Elliot Ackerman, A Leader of Americans Elect, Publishes Criticism of Electoral College
October 27th, 2011Elliot Ackerman, Chief Operating Officer for Americans Elect, has this Huffington Post piece, criticizing the Electoral College. The piece also criticizes the presidential primary process used by the two major parties.
October 27th, 2011 at 2:26 pm
Fair criticism of the Electoral College.
Ok, now let’s hear the anachronistic folks start their belly-aching.
October 27th, 2011 at 4:02 pm
@1 see
http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2011/10/constitution-party-resolution-to-oppose-adoption-of-national-popular-vote-and-support-the-electoral-college/
October 27th, 2011 at 5:33 pm
Const Amdt
Uniform definition of Elector in ALL of the U.S.A. — for SELF DEFENSE of Democracy
P.R.
App.V.
JUNK the Dark Age stuff in the nearly dead U.S.A. Const. — before it is too late.
The top left gerrymander Donkeys do NOT like (and can barely tolerate) the top right gerrymander Elephants and vice versa.
October 27th, 2011 at 6:22 pm
#2
Can’t say CP’s arguments against NPV are very good.
October 27th, 2011 at 7:14 pm
What’s bad about them?
October 28th, 2011 at 6:49 am
#5
They are weak. I don’t have time to go through all the poor points.
I’ll just start on the first one that the electoral college represents the inspired genius of the founding fathers. So since the Constitution has been amended 25 times it must be the case that the founding fathers have blown it at least 25 times and didn’t get it right 25 times. Founding Fathers were not perfect. The electoral college is one of those imperfect points that requires modification at bare minimum. Elmination is best.
October 28th, 2011 at 8:04 am
Just because the constitution has been amended (and some of those amendments should be repealed) does not mean that the electoral college should be amended.
Plus, they have many other arguments as well.
October 28th, 2011 at 8:22 am
“..since the Constitution has been amended 25 times it must be the case that the founding fathers have blown it…”
Brad, try dusting off your copy of the Constitution since you obviously do not read it. It has been amended twenty-seven times so far.
First, subtract TEN (10) from that number since the Founders had understood that the Bill of Rights was self-evident. They did not “blow it” on the BOR. The BOR simple adds to, not corrects any “flaws” in the original document.
Second, subtract TWO (2) more for the 13th and 15th Amendments because slavery was a contentious issue. Jefferson tried to abolish it with an entire paragraph in the Declaration of Independence that he was forced to remove.
Third, deduct THREE (3) more for the illegally ratified 14th, 16th, and 17th Amendments.
Fourth, deduct TWO (2) more for the 18th and 21st Prohibition Amendments which cancel each other out.
Fifth, deduct THREE (3) more for the 19th, 24th, and 26th Amendments which extended voting rights.
Sixth, subtract another one for the 23rd Amendment since Washington DC was a swamp at the time and not the seat of government.
And finally, deduct ONE (1) more for the 27th Amendment which was part of the proposed Bill of Rights, but does nothing more than to delay what are virtually automatic Congressional pay raises.
That leaves only FIVE (5) “oversights” on the part of the Founders in the 11, 12, 20, 22, and 25th amendments. However, I would argue since the 20th, 22nd, and 25th all deal with the office of the president, that these can be combined for just three issues. Not too bad considering the many months that were spent debating and drafring this historic document.
October 28th, 2011 at 8:45 am
#8
I stand corrected. 27 Amendments.
But the Constitution remains imperfect and amendable.
October 28th, 2011 at 9:17 am
#9 -
…and an amendment is not required to implement the NPV scheme, thanks to the “genius” of the FF’s who clearly defined what SCOTUS has since confirmed as the “plenary” power of individual state legislatures to designate their states’ electors in whatever manner they may choose. This is one of the myths advanced by the CP in their very weak piece on NPV, referenced by “Indy” in 2 above. It’s the same, tired anti-NPV screed. Strap in, though…we’ll be hearing more of same in the coming months, particularly if NY signs on.
Example:
“Whereas, the elimination of the Electoral College would overnight make irrelevant the votes of Americans in about 25 states because candidates would only be interested in campaigning in large population states making small states meaningless zero…”
Overnight, huh? I wonder if the CP can produce evidence to refute CNN’s record of visits by both major presidential candidates to the following states in the 2004 general campaign:
AK – 1
HI – 1
WA – 1
OR – 0
ID – 0
MT – 3
WY – 0
UT – 0
TX – 4
OK – 0
KS – 0
NE – 2
SD – 1
ND – 1
AR – 1
LA – 1
MS – 4
AL – 0
SC – 0
TN – 3
KY – 2
CT – 0
RI – 1
MA – 3
VT – 0
ME – 2
NJ – 3
MD – 2
You can rule many those to “sure-thing” blue or red states out as probable visits to max-donor dinners to pick up campaign checks, not to rub elbows with residents of those states to “see what their needs are.”
Meanwhile here are some counts of visits to those “small states” CP is so worried about:
FL – 23
OH – 50
PA – 47
NC – 20
VA – 29
MO – 27
MI – 19
But I’m sure they only visited rural sections of those states. No need to inquire about the needs of elitist urban dwellers, eh? I mean, they’re not “real” Americans are they? I’ll say it if no one else will – this particular fiction of the anti-NPV crowd is only barely disguised bigotry.
October 28th, 2011 at 9:28 am
You know… the U.S. Senate is troublesome as well. Why should Wyoming have as many U.S. Senators as California?
October 28th, 2011 at 2:29 pm
#10
Agreed. The AE criticism didn’t even mention NPV, but the CP’s position/stand was focused on anti-NPV.
October 28th, 2011 at 3:23 pm
Why not just dissolve the union and let each state go its own way?
October 28th, 2011 at 5:17 pm
Lucky # 13 More likely regional groups of States becoming independent regimes –
NE, SE, West Coast, Central- North, Central – South
What happened with the 1777 Articles of Confederation – with its FATAL defects ???
October 28th, 2011 at 8:40 pm
Lots of ANTI-Democracy stuff in the 1787 Constitution due to the EVIL conspiracy of the robot party hacks from the small States and the slave States in the top secret 1787 Federal Convention.
The EVIL 3 minority rule gerrymander systems – House, Senate, Electoral College.
Prez Veto
Appointed party hack Fed judges
NO elected major Fed executive officers – Atty Gen, Treasurer, U.S. Marshals, Dist. Attys — to watch each other for violations.
Democracy Amdt 28 NOW – to END the super-evil dangerous stuff.
October 29th, 2011 at 4:58 am
10 -
OOOPS! I meant 2008 campaign, of course. My bad.
October 29th, 2011 at 1:25 pm
The so-called “Founding Fathers” didn’t create anything called an “Electoral College”. The President and Vice-President were elected by the Congress!
October 30th, 2011 at 5:11 am
@17 see http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#A2Sec1
October 30th, 2011 at 9:47 am
Of course, at #17 I lied. My bad.