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The Few Decide For The Many (Huge BusinessWeek report calling for abolition of Electoral College)
BusinessWeek ^ | June 14, 2004

Posted on 06/03/2004 8:00:39 PM PDT by Dont Mention the War

Demography, as the saying goes, may be destiny. But an archaic system of representation that includes a winner-take-all selection of electors and eschews proportionate representation at the local level is denying a voice to political minorities. Are you perchance one of the 2.4 million hardy Democrats living in Texas? You might as well hang up your political spurs. Since the Reagan era, Texas has become solidly Republican. Or perhaps you're a GOPer in New York or California, home to a combined 8.5 million members of the Grand Old Party. Tough luck, pal.


Many of the distortions can be traced to the Electoral College, set up by the Founding Fathers partly to shield against unfiltered democracy -- then equated with mob rule. The College was also designed to preserve the power of small states by giving them a higher percentage of electoral votes than their populations would warrant. Finally, the College was a sop to Southerners, who were given credit for each slave at the rate of three-fifths of a free voter, magnifying the power of white property owners in Dixie. "These compromises were the basis of the Electoral College," says George Mason University Professor James P. Pfiffner. "But they are not relevant any more."

Today, the Electoral College still benefits smaller states by giving each of them two bonus votes in the Presidential balloting. Because most of these states are becoming increasingly Republican, that hands the GOP a built-in edge of 10 to 12 electoral votes -- more than the margin of victory in 2000.


There is a way to avoid such destabilizing contests: The candidate with the most votes wins -- no ifs, ands, or buts. Experts such as Pfiffner would like to see a national dialogue over a direct-election system. Such a debate would, of course, be intensely controversial since it entails a deviation from the Founders' design. But so did abolishing slavery and granting women suffrage. After 216 years of Presidential elections, it seems as if the time is right to reaffirm a basic tenet of democracy -- the one that says everybody's vote counts.

(Excerpt) Read more at businessweek.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2004election; 2004electionbias; abolishinggovernment; algoreisnotmyprez; algorelostgetoverit; anarchists; antibusinessweek; businessweak; businessweek; constitution; election2004; electionpresident; electoralcollege; floridatimes50; leftistagenda; liberalmedia; liberals; mediabias; nopopularitycontest; socialistbusiness
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To: Dont Mention the War

Didn't read the entire article. Do they know that it's up to each state to decide how to allocate their electoral vote? I vaguely recall one NW state that splits their votes proportionately or by Congressional district.


21 posted on 06/03/2004 8:19:58 PM PDT by bayourod (Kerry has no track record in negotiating with foreign nations, nor does Sec of State Sharpton)
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To: sergeantdave

"Only a left wing demagogue would equate slavery and sufferage with the electoral college."

They always bring up that same tired crap every time a conservative resists changing something that works.


22 posted on 06/03/2004 8:20:00 PM PDT by dandi ("No nation ever taxed it's way into prosperity." - R.L.)
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To: Dont Mention the War
Yeah and do away with that part about the Senate in the Constitution too. Why do such tiny states like Rhode Island and Delaware get 2 senators each when Texas has many more people and only 2 senators? < /sarcasm >

Since the last Presidential election was certified with only 0.52% difference in the popular vote, we would have required a NATIONAL recount in EVERY county to determine who won. Yeah. That would have been peaceful.

Let the major cities forever decide the direction of this nation? I don't think so. Bush Country spoke and showed how much difference of opinion there is in "flyover country".

23 posted on 06/03/2004 8:20:14 PM PDT by weegee (NO BLOOD FOR RATINGS. CNN ignored torture & murder in Saddam's Iraq to keep their Baghdad Bureau.)
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To: Torie

Anarchists like chaos. They don't agree with our constitutional form of government.


24 posted on 06/03/2004 8:22:27 PM PDT by weegee (NO BLOOD FOR RATINGS. CNN ignored torture & murder in Saddam's Iraq to keep their Baghdad Bureau.)
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To: bayourod

Maine and Nebraska give one electoral vote to a candidate who wins a CD. The balance go to the state winner. Thus in Maine, there is one electoral vote per CD, and two for the state winner. In Nebraska, two for the state winner, and one for each CD. Bush came close to nabbing one of the Maine CD's. This system adopted nationwide, would reduce the potential chaos by a whole bunch, but still it has the potential of multiple jurisdictional litigation.


25 posted on 06/03/2004 8:25:08 PM PDT by Torie
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To: Hodar
I believe a super majority is needed for Congress to amend the constitution, and that ain't gonna happen.

It takes a 2/3's majority to pass a constitutional amendment in Congress. However, it takes ratification by 3/4 of the states before it becomes law. There is no way 3/4 of the states will vote to surrender the power the electoral college gives them. The big ones like NY, CA, IL, OH, PA, and MI might along with some of the hard core leftist states but beyond that, most would not.

