13 years on what are your thoughts on the U.S. presidential election of 2000?

[korn469]

Because geographic/cultural/state/etc matters.

For example, if you removed the electoral college the way to reach people who matter the most would be to focus on the big cities.

It would over emphasize new york/chicago/la compared to the rest of the nation.

The big cities are already weighted towards, having some other weights towards other diferences (cultural/political/state/geographic) is important for such a diverse nation.

JM

In theory this works great. However, in practice with the Electoral College this theory falls apart.

Look at this. This is 2012 Campaign Stops, and I'm assuming the Washington Post has legit numbers on its site.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/2012-presidential-campaign-visits/

Ohio is over emphasized compared to this small sliver of the country:

Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Montana, Wyoming,New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Minnesota, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Connecticut and Maine

In fact, (and please double check my math) the candidates made more stops in Ohio than in all of those states combined. You have states from the West, South and North. You have populated states, you have unpopulated states. You have big states. You have small states. You have urban states. You have rural states. ALL IGNORED FOR A SWING STATE.

Get rid of the Electoral College.

[korn469]

Having this separation is actually pretty important to the US functioning as a country. While it's attractive to look at popular vote and say that each person should have an equal say, I could point to a lot of places where that caused problems. Rwanda. Bosnia. What happens when you have two groups, one of which is a majority, and allow the majority to dictate to the minority? They do so. The way you get a functioning nation when you have disparate groups is by governing together, sometimes giving the minority an outsized say in governance.

Ah yes, the problem caused by a majority winning the vote. It's really horrible. It is far better when a minority does have an outsized say in the government. It was working out so well in Iraq (pre US invasion), Syria, South Africa back in the '80 etc. etc

EDIT:
Don't worry though, not all Americans are eligible to vote, and a good portion who are, don't. So even with Obama's landslide 2012 victory, the "majority" spoke. 62 or so million out of a nation of about 310 million voted for him.

We're thankfully still a ways from the majority ruling.

EDIT 2:

about 23% of the population is under 18 and about 7 more are in the correctional system so if you discount all of them, that leaves approximately 230 million people who should be able to vote

[Jon Miller]

If you got rid of the electoral college the following states would have the only real stops:
New York, Illinois, California, Texas

Maybe a couple of additional ones.

JM

[korn469]

If you got rid of the electoral college the following states would have the only real stops:
New York, Illinois, California, Texas

Maybe a couple of additional ones.

JM

As opposed to Ohio, Florida, Virginia and Iowa?

[Jon Miller]

New York/California already get enough focus.

The fact that Ohio/Virginia/etc get more focus for presidential elections is a good thing.

JM

[korn469]

Check the figures on the site I posted, or post your own set of campaign stop figures. The candidates visited Ohio more than California, New York and Texas put together in the last election. That can't be a good thing.

[Imran Siddiqui]

At least Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Iowa, etc are more battleground states with a diverse political makeup.

[Jon Miller]

It is a good thing, and I know they do.

The issue is there is already enough national focus on New York/California/Texas. That they have less focus in presidential elections is a good thing.

Your way has 3-6 focus states.

The current way has 10-15 focus states (the above 3-6 + electoral focus states).

20-30 would be perfect, don't expect we will reach there.

JM

[korn469]

The candidates actually campaigned more in Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Iowa, Colorado, and New Hampshire than all of the other states combined. I don't see how the electoral college makes all states evenly important. Instead it just makes a handful vitally important and they receive all the emphasis.

Obama earned less than a fifth of all of his votes in those states, yet they received the bulk of his campaigning. Please, please, please I am missing how this is fair, or at least serves some greater good. Please explain it to me. I don't get it.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

At least Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Iowa, etc are more battleground states with a diverse political makeup.

This


I shudder to think of empowering the voices of Oerdin or Slowwhand any further.

[Guynemer]

The fact that Ohio/Virginia/etc get more focus for presidential elections is a good thing.

JM

Why?

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

See above.

[Jon Miller]

OK.

In most affairs (political), the places which get all the focus are:
New York, California, Texas

Maybe a few other minor ones like Illinois or Virginia.

With the presidential election, we have the additional major states (Almost always):
Virginia, Ohio, Florida

and additional states (Usually):
Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire, Wisconsin (these and the above can change sometimes)

and minor states:
Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Maine, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, Pennsylvania

giving a total number of 'focus' states for the government of 15-20 (let's say 20)

your way would replace all of these 15 that get focus every 4 years with just the top 3-5 that get focus due to their size (who get focus every year and not every 4 years)

20 >> 5

current system is much much better

JM
(if the president was dictator and the only thing that mattered as far as political focus went, I might be convinced that you are right... might)

[Guynemer]

Because Ohio and Virginia are lacking idiots?

I live in Ohio, sir. I am beset on all sides by idiots. I don't want those ****ing snake oil salesmen sleazing their way through my backyard anymore, thank you very much.

[DinoDoc]

Why?

**** you. That's why.

Spoiler:

That was the clearest chance to use that line I'd ever have.