Some reflections…..
‘Trump has proved that – to at least a great extent – all publicly is, indeed, good publicity. The disturbing reality seems to be that low information voters control elections. As scary as it may be to say so,, we may need to rethink some fundamental assumptions about democracy.’….Anon….
I do NOT think we need to rethink democracy….
But two concepts I DO think need changes…..
1) The Electoral College ….
The concept brings power to small states, but has become a means for Republicans to get elected to the Presidency while losing the popular vote…Something that does NOT happen in ANY other election in this country….
Donald Trump is prime example of the problem with this…His approval rating is @40%……60% of the American publican do NOT want him in office….This number is up from his initial numbers….
2) The immunity of an American President for being held responsible for a crime…..
The view that the American President CANNOT be charged with a crime while in office is unacceptable to me….
No….We would NOT charge a President with the crime pursuing a military action…But the repeated boast of Donald Trump that he COULD shot someone in broad daylight in Times Square is prime example of the problem….
If Mueller was to find actions of Trump clearly ILLEGAL and CRIMINAL in nature?
Like other countries around the world?
He should stand trial in a CRIMINAL court like any other American citizen …..
The Dog…
I agree that the Electoral College is an anachronism.The idea that it somehow “forces” a presidential candidate to campaign nationwide is fallacious.As we all know ,with modern polling ,candidates quickly determine what states are “in play” and concentrate their resources there.
Unfortunately,as we also know, there is almost no chance that it is going away.Republicans will never give it up as it has benefited them in two recent elections.
The great unknown is what would have happened had those 60000 votes changed in Ohio in 2004 and Kerry been elected President over Bush despite losing the popular vote by three and a half million.Likely all these Constitution arguments would have fallen by the wayside as GOPers would have howled for the ECs demise.Perhaps at that time, both parties having been burned by it,there would have been some chance to eliminate it.
Alas, such didn’t happen.
Of course it forces Democrats to NOT ignore the non-college white vote in 2020 ….which EXACTILY what the EC system is supposed to do, eh?
I don’t understand what you are saying.
There are non college white voters in every state.
I don’t see how that fact effects anything on a state by state basis.The candidates will still concentrate their efforts in states that are”in play” and more or less ignore those where the result is pretty much predetermined.
As an example the Democratic candidate won’t be spending much, if any ,time in SC which is going to vote Republican ,despite the fact that the majority of White voters here are non college educated.
Simple
If the Democratic Party nominates someone who does NOT address the party issues with the non-college voting bloc
And the same amount of people vote more or less the same way in 3020?
The same thing COULD happen in the result
What don’t u understand?
Obama had some of those voters
Hillary did NOT
IT IS WHERE THE VOTE COMES FROM
NOT HOW MUCH
Hence my feeling that lefty Democrats CANNOT win the American Presidency….
The Democratic leadership KNOW this
Which is why they have not gone hard left
The piece is a warning to Democratic leaders that they ALREADY are WELL aware of….
What I don’t understand is how any of this relates to your discussions as to the concept of the Electoral College.
I thought that’s what the discussion was about.
All of a sudden you want to talk about the “non college White vote.,”Hillary Clinton, and “lefties.”
No James, if you don’t win the most votes in a state you don’t win it’s electoral votes…
Gee who would have thunk that!
They ARE IN The states Hillary LOST and Obama won to become President…
They’re also in states all over the country.
Yes…
But Dem’s can overwhelm them in some states…
In others as we saw they nedd to do better ….
And this IS about the EC….
Those white non-ccollege people tipped the scales for Trump to win the EC not the overall vote….
THAT is my POINT…