Breaking: Electoral College Chooses Donald Trump as President

 

donald-trumpThe electors kept the faith:

Electoral College members across the nation voted to affirm President-elect Donald Trump’s victory on Monday, as liberal attempts to sway Republican electors to abandon Trump fizzled.

Republican electors stayed loyal to their candidate, keeping Trump well above the 270 electoral vote threshold needed to secure the nomination.

Texas’ 36 electoral votes for Trump pushed him over the edge at around 4:30 Central Time, even though two rogue electors’ defections deprived Trump of one of those votes. That gave Trump 295 total electoral votes.

The Republican-controlled Congress, a body even more unlikely to be swayed by pressure than the Electoral College, will certify the vote on Jan. 6.

Interesting sidenote:

More Democratic electors are defecting than Republicans in the Electoral College vote so far.

Four Democratic electors in Washington state cast votes for candidates other than Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who carried the state.

Democratic electors in Maine, Minnesota and Colorado have separately tried to cast votes for different candidates, but saw their ballots barred. Clinton carried all three states.

Published in Politics
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  1. Austin Murrey Inactive
    Austin Murrey
    @AustinMurrey

    Maybe I wasn’t paying attention but has the electoral college ever been a news story before?

    • #1
  2. livingthehighlife Inactive
    livingthehighlife
    @livingthehighlife

    Excuse me while I enjoy a moment of complete satisfaction at Clinton’s thorough humiliation.

    • #2
  3. livingthehighlife Inactive
    livingthehighlife
    @livingthehighlife

    Austin Murrey:Maybe I wasn’t paying attention but has the electoral college ever been a new story before?

    I sure don’t remember it.  But it’s good to remind Hillary that she lost.  She’s getting old and forgetful.

    • #3
  4. Front Seat Cat Member
    Front Seat Cat
    @FrontSeatCat

    Celebrating with a glass of wine – ! Finally…

    • #4
  5. Austin Murrey Inactive
    Austin Murrey
    @AustinMurrey

    livingthehighlife:

    Austin Murrey:Maybe I wasn’t paying attention but has the electoral college ever been a new story before?

    I sure don’t remember it. But it’s good to remind Hillary that she lost. She’s getting old and forgetful.

    Wonder how Martin Sheen is doing right now?

    You think he’s screaming about tiger blood and #winning?

    • #5
  6. EJHill Podcaster
    EJHill
    @EJHill

    Austin Murrey: Maybe I wasn’t paying attention but has the electoral college ever been a new story before?

    It’s always been covered. I remember in ’76 when a Republican elector decided to make the point that the wrong man got the nomination and voted for Ronald Reagan.

    • #6
  7. Austin Murrey Inactive
    Austin Murrey
    @AustinMurrey

    EJHill:

    Austin Murrey: Maybe I wasn’t paying attention but has the electoral college ever been a new story before?

    It’s always been covered. I remember in ’76 when a Republican elector decided to make the point that the wrong man got the nomination and voted for Ronald Reagan.

    I guess I did miss it.

    Not having been born is only a halfway good excuse after all.

    • #7
  8. Joseph Stanko Coolidge
    Joseph Stanko
    @JosephStanko

    EJHill:

    Austin Murrey: Maybe I wasn’t paying attention but has the electoral college ever been a new story before?

    It’s always been covered. I remember in ’76 when a Republican elector decided to make the point that the wrong man got the nomination and voted for Ronald Reagan.

    In ’72 a Virginia elector voted for Libertarian candidates John Hospers, the first (and to date only) electoral vote won by the LP.

    • #8
  9. Jamie Lockett Member
    Jamie Lockett
    @JamieLockett

    63594749

    • #9
  10. Mike LaRoche Inactive
    Mike LaRoche
    @MikeLaRoche

    Pandemonium here in the Evergreen State as four Hillary electors defect!

