election question
I might be showing my "genius" here, but I am having a hard time getting an Obama lawn sign. I have been calling for a week and a half now, and they keep saying maybe tomorrow, and that they are still waiting on that shipment. My DP says that it might be because we live in a state that usually votes Republican, so getting yard signs here prolly isn't a campaign priority because they know that prolly won't win.
So my question is---what would happen if we got rid of the electoral college, and let everyone's vote count as a vote for the president? I know that the college has a purpose, but is it a good purpose? or a useful one?
Is this a horribly dumb question???
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I've been wondering the same thing!
I am so not "in the know" about these things. I do remember learning about it, but since Jonah's birth, all of my brains seemed to have taken a vacation. I do remember that my Political Science prof said that the electoral colleges aren't even necessary or relevent anymore and that the whole system needed to be re-vamped.
Pls, wise mamas, refresh my memory...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_College_(United_States)
This "explains" the electoral college. I always thought our congresspeople and representatives were the "electors", but this article makes me think differently. I feel like it should more closely mirror the primary system, where delegates are proportionately assigned. Don't most electoral votes go all one way? I mean, if a state has 10 electors and 40% of the state goes blue and 60% goes red, shouldn't there be 4 votes blue and 6 votes red, rather than 10 votes red!? Unless blue wins, then all should go blue!
and no, it's not proportional. it was enshrined in the constitution because the drafters of said document were elitists who thought most people were moronic rabble, so that's how we still get treated today in the presidential election. here's roughly how it works - if a state has 10 electoral votes and 1000 inhabitants and 501 inhabitants vote for candidate A while 499 vote for candidate B, then candidate A gets ALL 10 ELECTORAL VOTES. that's why it can happen that a candidate can win the popular vote {cough Gore cough}, and still losethe presidential election. now, originally, the electors could cast their states votes ANY ol' way they wanted to 'cuz that was the whole point - they were selected for the college 'cuz they were considered better able to make such a momentous decision. for a long while, though, they have made a practice of casting all their electoral votes with the candidate who wins the majority in their state.
"if i pass for other than what i am, do you feel safer?" ~ lani ka'ahumanu
dragon knows dragon
"if i pass for other than what i am, do you feel safer?" ~ lani ka'ahumanu
dragon knows dragon
for $2.50 at barackobama.com
i think it would be FABULOUS if they abolished the electoral college. however, the repugs won't ever consider it (too difficult to steal elections if it was a popular vote.) so the only chance at ANY electoral reform (which is desperately needed and long overdue) is to elect a dem president along with a dem congress. and even then it would take a huge demand from the general population to get this ball rolling.
i had a law prof who insisted after the 2000 debacle that americans would never agree to abolishing the electoral college 'cuz folks in low population/low electoral votes states wouldn't want to lose their state's relative power in the presidential election. i told him he was wrong 'cuz most american voters don't give a shit about their state's relative power in the electoral college - we give a shit about our individual vote counting, and in the present structure, it pretty much doesn't which in itself contributes a great deal to voter apathy, imho.
"if i pass for other than what i am, do you feel safer?" ~ lani ka'ahumanu
dragon knows dragon
Yeah, it seems as if the whole electoral bit sort of renders my vote a bit pointless. I'm still going to vote, because even though I live in a Rep state, it will never change if I don't vote, but I can see how someone could become disheartened by the situation and choose not to vote, because in my state, it prolly won't matter in the end if I don't vote, because more than likely my state's votes will be given to Mcain. But on the off chance it will, and because I believe..I will be voting anyway.
The wise poet Rumi tells us--
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I will meet you there
http://www.ponycherry.blogspot.com/
Isn't there a part of the Constitution that has written in that if the current govt gets out of hand then the people have to change it or something???
I'm giving the headquarters one more day then I am ordering a sign online.
The wise poet Rumi tells us--
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I will meet you there
http://www.ponycherry.blogspot.com/
but to paraphrase jefferson {who was a bit too out there and so was sent off to france before the constitutional convention}, he expected the government to be dramatically changed with regularity {and beginning within his lifetime} because it was the duty of the people to do so if and when the government was failing them. i'm thinking that under the P*A*T*R*I*O*T act, jefferson might today be classified as a terrorist subversive, eh?
"if i pass for other than what i am, do you feel safer?" ~ lani ka'ahumanu
dragon knows dragon
Yes, Jefferson would be all kinds of a target.
I know so very little about politics. I pretty much watch John Stewart to stay somewhat aware. I took a PoliSci class, but I didn't really like it. I would like to learn about political structures and ideas, but I find the info so boring to read. I like learning from other people in informal conversation type settings.
The wise poet Rumi tells us--
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I will meet you there
http://www.ponycherry.blogspot.com/
i don't have cable, so i only see the fabulous jon stewart on youtube links on hipmama, and i get most of my political info from this site, racialicious.com, antiracistparent.com, and feministing.com
i've always been annoyed at how some folks can take totally engaging material and make it over into a tedious class lecture or article/book. engaged discussion is a great way to learn stuff - i know it's been a big part of my education.
"if i pass for other than what i am, do you feel safer?" ~ lani ka'ahumanu
dragon knows dragon
i wonder the same thing all the time. the electoral college is a bunch of stupid bullshit, and i can't figure out why the hell it is still used. it's depressing that it pretty much renders my vote worthless, but i suppose we have no choice now but to just vote anyway and keep our fingers crossed that the right thing will be done. light a candle, say a prayer, stab a mccain voodoo doll, you know... whatever makes you feel better!
stab a mccain voodoo doll...that's awesome. maybe my next diy project.
The wise poet Rumi tells us--
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I will meet you there
http://www.ponycherry.blogspot.com/
but i just realized that what we might really need is a palin voodoo doll.... a mccain voodoo doll could backfire in a terrible way....
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I think I would like to see an election without the college, so that every vote truly counts.
The wise poet Rumi tells us--
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I will meet you there
http://www.ponycherry.blogspot.com/