MCcins 44%, Obama 44% todays polls

[Mr. Dirlewanger]

Why should the opinion of someone in a smaller state be worth more than that of a person in a larger state?

Why should Iowans get to have a huge say in who the nomination is for either party, at the cost of many other citizens?

The opinions of the residents of New York, Texas, California, Florida etc should be counted at full strength -- they are the majority of the country!

The electoral college is ridiculously backwards and like our system of measurement should have been buried long, long ago.

The college is all that protects us from mob rule. It ensures that the candidate with the broadest appeal will win the election.

mob rule? how about the will of the people?

Our Founding Fathers feared the tyranny of the majority. The electoral system we have is ingenious and I fear the attempts of demagogues to scrap it.

[conley]

Why should the opinion of someone in a smaller state be worth more than that of a person in a larger state?

Why should Iowans get to have a huge say in who the nomination is for either party, at the cost of many other citizens?

The opinions of the residents of New York, Texas, California, Florida etc should be counted at full strength -- they are the majority of the country!

The electoral college is ridiculously backwards and like our system of measurement should have been buried long, long ago.

The college is all that protects us from mob rule. It ensures that the candidate with the broadest appeal will win the election.

mob rule? how about the will of the people?

Our Founding Fathers feared the tyranny of the majority. The electoral system we have is ingenious and I fear the attempts of demagogues to scrap it.

we'll see how you feel about it if mccain wins the popular vote by a handy margin and gets blown out in the EC

it's an idea who's time has come and gone

everything our government does -- legislature, the ruling of the supreme court, etc is based on majorities. i don't want some iowa hick telling me who the next president is going to be because he doesn'lt like mormons (romney) or thinks obama is a muslim. if the president is going to preside over all americans we should all have an equal say as to who will receive the honor of that seat.

[Mr. Dirlewanger]

Why should the opinion of someone in a smaller state be worth more than that of a person in a larger state?

Why should Iowans get to have a huge say in who the nomination is for either party, at the cost of many other citizens?

The opinions of the residents of New York, Texas, California, Florida etc should be counted at full strength -- they are the majority of the country!

The electoral college is ridiculously backwards and like our system of measurement should have been buried long, long ago.

The college is all that protects us from mob rule. It ensures that the candidate with the broadest appeal will win the election.

mob rule? how about the will of the people?

Our Founding Fathers feared the tyranny of the majority. The electoral system we have is ingenious and I fear the attempts of demagogues to scrap it.

we'll see how you feel about it if mccain wins the popular vote by a handy margin and gets blown out in the EC

it's an idea who's time has come and gone

everything our government does -- legislature, the ruling of the supreme court, etc is based on majorities. i don't want some iowa hick telling me who the next president is going to be because he doesn'lt like mormons (romney) or thinks obama is a muslim. if the president is going to preside over all americans we should all have an equal say as to who will receive the honor of that seat.

I'll just die if McCain doesn't win! 

You seem to have a low opinion of many of your fellow citizens.

Yes, the President will indeed be presiding over all Americans. Get the point?

[Peter1469]

Why should the opinion of someone in a smaller state be worth more than that of a person in a larger state?

Why should Iowans get to have a huge say in who the nomination is for either party, at the cost of many other citizens?

The opinions of the residents of New York, Texas, California, Florida etc should be counted at full strength -- they are the majority of the country!

The electoral college is ridiculously backwards and like our system of measurement should have been buried long, long ago.

Conley:  Would you call a president elect your president if they got no vote whatsoever outside of California, New York and Florida?  It would be possible with no electoral college.  Our federal policies would shift madly left.

Pitty:  I think that our elections should be on April 15th- the same day that taxes are due.

[conley]

Why should the opinion of someone in a smaller state be worth more than that of a person in a larger state?

Why should Iowans get to have a huge say in who the nomination is for either party, at the cost of many other citizens?

The opinions of the residents of New York, Texas, California, Florida etc should be counted at full strength -- they are the majority of the country!

The electoral college is ridiculously backwards and like our system of measurement should have been buried long, long ago.

Conley:  Would you call a president elect your president if they got no vote whatsoever outside of California, New York and Florida?  It would be possible with no electoral college.  Our federal policies would shift madly left.

