TL;DR: the electoral college made more sense when states had more power then the federal government, or basically, back when the 10th amendment was the most important one. the president runs the executive branch, and the federal government's role was designed to be a somewhat unifying organization of the states working together. the reason why it doesn't make sense over the past century, is that the president is seen as the leader of the american people, and the federal government has more laws, dictates more actions, taxes
heavier, spends more, and asserts control in more aspects of our lives
than ever before. to fix this, we should either abolish the electoral college, or we should atrophy the size, scope, and power of the federal government, returning most of the power back to the states like back when the US was formed.
the electoral college is the right way to elect the president and vice president of the united states--and i can prove it.
and i will.
but for a moment, let's back up and unpack some new (and some old) ideas that fuel so much drama and misinformation about this topic.
one of the hidden problems in this debate, and it stirs a lot of confusion, is that, when it comes to right vs left--each side thinks they're right and the other side is wrong.
what many don't realize (or don't want to realize) is that they're both right, and both wrong. and i'm about to show you how.
understanding and finding common ground between all of us, united, as americans, relies on us first cutting through the wrong aspects of our position, *and* at least *trying* to understand the others' thoughts enough so that they can either be logically accepted, or logically set aside.
first and foremost, if the extent that you understand the problem doesn't go further than the fact that in some recent elections, *your* guy got elected based on the electoral college tally, then you may not have enough attention span to make it through this thought exercise.
two examples:
1) Dear Conservatives:
if you're happy that trump got elected because it proves that the electoral college is setup so that the entire country isn't controlled by urban coastal elites, or so that the tyranny of the majority is held in check, or some other foxnews-invented pseudo-plausible reasons not based in fact or reality, then it's perhaps time to realize that you might be a little too brainwashed to dig any further. in which case, you either don't have the interest, or maybe don't have the ability to see this any way other than the way that fits what you want to believe.
or...
2) Dear Liberals:
if you believe that the office of president should be elected by a simple majority of americans, because to give the office to someone who received the second most american votes, over the person who got the most american votes makes no sense to you at all, then it's perhaps time to realize that you might be a little too brainwashed to dig any further. in which case, you either don't have the interest, or maybe don't have the ability to see this any way other than the way that fits what you want to believe.
ok, so if you've made it this far, and if you think one of the two examples above fit you to a T, then probably best to bail out on this article, and pull yourself back into your calm, soothing, ego stroking "yeah yeah" bubble.
still here? ok, let's dig in.
then i'm thinking you're ready to explore this issue a little further...
Here is where the RIGHT is CORRECT
at the federal level, we are a republic of states, united. and to a great degree, the states are treated as equals in the eyes of the federal level of government. so given that, are the needs of the people, despite one's state of residence, important to the federal level of government at all? yes, the people being equally represented is already covered by the house of representatives, which is half of congress, which is 1/3 of the federal government. how this works is, congress makes the laws that fairly serve the people (the house) and laws that fairly recognize and serve the needs of the states (the senate). for a bill to pass into law, it must serve and protect the interests of people and states. then of course the judiciary ensures that all are working fairly within the system, and conform to the constitution.
so here we are. all we're left with is the executive branch. these are the agencies that take those laws and programs and money and put them into action. that branch needs a leader, a chief executive, and that is the president. if we look at it like this, then it makes perfect sense that we don't elect the president by popular vote. after all, the president's primary job isn't to represent the people. rather the president's job is to run government operations the way congress decides, and in the manner that the judiciary backs up.
but, of course, if it were only that simple. Which brings us to...
Here is where the LEFT is CORRECT
it's been well over a century since we can look at america and see a place where you are a citizen of a state first, and the nation second. there used to be a time when the powers of the federal government were correctly applied (and more importantly, mostly not applied). one could say it's more important that the federal government recognizes what it should NOT be doing, and LESS important for it to assert involvement in everything as the dominant force in our lives.
but for the past 100 years, in this context, the federal government has moved in the opposite direction than intended. it has grown in power and scope to the point where it has almost completely stripped the sovereignty of our 50 states down to the nib. sure, we have pride in "our state", but the degree that quaint idea is shifting toward full anachronism is rapidly accelerating.
the federal government has more laws, dictates more actions, taxes heavier, spends more, and asserts control in more aspects of our lives than ever before. it's arguable that 2/3 of what the feds do should be done by state and local government. but it's been so long, and so many generations since we saw a model of how that works, that the habits and muscle memory of who we are as a people have completely crushed those collective historical memories.
so now that we're left with a country that is almost all National, and what's left over for the states is not much more than local application of national patterns and practices, it makes perfect sense that the president, who is now more Head of State representing us all, than he is simply the executive that brings federal level legislation into action. it makes sense that we have been homogenized.
and when we all live in a flattened, unified nation where state borders are barely noticed anymore (politically), why should an individual vote in wyoming be worth *four times more*, than an individual's vote in california when electing the president?
but...
