Bush Wins, Again (LA Slimes editorial)

LA Times ^ | December 13, 2004

[RWR8189]

And you thought you were done with the 2004 election. Today the electoral college formally meets to reelect George W. Bush as president. Barring any last-minute surprises, the vote should be 286 for Bush, 252 for John Kerry.

This ratification will elicit yawns instead of the outrage it did in 2000, when the electoral college went for the loser of the popular vote. But don't think 2000 was such an anomaly. The country barely dodged a bullet this time around. Had 59,388 Ohioans switched from Bush to Kerry, 2004 would have repeated the acidic result of the electoral college winner — the next president — being the popular-vote loser. This time the travesty would have been even greater, as Kerry would have been sworn in despite receiving 3.3 million fewer votes than Bush, who received 543,895 votes fewer than Gore in 2000.

We have often been highly critical of the Bush administration, but because of his decisive win in the popular vote, we surely are glad that he is the certified Ohio winner. Even die-hard supporters of Kerry should thank their unlucky stars that he lost Ohio, to spare the country such an undemocratic outcome.

[William Tell]

Missing from the LASlimes article was any call to abolish the US Senate. Two Senators for Kalifornia and two Senators for Alaska. Sounds fair to me.

If the Senate ever amends its own rules to eliminate filibusters, the Dems will sing that tune loud and long. As it is, their minority has the Senate by the throat.

[HP8753]

subtract 1 from Kerrys total....One of the RAT Electors from Minnesota voted for Edwards for President.

Edwards gets a vote from Minnesota Elector