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The popular vote exists within the context of the electoral college vote. People go to the polls knowing about the electoral college, knowing that they are voting for their state's electors and not directly for the president. This matters because this effects how people vote and whether they choose to vote at all. If you live in a state that is overwhelmingly red or blue you may choose to stay home because you figure the outcome is already certain, but if you thought your state was up for grabs you would have gotten up and voted. You may also choose to vote third party because you know your vote won't really effect the outcome of the race, while you might have chosen to vote for one of the major party candidates if you thought the outcome was uncertain.
My point is that we know who won the popular vote within the context of the electoral college but we don't know who would have won in a pure head to head matchup. We don't know which California republicans would have shown up to vote or which Utah voters would have voted GOP instead of independent or which Texas democrats would have shown up for Hillary. We do know that in states that were close, people tended to show up more for Trump than for Hillary, but that trend only shows up in the electoral vote not the popular vote.
The popular vote count is not a valid gauge of the will of the people in the context of an American presidential election. We do not know who would have won in a head to head matchup so pointing at Hillary's popular vote total does not delegitimize Trump's victory in any way.
Even if Clinton and Trump had split the electoral vote 268-268 the popular vote still wouldn't have mattered. The popular vote would not have been the tie breaker, congress would have. The house would decide the president and the Senate would decide the vice president. Even in an electoral tie the popular vote was not intended to decide the election. Perhaps the founders understood that the popular vote would not have mattered even in an electoral tie because it was never a straight up head to head vote to begin with.
I supported the concept of the Electoral College before the election, I supported it back when GW won, when Obama won, and I still support it. That the results come out in a way that I think is a failure for the country doesn't mean it should be scrapped. As they say, this election is unique. Hopefully, the nation will be back to being reasonable sane by the next go-round.
"Back to being reasonable sane," like we have been for the last eight years? I think Trump is a return to sanity. We haven't seen "reasonable or sane" for eight years.
As Hillary's advantage in the vote continues to increase, it's entertaining to see how sensitive the right is becoming over their "big victory." Not only did Trump lose the vote, but the GOP lost seats in both the house and senate.
Yes, Trump has been legally elected - but 54% of voters rejected him.
That's a fact. One that's very uncomfortable for Trumplings.
Oh, great. We would have a criminal (Hillary Clinton) as Trump's V.P.
By the way, What's your source for this? Do you have a source?
If the E.C. was in full operation, HRC wouldn't have been in the candidate pool... having been drowned by others.
Source: History, Parliamentary form, the disgust of the colonists with the corrupt parliament in England, the actual original E.C., the fact that GEOWASH despised his V.P. - who was elected TWICE, to add insult to injury, and the republican form of government.
P.S. - - The Founders disliked democracy. They considered it mob rule. That's why the only Federal legislator that was "democratically elected" was the Representative. The senate was to be chosen by each state's government. And the president / v.p. were selected by the Electoral College.
I don't see what the problem is by giving the electoral college the boot. It isn't necessary today. Popular vote should always prevail...
To the contrary, this last election proves that the EC is more necessary today than ever before. As long as we have rogue states like CA trying to tell the rest of the country how to live, the EC is our savior. The Founding Fathers knew exactly what they were doing and knew eventually a large state might try and control the rest of the country. That's why the EC exists. The Founding Fathers were brilliant.
If you took the money away -- who then? We have enough media and and TV free exposure,,, take away the money- what of our elections then??
I think Ryan just put a bill up to remove ALL limits on campaign donations while everyone is focused on the DON- and the circus show--
Better than eliminating the electoral college, lets have an IQ test to determine who is eligible to vote.
Based on the nonsense you hear from C-D Trump supporters there is no doubt he garnered the ignorant and less educated vote.
That's not to say all Trump supporters are ignorant or stupid, just the majority of them.
To be fair many Hillary supporters are ignorant and stupid but they were outnumbered by the Trump supporters in the red states. Not exactly the bastions of higher education.
If you live in a red state you got what you deserve.
If you live in a blue state you got screwed.
Better than eliminating the electoral college, lets have an IQ test to determine who is eligible to vote.
Better than an IQ test, let's have people get votes proportional to their taxation. You in? And yes, I am well aware that many rich people are liberal. I'm totally fine with it. You in?
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