    • #10
  11. Mike LaRoche Inactive
    Mike LaRoche
    @MikeLaRoche

    Ding dong, the witch is dead…

    • #11
  12. Fred Cole Inactive
    Fred Cole
    @FredCole

    Yet another institutional failure in 2016.

    The point of all these republican institutions is to prevent tragedies like this.  If they’re just going to rubber stamp things, there seems to be little point in having them.

    • #12
  13. Quake Voter Inactive
    Quake Voter
    @QuakeVoter

    Thank God Lyndon Larouche focused his efforts on suborning school boards in Brooklyn back in the day.  Anyone else sense there is going to be real mischief in the electoral college of preeminent 9-11 fakers in the medium term?

    • #13
  14. Z in MT Member
    Z in MT
    @ZinMT

    Fred Cole:Yet another institutional failure in 2016.

    The point of all these republican institutions is to prevent tragedies like this. If they’re just going to rubber stamp things, there seems to be little point in having them.

    Fred, cheer up! Remember the pessimist’s credo.

    If things are going to be as bad as you seem to think, you will be able to gloat it over with “I told you so’s.” If not, then you can be glad you were wrong about the consequences of a Trump presidency.

    • #14
  15. OmegaPaladin Moderator
    OmegaPaladin
    @OmegaPaladin

    Fred Cole:Yet another institutional failure in 2016.

    The point of all these republican institutions is to prevent tragedies like this. If they’re just going to rubber stamp things, there seems to be little point in having them.

    Wow, Fred, I though the Need to Know crew were neverTrump, but you make Mona sound like KellyAnn Conway.   Glad I didn’t resub for the Dailv Shot – I do not need the despair.  I have plenty of worries of my own

    • #15
  16. Craig Inactive
    Craig
    @Craig

    It makes this look like fake news now

    • #16
  17. livingthehighlife Inactive
    livingthehighlife
    @livingthehighlife

    Fred Cole:Yet another institutional failure in 2016.

    The point of all these republican institutions is to prevent tragedies like this. If they’re just going to rubber stamp things, there seems to be little point in having them.

    I absolutely agree.  Giving Ron Paul one electoral vote and Colin Powell three is a complete and utter tragedy.

    • #17
  18. Brian McMenomy Inactive
    Brian McMenomy
    @BrianMcMenomy

    livingthehighlife:

    Fred Cole:Yet another institutional failure in 2016.

    The point of all these republican institutions is to prevent tragedies like this. If they’re just going to rubber stamp things, there seems to be little point in having them.

    I absolutely agree. Giving Ron Paul one electoral vote and Colin Powell three is a complete and utter tragedy.

    Actually I believe one elector chose Faith Spotted Eagle (no, I’m not joking).

    • #18
  19. Fred Cole Inactive
    Fred Cole
    @FredCole

    OmegaPaladin: Glad I didn’t resub for the Dailv Shot – I do not need the despair. I have plenty of worries of my own

    It’s not despair.  And its not a sentiment I inject into TDS.

    • #19
  20. Fred Cole Inactive
    Fred Cole
    @FredCole

    livingthehighlife:

    Fred Cole:Yet another institutional failure in 2016.

    The point of all these republican institutions is to prevent tragedies like this. If they’re just going to rubber stamp things, there seems to be little point in having them.

    I absolutely agree. Giving Ron Paul one electoral vote and Colin Powell three is a complete and utter tragedy.

    I was referring to electing a man who is clearly unfit to the presidency.

    • #20
  21. I Am The Hair Trigger Inactive
    I Am The Hair Trigger
    @Pseudodionysius

    I wear an UnFitBit when I don’t run laps around Trump Tower.

    #Winning

    • #21
  22. Addiction Is A Choice Member
    Addiction Is A Choice
    @AddictionIsAChoice

    How about we replace the electors with robots? Each state will have their own robots programmed to cast the largely ceremonial vote in accordance with state procedures. Voila: No more “faithless electors.”