Pitty:  I think that our elections should be on April 15th- the same day that taxes are due.

Peter

now you're just being ridiculous

US Population is around 300M.

California: 36 million
New York: 19 million
Florida: 18 million

36+19+18 million = 73 million

So that leaves about 227 million other people to vote. What are you talking about? And to expect some crazy left swing is equally ludicrous. FL and CA have republican governors, NY probably will soon after Spitzer's trainwreck. NYC has had quite a few republican mayors including Giuliani and Bloomberg. Now granted these repubs aren't right but they sure as heck don't have a big lefty agenda.

So what exactly are you saying 


source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_population

[Gunit Hussein Sangh]

mcsame will win neither the popular vote or the electoral college vote.

I too would love to see the electoral college eliminated and the president elected by the overall vote. That way there can never be another controversy like 2000 and shennigans in a few states, by either party, would not throw the election.

[Peter1469]

Why should the opinion of someone in a smaller state be worth more than that of a person in a larger state?

Why should Iowans get to have a huge say in who the nomination is for either party, at the cost of many other citizens?

The opinions of the residents of New York, Texas, California, Florida etc should be counted at full strength -- they are the majority of the country!

The electoral college is ridiculously backwards and like our system of measurement should have been buried long, long ago.

Conley:  Would you call a president elect your president if they got no vote whatsoever outside of California, New York and Florida?  It would be possible with no electoral college.  Our federal policies would shift madly left.

Pitty:  I think that our elections should be on April 15th- the same day that taxes are due.

Peter

now you're just being ridiculous

US Population is around 300M.

California: 36 million
New York: 19 million
Florida: 18 million

36+19+18 million = 73 million

So that leaves about 227 million other people to vote. What are you talking about? And to expect some crazy left swing is equally ludicrous. FL and CA have republican governors, NY probably will soon after Spitzer's trainwreck. NYC has had quite a few republican mayors including Giuliani and Bloomberg. Now granted these repubs aren't right but they sure as heck don't have a big lefty agenda.

So what exactly are you saying 


source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_population

64% of the eligible people voted in 2004.  Subtract those that are not eligible to vote.  It is possible to win the presidency by campaigning in very few states – the large ones.  Don’t doubt that the little states will be largely ignored if we get rid of the Electoral College.  http://www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/p20-556.pdf

[conley]

64% across all states...

the "little states" will get the attention they deserve, which is still plenty, since according to the math they consist of 227/300 or over 75%

[Mr. Dirlewanger]

I clicked on Peter's link. There is a chart on page 7 showing voting rates by race.The voting rates for Hispanics and Asians are very low. The rates for Whites and Blacks is much higher.

Citizenship is especially important
in the consideration of racial and
ethnic differences in voting rates.
Immigration has contributed to different
proportions of noncitizens
in various groups—2 percent of
non-Hispanic Whites were not citizens,
compared with 6 percent of
Blacks, 33 percent of Asians, and
41 percent of Hispanics (of any
race) in 2004.

[Peter1469]

I agree that it is not likely that 3 large states could elect the president; my point is that it is possible without the Electoral College. That was the entire reason for creating it.  It is certain that candidate will ignore the smaller states in presidential elections once the EC is gone. 

[Vermouth]

I agree with Pittypat that we should have all primaries on the same day.

I also agree with Conley that it's time to get rid of the electoral college. People are not allegiant to their state anymore ... Americans move around too much.

There's really no state-by-state difference in voting trends anyway. The divide is rural/urban.

[conley]

I agree with Pittypat that we should have all primaries on the same day.

I also agree with Conley that it's time to get rid of the electoral college. People are not allegiant to their state anymore ... Americans move around too much.

There's really no state-by-state difference in voting trends anyway. The divide is rural/urban.

finally! a voice of REASON

 

[pittypat65]

 Unlike me who shoots my mouth off all the time, Vermouth is the calm voice of reason. 

[they call me MR. GRUMPY god damn it!]

the hell with scrapping the electoral college.  if you want meaningful reform; demand english only ballots, provide for a voting competency test, raise the voting age to at least 21, require a history of full time employment and repeal the 19th amendment.   

[Peter1469]

I would repel the 17th Amendment to give the States their fair say in federal government.