Here is where the LEFT is INCORRECT
so in short, i see where the left is coming from. but where they are wrong is that this is not how the federal government is designed to work--it's simply how for the past 100 years we've allowed it to *slide* into working.
so, if this is the way that the federal government is broken, then you don't "fix" that by breaking the presidential election process so that it fits. rather, the way to fix it, is to somehow get the federal government to go back to working the way it used to. back when the 10th amendment was more important than the 2nd. then the electoral college would make perfect sense again.
and if you had to look up what the 10th amendment is, then you just helped prove my point. It has become a remote figment and remnant of an earlier time.
but at the same time...
Here is where the RIGHT is INCORRECT
1) they say that the reason for the electoral college is to act as a bulwark against the tyranny of the majority. this is of course factually and historically wrong.
and this point is well-documented.
i mean, you don't prevent the majority from acting like a bully by giving power to the minority, effectively making *them* the bully. after all, the majority opinion on any matter deserves legitimate respect. to some degree. and minority positions also deserve legitimate respect. to some degree.
no... rather... the bulwark against the majority enacting mob rule is made up of two components: an ethical legislature that represents all of our interests to the degree they can, backed up by a judiciary who make decisions with the intent of protecting everyone, majority and minority positions, along the lines of constitutional intent.
this can never be perfect. living in a society, and benefitting from a society has costs, and one of those costs is that you don't get to have everything your way. you occasionally need to respect the needs of the whole over the wants of yourself, and recognize that we all have creator-endowed rights to live and pursue happiness in a framework that defends everyone's freedom to the degree it can.
2) they say that the reason for the electoral college is to ensure that the needs of rural america aren't steamrolled by the desires of coastal urban elites.
no. Not only is this not mentioned anywhere in the constitution or federalist papers, the actual measurement of this is so tiny to be almost completely, statistically insignificant.
here's some propaganda meant to convince those outside of urban centers that the electoral college is meant to protect them.
if I lived in a rural area or rural state, feels like I'm going to get bullied by city folk.
looks like a big difference huh?
speaking of propaganda, here's another map that goes even *worse* in the other direction, in an attempt to show that rural areas actually have *more* righteous authority than they do, or should.
president trump loves this map down here on the left. It's the one he has hung in his office. He loves it because he knows that while it doesn't actually reflect reality, it's plausible enough to be brilliant marketing. Big swaths of red where the dirt is, and dots of blue so dense with humanity you can't see it without squinting.
and note, neither map below has anything to do with the electoral college. check out these two maps. truth and lies in the same data.
the problem with this map on the left, is that it ignores population density (and thus ignores *people*) completely. This map is statistically, measurably, intellectually, and cartographically bankrupt. whereas the map next to it on the right, well, that one maps people. imagine that.
sucks to be that stupid map. ;-)
ok time for a reality check...
If the intent of the founders was to create an electoral system that prevents against "mob rule" they clearly did a shitty job of it.
the map on the left shows the relative strength each state has on the electoral college as a whole, based solely on the number of electors each state gets.
the map on the right shows the relative strength each state has on America as a whole, based purely on popular vote pure democracy.
the difference can barely be noticed.
by the way, it's already possible--given the current electoral college system--for the president to reach 270 electors by winning the 10 most populous states, ignoring 40 states.
how is that a bulwark against the majority? a defense against urban elites? or assurance that rural voters are respected? It's just math, folks. and the click-bait right-wing media lies about this. all. the. time.
maps feel so authoritative, it makes them an excellent propaganda tool.
i'm not going to say the founding fathers were not geniuses. because many of them were geniuses. but if one's argument for them being geniuses involves something they didn't do, on purpose, or by mistake, then you simply don't know what you're talking about, or... you have signed over your critical thinking skills to the propaganda arm of your chosen political party. congratulations.
you remember the electoral college don't you? the president does. and yet again.. he is wrong. thank goodness the president has no power to change the system that put him in office.
and, oh, by the way, if your knee-jerk reaction to the tweet above was something along the lines of "but the US is not a democracy!!", then here's what i have to say about that..
let's hope the electoral college remains. but let's also hope that the federal government goes back to staying in its own lane when it comes to governmental authority. push it downward. feds push authority down to state; state to county; county to local; local to people and personal responsibility. that's the American way.