There is an effort under way in Washington State to join a National movement sponsored by a bunch of sour-grape Democrats who still haven't gotten over Gore's Florida loss in 2000. They have already passed two bills that will obliterate any future influence or representation we have in determining our President with the Electoral College.
They are putting forward in Washington State a dubious plan to change our electoral college votes from reflecting the will and winner of the voters in our state, to the will and winner of the overall popular vote in all the states, states dominated by the likes of N.Y. and CA. With this idiotic and misguided scheme, the opposite of what they intend will result. We will in fact, essentially lose our voice in the election process. We will never see Presidential candidates in our state who would come to learn about our concerns, issues, and hopes if our 11 measly electoral college votes go from winner-take-all of our states voted will; to the will of the winner of the National Popular vote dominated by all the population of the big states. We would be lucky to even rate a live-cast address by our Democratic and Republican presidential hopefuls at a Caucus. Hell, I bet we wouldn't even rate a side-trip from a California campaign stop.
Folks we are a Constitutional Republic, not a Parliamentary mob rule Democracy. We have a majority rule Democracy that includes a Constitution to protect the minority from the majority. Our founders rightly put balances to power in place to protect and ensure that small states and their citizenry and their interests would not have their power and influence usurped by the largest states and their domineering agendas; agendas that often share very little with our own interests. This idiotic and farcical bill eliminates all balance, protection and influence of a small state like Washington. Should this pass there would be no need for anyone to seek the presidency beyond the states of N.Y., CA, TX, FL, Michigan, IL, MA, and perhaps a couple of other populous states. Talk about disenfranchisement?
For what? Because a couple of disgruntled Democrats are still pissed because they think that Al Gore lost the 2000 election in Florida due to the electoral college even though he won the popular vote? He didn’t even lose the election to the electoral college in Florida. He lost it in his own home state of Tennessee. If he had won Tennessee’s electoral votes he would have been President, regardless of the outcome in Florida. For Chrissake’s if the people of his own state that know him best can’t save the nation from him, then what? HE DESERVED TO LOSE. Now let's leave a perfectly good system known as the Electoral College ----- ALONE!
The bills have passed both Democrat super-majorities in the Legislature as House HB1750 and in the Senate as SB5628 and are now waiting for Gov. Gregoire's signature. PLEASE CONTACT Governor Gregoire by clicking and emailing her here and urge her to VETO this crazy scheme that is intent on disenfranchising Washington's voters by the dilution of our voice through a national Presidential popular vote.
The major shortcoming of the current system of electing the President arises from the winner-take-all rule (currently used by 48 of 50 states) under which all of a state’s electoral votes to the candidate who gets the most votes in the state. If the partisan line-up in a state is outside the 46%-54% range, no amount of campaigning during a brief presidential campaign is realistically going to reverse the outcome in the state. As a result, presidential candidates have no reason to poll, visit, advertise, organize, campaign, or worry about the concerns in voters of states where they are safely ahead or hopelessly behind. Instead, candidates concentrate their attention on a handful of closely divided “battleground” states. As a result, 88% of the money and visits (and attention) is focused on just 9 states. Fully 99% of the money goes to just 16 states. More than two-thirds of the country is left out.
ReplyDeleteAnother shortcoming of the current system is that a candidate can win the Presidency without winning the most popular votes nationwide.
The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC). The bill would take effect only when enacted, in identical form, by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes—that is, enough electoral votes to elect a President (270 of 538). When the bill is enacted in a group of states possessing 270 or more electoral votes, all of the electoral votes from those states would be awarded, as a bloc, to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC).
The National Popular Vote bill has 366 legislative sponsors in 47 states. It has been signed into law in Maryland. Since its introduction in February 2006, the bill has passed by 12 legislative houses (one house in Colorado, Arkansas, New Jersey, and North Carolina, and two houses in Maryland, Illinois, Hawaii, and California).
See www.NationalPopularVote.com
Thank you for your insightful rant. It has convinced me to support SB5628.
ReplyDeleteYou are quite welcome, thanks for the comment I love feedback and post them all; good for you! You have convinced me that I am looking at this all wrong. With your insight and the help of you do-gooders, not only can we right the injustice done to Gore, we can make Washington and all the puny states in the union into nice little 3rd-world states. I can see it now, quaint little appendages to the real states. No worries or concerns; we can be 2nd class citizens content to feast on the leftovers of the real states- the ones that actually have power, influence, and economies. Wow, I could save on my travel budget, and visit some exciting really first-world states in the near future; like California, Texas, New York and Florida. It would be like going to a completely different country! I wonder if they will have the "Death to the Republic" museum in Florida finished by then?
ReplyDeleteHere is the link again to encourage her to sign the bill; for it or against it, at least your voice/vote will matter- for now.
http://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/default.asp
Fun Fact: Al Gore WON the 2000 election. He received over half a million MORE votes than Bush did. Bush was given the Presidency becauase of a severly flawed, outdated, and corrupt system.
ReplyDeleteYou say that not having this system would make states with low population left behind in the dark. Funny, sense that happens already, with regards to electoral vote values instead.
Ever hear of "One Person, One Vote" ? Yeah, this system violates that very important principle.
Another fun fact: The 10 smallest states hold 2% of the countries population, yet their combined electoral votes/value is 6%. Yeah, thats definitly fair.
The electoral college DOES NOT WORK, and it DOES NOT SERVE Democracy, or a FAIR representative government. The people spoke in 2000, and their voices were ignored.
This sytem does not work. It needs to be abolished, and replaced with a system that truly respects the ideal of "One Person, One Vote" which means a TRUE, fair representative democratic republic.