Chris Christie's great 2A two-step (aka waffling) begins

[fightinbluhen51]

Yes and no.

Roberts is going to come around I think
..

But Christie will not get my vote.. in MD it makes no difference anyway..
I don't want a R in charge when the fall cones..

I'm not talking on firearms...Let's see, Obamacare. Rewritting that garbage as a tax...yeah.

So you want a president elected by popular vote? No thanks, remember the line about two wolves and a sheep voting for what to have for dinner.

The Founding Father's made brilliant decisions on how best to develop a Government. People have tried to "fix" it before and screwed the balance up (re: 17th Amend.).

It won't matter at all, if they can flip Texas.

Levin was talking about this yesterday. 30 years ago, California was somewhat red. Then illegal immigration / chain migration happened.

Today, it's Virginia: Reliably red just 3 or 4 cycles ago. Today it's purple and turning blue...

Texas is next. Yes, they have a plan.

The problem with our current electoral college system now is not all of our votes matter equally. In states that are "winner take all" the votes for the other candidate don't matter. Like here in MD where our non-D votes could actually matter.

It seems to me to be a more democratic system to have all votes matter. It takes more of the games out of the politics.

If we got rid of EC there might also be less pandering to voting blocks: farm subsidies in Ohio or elderly subsidies in FL, for example.

Now all that said, there have been, what 3 times in US history, where popular vote did not match electoral college vote? I'm not sure it matters. I think it will definitely change how the game is played if candidates changed from being "most popular with some" to "most popular with all".

If that's the case, then we should do away with all primaries and let the best candidates fall in where they may.

Do a bracket style system where you start with 10 or 20 and then you half it, plurality style. Then you half it again, again, plurality style. Then you get down to the top 3. Best one wins.

The thing is, president doesn't matter. Congress matters. The issue is congress is so interested in protecting their own power and conceding power to the president it isn't funny.

 

[Vile Shadow]

the electoral college needs to go imo. I'm tired of my vote not mattering

What leads you to believe your vote doesn't matter?

Well, maybe in this state your vote might not matter.

But the idea behind that was to give more of a voice to the states with less population density. If everything went by that, Commiefornia and The Rotten Apple would have 25 senators between 'em and Montana would have NONE.

So you want a president elected by popular vote? No thanks, remember the line about two wolves and a sheep voting for what to have for dinner.

The Founding Father's made brilliant decisions on how best to develop a Government. People have tried to "fix" it before and screwed the balance up (re: 17th Amend.).

Amendment 17 was more of Roosevelt's "genius". When senators were chosen by the state legislatures they could quickly be recalled and sent packing. Not so now, and we're all the worse off for it thanks be to the likes of Big Gooberment Babs and Ben having 6 year terms.

 

[Boxcab]

The problem with our current electoral college system now is not all of our votes matter equally. In states that are "winner take all" the votes for the other candidate don't matter. Like here in MD where our non-D votes could actually matter. {Snip}

By going to popular vote, the candidates would pander to the heavily populated cities. The rural areas would be ignored. Win NYC, LA, Chicago Houston and Philly (around 10 million votes?) and you most likely win the election. That does not represent America very well. Why would the Presidential candidates bother with any rural campaigning?

 

[Boondock Saint]

For the reasons above, the electoral college is better than a popular vote. That said, there are alternative systems that make a hell of a lot more sense.

Five short videos. Very much worth the watch. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7679C7ACE93A5638

 

[Brooklyn]

It makes no difference guys.. Its no longer possible to prevent the fall of the $$. Now at first the $$ will remain a reserve currency. The euro is going first . but absent war in Europe the ME , Asia. Etc these countries will eventually recover.. Then we are toast.

Now if they are on the rise as we fall..it could be a permanent realignment..

Our real debt is about 5 times GDP..and labor force paripation rate continues to slide..
The smart play, perhaps the only play is dance while the music plays.. And that's why the young are the they are and even some older folks..

It is done.. Lots of blame to go around... But in the end...we are done.

 

[gamer_jim]

By going to popular vote, the candidates would pander to the heavily populated cities. The rural areas would be ignored. Win NYC, LA, Chicago Houston and Philly (around 10 million votes?) and you most likely win the election. That does not represent America very well. Why would the Presidential candidates bother with any rural campaigning?

For the reasons above, the electoral college is better than a popular vote. That said, there are alternative systems that make a hell of a lot more sense.

Five short videos. Very much worth the watch. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7679C7ACE93A5638

That's a good point, I didn't think about.

someone else said in this thread the problem is really with congress and until we have term limits or somehow reduce money influence then presidential campaign really doesn't matter.

Thanks for good discussion.