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It's become fairly common for Republicans to win the White House while losing the national popular vote. Polling suggests that it may happen again this year. Each time it does happen, Democrats ramp up their calls to eliminate the Electoral College (EC) and have the outcome determined by the popular vote. I don't have a sense of how much support there is for such a change or how likely it is to succeed. It is my sense, however, that calls to eliminate the EC are getting stronger and gaining traction each time the cycle repeats.
I've become increasingly concerned that Dems will eventually catch Reps sleeping on this issue, and leave them wondering how they didn't see it coming. The groundwork for a major coup has already been laid. How often do we hear America referred to as a republic anymore, even by conservatives? All this talk about Trump being a threat to our democracy hides a darker agenda. It's not only about demonizing Trump; it's about solidifying the belief that America is a democracy. Once that belief is firmly established in the American mind, the case that every vote should count the same is easy to make.
Our schools no longer teach the difference between a republic and a democracy, nor do they teach what the EC is or why it exists. In a country where a frightening percentage of the public can't name the three branches of government, the most simplistic of arguments -- Shouldn't your vote count as much as people's in other states? -- is all it takes to turn the entire system on its head.
So we need to be careful with our words, relentless in challenging misconceptions, and be able to articulate things we never had to back when schools were still teaching and the media still had some interest in the truth. And...
We need to vote for Trump, even if "I live in a blue state, so my vote doesn't matter." This looks to be a very tight race, which means there is a distinct possibility that Trump will win both the EC and the popular vote. Winning on both fronts would go a long way toward silencing the calls for eliminating the EC, at least for this cycle. And that's a reason to vote for Trump.
Discussion (16)
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I’ve heard people say the same thing if they live in a deep red state. Same principle applies. Good post.
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Voted for Trump last week. In Massachusetts. Where’s my little gold star?
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The Left is always yelling about fairness--and that is exactly what the Electoral College is for. It provides fairness in elections, whether a state is large or small in population. That means the big guns can't roll over the smaller ones.
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The EC and the Senate.
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If you want to preserve the electoral college it will help if you vote for Trump.
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