tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3274583756441452923.post4292649189591095838..comments2024-02-13T14:28:21.282-05:00Comments on New Jovian Thunderbolt: Pop VoteNew Jovian Thunderbolthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452246769246304612noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3274583756441452923.post-17806468684358631712010-12-02T12:40:12.209-05:002010-12-02T12:40:12.209-05:00This is a huge misconception about the US. We are ...<i>This is a huge misconception about the US. We are NOT a democracy. </i><br /><br />And yet folks seem to get the idea in their head at an early age that we're a Democracy. I blame schools and Universities *cough* liberals *cough*<br /><br /><i>National Popular Vote has nothing to do with whether the country has a "republican" form of government or is a "democracy." </i><br /><br />BS. You want elections decided by a simple majority of the popular vote. That's "Democracy" and it's exactly what the Founders feared. We live in Constitutional Republic. Deal with it or leave.Mike W.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03425962910696301026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3274583756441452923.post-44051291597760016242010-12-02T07:14:44.523-05:002010-12-02T07:14:44.523-05:00And get your own blog, anonymous hippy. This issu...And get your own blog, anonymous hippy. This issue got hashed out and solved satisfactorily 220 years ago.New Jovian Thunderbolthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09452246769246304612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3274583756441452923.post-36876173551940971692010-12-01T21:42:04.056-05:002010-12-01T21:42:04.056-05:00I'm sorry, Anon. Al Gore is not coming back t...I'm sorry, Anon. Al Gore is not coming back to be your President. Everything you say is a feature of Pop vote is not, and everything you say against a federal republic that is a minus is actually a big plus.New Jovian Thunderbolthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09452246769246304612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3274583756441452923.post-66525362699178463082010-12-01T21:00:58.708-05:002010-12-01T21:00:58.708-05:00Federalism concerns the allocation of power betwee...Federalism concerns the allocation of power between state governments and the national government. The National Popular Vote bill concerns how votes are tallied, not how much power state governments possess relative to the national government. The powers of state governments are neither increased nor decreased based on whether presidential electors are selected along the state boundary lines, along district lines (as has been the case in Maine and Nebraska), or national lines. <br /><br />National Popular Vote has nothing to do with whether the country has a "republican" form of government or is a "democracy." <br /><br />A "republican" form of government means that the voters do not make laws themselves but, instead, delegate the job to periodically elected officials (Congressmen, Senators, and the President). The United States has a "republican" form of government regardless of whether popular votes for presidential electors are tallied at the state-level (as has been the case in 48 states) or at district-level (as has been the case in Maine and Nebraska) or at 50-state-level (as under the National Popular Vote bill). <br /> <br />If a "republican" form of government means that the presidential electors exercise independent judgment (like the College of Cardinals that elects the Pope), we have had a "democratic" method of electing presidential electors since 1796 (the first contested presidential election). Ever since 1796, presidential candidates have been nominated by a central authority (originally congressional caucuses, and now party conventions) and electors are reliable rubberstamps for the voters of the district or state that elected them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3274583756441452923.post-45304171760304621082010-12-01T20:40:02.276-05:002010-12-01T20:40:02.276-05:00State-by-state winner-take-all laws to award elect...State-by-state winner-take-all laws to award electoral college votes were eventually enacted by 48 states AFTER the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.<br /><br />The Founding Fathers only said in the U.S. Constitution about presidential elections (only after debating among 60 ballots for choosing a method): "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors . . ." The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly characterized the authority of the state legislatures over the manner of awarding their electoral votes as "plenary" and "exclusive."<br /><br />Neither of the two most important features of the current system of electing the President (namely, universal suffrage, and the 48 state-by-state winner-take-all rule) are in the U.S. Constitution. Neither was the choice of the Founders when they went back to their states to organize the nation's first presidential election. <br /><br />In 1789, in the nation's first election, the people had no vote for President in most states, Only men who owned a substantial amount of property could vote.<br /><br />In 1789 only three states used the state-by-state winner-take-all rule to award electoral votes.<br /><br />The winner-take-all rule is not entitled to any special deference based on history or the historical meaning of the words in the U.S. Constitution. The current 48 state-by-state winner-take-all rule (i.e., awarding all of a state's electoral votes to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in a particular state) is not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, the debates of the Constitutional Convention, or the Federalist Papers. The actions taken by the Founding Fathers make it clear that they never gave their imprimatur to the winner-take-all rule. <br /><br /> The constitutional wording does not encourage, discourage, require, or prohibit the use of any particular method for awarding the state's electoral votes. <br /><br />As a result of changes in state laws enacted since 1789, the people have the right to vote for presidential electors in 100% of the states, there are no property requirements for voting in any state, and the state-by-state winner-take-all rule is used by 48 of the 50 states. Maine and Nebraska currently award electoral votes by congressional district -- a reminder that an amendment to the U.S. Constitution is not required to change the way the President is elected.<br /> <br />The normal process of effecting change in the method of electing the President is specified in the U.S. Constitution, namely action by the state legislatures. This is how the current system was created, and this is the built-in method that the Constitution provides for making changes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3274583756441452923.post-21862969920662243992010-12-01T20:29:34.559-05:002010-12-01T20:29:34.559-05:00They'll change their tune when THEIR candidate...They'll change their tune when THEIR candidate wins the Electoral College but loses the popular vote.New Jovian Thunderbolthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09452246769246304612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3274583756441452923.post-77424883037107308622010-12-01T20:19:33.640-05:002010-12-01T20:19:33.640-05:00Facts annoy/confuse Liberals.
Had this very discu...Facts annoy/confuse Liberals.<br /><br />Had this very discussion with a co-worker last week. I give her full marks for listening to my arguments. I had my pocket Constitution with me (Doesn't everyone?) and could back up my arguments with the text. While she still favors "Majority Rule" she now knows it is unconstitutional.Stretchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3274583756441452923.post-8087335709978239102010-12-01T12:05:10.891-05:002010-12-01T12:05:10.891-05:00Main reason they're pushing this nonsense is t...Main reason they're pushing this nonsense is to get their Acorn-Rigged, Ballot- Box Stuffing, Hanging- Chad, Write-in -a -Scribble System Sheeple Voting for Hopeless Change in an effort to ensure they can vote in a President-for-Life Commie. They must be really scared about when the Census sends out the results and they see they lost some Electoral Votes and there are a bunch of Red States that can prevent their March to the End of History when they build their Socialist Utopia.<br /><br />Oh, typo: Gore gave up in 2000 after the Supremes said you can have a recount, but you have to recount ALL the votes, including Military Absentee Ballots. SCOTUS never ruled that Bush won. Hate that myth, especially since the Ruling is out there for anyone to download.Bubblehead Les.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00730873284089958084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3274583756441452923.post-4018242210030186742010-12-01T11:53:02.532-05:002010-12-01T11:53:02.532-05:00This is a huge misconception about the US. We are ...This is a huge misconception about the US. We are NOT a democracy. The word is never mentioned in the Constitution. We are a Constitutional Republic. Be glad. <br /><br />Pure Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting what they should eat for dinner...JBnoreply@blogger.com