    Introducing: Elector

    robot

    • #22
  23. Gaius Inactive
    Gaius
    @Gaius

    While I doubt it would have made a difference if they had acted differently, trying to quash the Hamilton elector movement should be remembered as the final and absolute abandonment of the standard by those who previously comprised the #NeverTrump movement. They should be ashamed. American conservatism is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump organization.

    • #23
  24. Joseph Stanko Coolidge
    Joseph Stanko
    @JosephStanko

    Addiction Is A Choice: How about we replace the electors with robots? Each state will have their own robots programmed to cast the largely ceremonial vote in accordance with state procedures. Voila: No more “faithless electors.”

    What happens when the Russians hack into the robots?

    • #24
  25. I Am The Hair Trigger Inactive
    I Am The Hair Trigger
    @Pseudodionysius

    Joseph Stanko:

    Addiction Is A Choice: How about we replace the electors with robots? Each state will have their own robots programmed to cast the largely ceremonial vote in accordance with state procedures. Voila: No more “faithless electors.”

    What happens when the Russians hack into the robots?

    Wodka Werewolves

    • #25
  26. Franco Member
    Franco
    @Franco

    So, you mean, those anchors and writers and pundits were wrong again?

    They wasted hours of programming on this non-story. This is why I skip the news propaganda.

    • #26
  27. Arjay Member
    Arjay
    @

    OmegaPaladin:

    Glad I didn’t resub for the Dailv Shot

    I unsubscribed.

     

    • #27
  28. Knotwise the Poet Member
    Knotwise the Poet
    @KnotwisethePoet

    Fred Cole:Yet another institutional failure in 2016.

    The point of all these republican institutions is to prevent tragedies like this. If they’re just going to rubber stamp things, there seems to be little point in having them.

    Fred, Trump won the presidency fair and square, according to procedures and protocol long-established in this country.  If the electoral college had done the unprecedented and betrayed their pledges in large enough numbers to deny Trump the win, what do you think would have happened?  I’m pretty sure the resulting (justified) outrage and loss of any faith in our system by much of the electorate would be a much worse tragedy than whatever else happens during the next 4 years of a Trump presidency.

    I did not think Trump fit for the presidency either (though I still voted for him because Hillary), but I think it very presumptuous to say the electors failed their duty because they chose to keep their pledges instead of valuing your or my judgment of the man’s fitness more than that of the many millions who saw things differently.

    We do not yet know what a Trump presidency will bring exactly, though I think he’s assembled quite an impressive team for his cabinet and am much more optimistic than I once was.  Can you really see no possible silver lining to the Trump presidency?

    • #28
  29. Joseph Stanko Coolidge
    Joseph Stanko
    @JosephStanko

    Knotwise the Poet: If the electoral college had done the unprecedented and betrayed their pledges in large enough numbers to deny Trump the win, what do you think would have happened?

    The most likely scenario would have been that no one got an outright majority in the Electoral College, the election was thrown to the House, which would have picked Trump anyway.

     

    • #29
  30. Umbra Fractus Inactive
    Umbra Fractus
    @UmbraFractus

    Fred Cole:Yet another institutional failure in 2016.

    The point of all these republican institutions is to prevent tragedies like this. If they’re just going to rubber stamp things, there seems to be little point in having them.

    So why have an election at all if the electors can just pick whoever they want?

    Also how does moving the US closer to dictatorship, which is what you get when the elites are empowered to completely disregard the will of the people, further your stated goal of increasing freedom?

    I was NeverTrump before because of my principles, one of which is a belief that liberal democracy requires both halves to function. If you take the democracy away, the liberalism won’t last long, and vice versa. Contrary to what the anti-anti-Trump crowd asserts, my #1 priority is not, “Beat Trump,” but “Advance classical liberalism,” and allowing the political elites to disregard the rules agreed upon by all parties well in advance hurts that cause.

    • #30
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