality of the vote and is suddenly President. This is not a popular vote as it could allow a candidate with support in only two or three small but densely populated areas to run and win. They can pander to New York corridor, Los Angeles/San Francisco area and Chicago, pretty much ignore rest of the country. The left likes to call the heartland of America, “fly over country.” If the National Popular Vote becomes law, fly over country will not just be that. It will be irrelevant to the politics of choosing an American President. Most of the Red States of America will not be part of a Republic. We will simply be ruled.
Tags: 2012, National, Tcot, college, electoral, popular, vote
Permalink Reply by Andrew Freeman on June 6, 2011 at 11:08am Vote to clean the mess up.
Vote for the Sheriff
Permalink Reply by Diogenes on June 6, 2011 at 10:37pm
Gene I really think that many have not put their minds to understanding the electoral process. Judson laid it out at the opening of this forum. But there are people who would rather have Hertz do the driving, it's the easier course to Socialism by the Left.
Diogenes (the Cynic if I remember correctly)
I do understand why the Electoral College was established. It was created with a dual purpose. First was to give extra power to smaller states and secondly to create a buffer between the population and the election of a President. My problem with it (always has been) is the all or nothing factor.
This is what I am talking about. NY had 31 electoral votes in the 2008 election, 1 electoral vote for each of the 29 Congressional Districts and 1 electoral vote for each senate seat. In 21 of the Congressional Districts the majority of people voted for Obama but in 8 of the Districts the majority of the people voted for McCain but Obama got all 31 electoral votes. To me it should have been a 23 to 8 split. Obama carried the 2 Senate seat electoral votes because he got the majority of the popular vote. If I’m not mistaken both Maine and Nebraska do their electoral votes by District but don’t quote me on that.
I understand why the Founding Fathers created this system. Without this, at their time, all a person wanting to be President would have to do is carry the cities of Boston, New York and Philadelphia and not worry about the rest of the nation.
Permalink Reply by Diogenes on June 7, 2011 at 9:36pm
Permalink Reply by Diogenes on June 7, 2011 at 9:47pm Michael that site I just referred to.
http://archive.fairvote.org/?page=2533&mode=showallbig&offs...
Gene
Don't get me wrong, I DO NOT want to eliminate the Electoral College.
We need to keep it to insure that all the smaller states (most of them Red states) have a fair representation in presidental elections through their electors just as the Founding Fathers designed it. I'm just asking if two states already have their electors cast their votes according to "the will of the people" from each of their respective districts, why can't all the states do the same.
If I'm not mistaken they tried to eliminate it during the Nixon administration but I will have to research and verify that, to long ago to remember clearly.
I probably got off track with this whole Electoral College thing and need to get back to the issue of educating people and stopping NPV.
Thank you for your time and thoughful and intelligent input.
Permalink Reply by Diogenes on June 6, 2011 at 8:31pm Judson, besides Tennesssee what are the other NPV states. Can a state that signed on to MPV reverse that course? Presumably Tennessee signed on to MPV without schooling the populace since in my estimation it steals their Constitutional rights? Thanks
Permalink Reply by Diogenes on June 7, 2011 at 8:14am
NPV process circumvents the Constitution. Read the following. Those of you of NYS, contact your elect and say no.
http://jbs.org/component/content/article/1009-commentary/6749-natio...
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