26 posted on 06/03/2004 8:25:27 PM PDT by COEXERJ145
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To: sinkspur

Business Week Letters To The Editor

http://www.businessweek.com/custserv/letters.ed.htm


27 posted on 06/03/2004 8:26:19 PM PDT by jimbo123
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To: Hodar
I believe a super majority is needed for Congress to amend the constitution, and that ain't gonna happen.

Not only that, but a supermajority of the state legislatures must also ratify it. The later is true even if the amendment is proposed by a Constitutional Convention, the alternative method specified by the Constitution. The Con-Con itself must also be called by a super majority of the state legisaltures. (2/3 majority in both cases). Like you said, that ain't gonna happen.

28 posted on 06/03/2004 8:27:16 PM PDT by El Gato (Federal Judges can twist the Constitution into anything.. Or so they think.)
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To: sinkspur
"I haven't subscribed to Business Week since they endorsed Clinton in 1992."

If every Repub could/would cancel - if only for a short time even - their subscriptions to NYT's; Business Week and other Lib mags.; their lib newspapers; and stopped writing the check to their liberal alma mater; would it help?

I don't know; probably not; but might make a big enough statement to shake them a bit.

Seems like it could at least make a threatening statement. Wish everyone could/would do their part and stop paying for the Left's efforts to refashion America to their image.

We could call it 'write off a Lib' week . . .or month. . .a year - or forever.

Or just call it America's Liberal weight loss program. Where every anti-Leftists goal is to 'drop ten liberals' in ten days or less.

29 posted on 06/03/2004 8:28:07 PM PDT by cricket
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To: Dont Mention the War
I also think that the proper wording of the BW cover story should be, "Should your vote matter above all else?"

This knee jerk supremacy issue makes for poor government, not sound government. It is precisely the diverse varieties of electoral usages of representational selection that gives our government sound strength, not weakness.

Read what was said when it was created in Federalist 68

30 posted on 06/03/2004 8:29:19 PM PDT by KC Burke (Men of intemperate minds can never be free....)
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To: Dont Mention the War

If the United States elected its President by simple nationwide popular vote, the nation wouldn't survive ten years.

The leech majorities would enslave and impoversh the working minorities to the utter ruination of all.


31 posted on 06/03/2004 8:29:37 PM PDT by John Valentine ("The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein)
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To: Dont Mention the War
Getting rid the Electoral College would be stupid but I did agree with them on this point about the primary system (minus the smart assed comment about "Norman Rockwell America"):

The dominance of Iowa and New Hampshire -- two small and not-terribly-representative throwbacks to Norman Rockwell America -- distorts the entire race, forcing contenders to shape issues designed to catch fire with the locals.

32 posted on 06/03/2004 8:29:43 PM PDT by GATOR NAVY
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To: sittnick
If we do away with the electoral college, why don't we just get rid of state borders, governors, etc, altogether?

One county is the same as any other at that point. Federal judges are mandating to states what the laws must be.

The United STATES is not long for this world.

33 posted on 06/03/2004 8:30:49 PM PDT by weegee (NO BLOOD FOR RATINGS. CNN ignored torture & murder in Saddam's Iraq to keep their Baghdad Bureau.)
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To: DManA
Why "HUGE"? Think Business Week is that influential?

No, I mean it's a huge special section within that issue. Not just one little column.

34 posted on 06/03/2004 8:31:35 PM PDT by Dont Mention the War
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To: Dont Mention the War
Were it up to me (millions are no doubt thankful that it isn't), I'd get rid of the Electoral College -- that is, the flesh-and-blood electors who cast the official electoral votes. The electoral vote system is fine, in fact in my opinion necessary, but the electoral votes should be automatically awarded pursuant to the popular votes of each state.

One elector from DC withheld abstained in 2000; an elector from Washington voted for Ronald Reagan in 1976; and an elector from Virginia voted for Libertarian John Hospers in 1972. That shouldn't happen. We're playing with fire. Ditch the electors, but keep the electoral votes.

35 posted on 06/03/2004 8:32:23 PM PDT by southernnorthcarolina (I've told you a billion times: stop exaggerating!)
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To: Dont Mention the War
set up by the Founding Fathers partly to shield against unfiltered democracy -- then equated with mob rule.

The founding fathers were right. Pure Democracy is the rule of the mob.

Contrary to Business Week, I'll recommend the other direction. Restrict sufferage to those over 25 and honorably discharged veterans. Remove popular election of Senators - we don't need two Houses of Representatives.

36 posted on 06/03/2004 8:33:08 PM PDT by Snuffington
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To: southernnorthcarolina

Ya, the electors are a dangerous anachronism, and should be bounced. I agree. We seem to agree on a lot. :)


37 posted on 06/03/2004 8:33:50 PM PDT by Torie
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Comment #38 Removed by Moderator

Comment #39 Removed by Moderator

To: Dont Mention the War
McCain: "Sixty days prior to the election, you will not see the flood of [negative] advertising you saw before. "

Instead you will see a flood of negative editorials and news articles that Bush will be prohibited from answering.

40 posted on 06/03/2004 8:34:16 PM PDT by bayourod (Kerry has no track record in negotiating with foreign nations, nor does Sec of State Sharpton)
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