Are Republicans Trying to Rig the Electoral College?
“Republicans have only won the popular vote for president once in the last 25 years, a steep decline in their fortunes from the period from 1972 to 1988, when they won the popular vote every time but one–1976, the aftermath of Watergate. Add to that massive policy failures and demographic trends against them, and the motivations to cheat are overwhelming."
“Voter suppression seemed promising at first—and it’s helpful in many downticket races—but it’s not going to be enough to secure the White House. So they’ve been working on another idea as well—make the popular vote totally irrelevant by leaving red states just as they are, with statewide winners getting all the electoral votes, while making electoral votes more or less proportional in as many blue states as possible—many of which the GOP controls at the state level. If they can rewrite the rules fast enough, they could even win in 2016, with no more votes than Mitt Romney received."
Salon
So if they win by 51%, in all the red states, they get 100% of those electoral votes, but in many blue states, they also get the % voted by Republicans?? Sounds like a Karl Rove idea. (I thought he was washed up, by now.)
Also, it doesn’t take much money in each of, all, the local judgeship races, around the country, to win control of those.
So, the true minority Party, which, itself is so fractionized that it cannot be effective in Congress, except to effectively block everything, may soon be in control of both houses of the national Congress, the Presidency, and the Supreme Court, as well as many State governments, and most of the courts besides the Supreme Court.
They are also in control of more of the national news broadcasts. And they are almost exclusively in control of radio talk shows.
A nation of the Republicans, by the Republicans, and for the Republicans, will be a truly messed up nation.
Blame Gerrymandering because without it this Republican House of cards would tumble. The Republican dominated state legislatures, using the Gerrymander can neatly carve out red districts and hobble blue ones simply by redrawing the local districts or combining solidly red areas to control the votes, e.g. Ohio. Couple that with blue districts controlled by “blue dog” Dems. And you have a conservative controlled state legislature. This BTW is how the Reps. could actually control the electoral Congress. Remember also that a member doesn’t actually HAVE to vote along party lines.
Cap’t Jack
I believe you’re right villageatheist. It is the craziest system we have, that the minority party gets total control of the districting. There are a few states that have a bi-partisan method. I talked to a career bureaucrat about it once, he said it wouldn’t matter if you changed the system, someone would figure out how to scam it eventually. I say, so let them figure it out, meanwhile, reset everything back to geometrically equal squares and make them start over, but this time play nice.
So if they win by 51%, in all the red states, they get 100% of those electoral votes, but in many blue states, they also get the % voted by Republicans?? Sounds like a Karl Rove idea. (I thought he was washed up, by now.) He is. He and other Republicans just doesn't know it yet. Also, it doesn't take much money in each of, all, the local judgeship races, around the country, to win control of those. So, the true minority Party, which, itself is so fractionized that it cannot be effective in Congress, except to effectively block everything, may soon be in control of both houses of the national Congress, the Presidency, and the Supreme Court, as well as many State governments, and most of the courts besides the Supreme Court. They are also in control of more of the national news broadcasts. And they are almost exclusively in control of radio talk shows. A nation of the Republicans, by the Republicans, and for the Republicans, will be a truly messed up nation.Sounds like a very long nightmare that will cause all kinds of destruction to the economy, our seurity and our way of life. Lois
Sr. Member Total Posts: 1462 Joined 2009-10-21 I believe you’re right villageatheist. It is the craziest system we have, that the minority party gets total control of the districting. There are a few states that have a bi-partisan method. I talked to a career bureaucrat about it once, he said it wouldn’t matter if you changed the system, someone would figure out how to scam it eventually. I say, so let them figure it out, meanwhile, reset everything back to geometrically equal squares and make them start over, but this time play nice.That sounds like a great idea Lausten but unfortunately many states, especially east of the Mississippi don't have equally laid out squares, e.g. my home State of Kentucky. It's got 120 blob looking counties that were only sorted out in 1955. That makes it easier to gerrymander (damn Elbridge Gerry for drumming it up in the first place) much to Mitch McConnell's delight I'm sure. My solution is to completely ban it and return the counties to their original areas before the neo cons took over the House. But then that would give the middle and lower class voter an equal chance to influence politics. Cap't Jack
But then that would give the middle and lower class voter an equal chance to influence politics. Cap't JackWell, we can't have that now can we?
My god no! They might just take over and more evenly spread the wealth via government subsidized programs, force their reps. to spend more on infrastructure, end tax exemptions for the Kocktopus and their buddies, stop the tar sands pipeline, make soft energy THE top priority, enforce gun laws, end the ridiculous argument over pro-choice, force religion back into the churches and, dare I say it??? End the phoney war on Xmas foreeeeevvvvveeeerrr!! Chaos would reign; there would be rioting in the streets, wait a minute … .
Cap’t Jack
Personally, I think if the Republicans won the electoral vote for president, but lost the popular vote by a relatively large margin–say 47% to 52%–we would see the largest, most well-organized protests and civil disobedience we’ve seen since, maybe, ever. I think we’d see a massive strike by federal and state employees. I think we’d see blue states ignoring new Republican federal laws like never before. And I think we’d possibly even see U.N. sanctions against the U.S. (or at least a strongly-worded letter of disapproval :lol: ).
At least I’d hope that’s what we’d see…