Our Nation’s system of national elections (A.K.A. The Electoral College) was put into place by our forefathers to guarantee that state’s are the one casting ballots for presidents, versus them being elected by popular vote, as a way to balance out the interests of large states versus small states.
Obviously, South Dakota’s vote would be rendered meaningless and swamped out by larger states such as California, or Texas, or New York. Granted, our weight in the electoral college is minimal compared to theirs, but it’s better than being out-voted by several million votes. In other words, it’s incontrovertible and undisputed that it’s a good thing for our state. So, who would disagree with it in our sparsely populated state?
Democrats, of course.
Without exception, every single vote against supporting the electoral college – every vote against making sure South Dakota matters in the vote for President – came from Democrats.
Just something to keep in mind.
The Electoral College is a direct result of the Great Compromise… Get rid of the EC and you no longer have the deal that created the consent to be governed by the federal government…
Who would be whining about the EC if the election results were reversed?
Sorry, the Demoncrats own hypocrisy.
The 2004 presidential race placed aside for a moment, because of dubious results involving the Ohio vote and the Ohioans use of a private out-of-state server to count their ballots, Republicans have really not won the popular vote in a presidential election since 1988 – almost 30 years ago….. No wonder Republicans embrace the electoral college…. It is obviously their only hopeful solvency…..
Only hopeful solvency….when has the EC not been the rules?
Democrats were prior to the election saying how wonderful it was as they thought Trump might win the popular vote…then when they lost the EC and thus the election they became fans of the popular vote….EXCEPT
then they wee not fans of the popular vote per states as they tried to influence electors not to follow the popular vote of their respective states and not vote for Trump but Hillary.
#hypocrites
Plus no Constitutional amendment would pass Congress or get ratified anytime soon so a fun topic to debate but no changes will happen anytime soon
They were not telling people to vote for Hillary. Instead they were telling people to vote for anyone but Trump based on the Hamillton principle of presidential readiness and competency and the duty of the electors…. And as an advocate of the electoral college you should heed Hamilton’s concerns more than those who are opposed to the EC.
You ask “when has the EC not been the rules/” Well, it has always been the “rules,” except now as a Party the EC is the last obvious play in the Republican presidential playbook, apparently….
As to your last comment, I am afraid I agree, but there was talk among the two parties back in 1968 to get rid of the EC, however…. If only they had, we never would have had the disastrous Bush Doctrine or the mess we have now…..
*My earlier comment should read: “have not really won the popular vote and election….”
It really comes down to how you see yourself, I guess. I am an American who lives in South Dakota. I do not see myself as a South Dakotan who just happens to live in America.
We had a war over this issue many years ago. If fact, to be cute, that war was fought some seven scores and twelve years ago, and because of that war we are no longer seen as the “united States of America,” rather we now call ourselves the “United States of America.”
Obviously, some still wish to see themselves in a confederate context as “Virginians” or “South Dakotans,” but I prefer to see us all as Americans. And when we are all Americans, we no longer fear the “several millions votes,” rather we embrace them as the product of a united country, which is one, having an honest debate and hopefully an honest election, too….
Sorry, no sale. Keep the electoral college; I don’t want Californicators and New Yawkers determining who is running the country.
There should be more power to the states, and I don’t think that makes me any less an American to say that.
Confederates thought they were the true Americans, too…. Hahahaha…. If only Republican Abraham Lincoln could be alive today to read your comments. He would be horrified.
If you enlisted and unfortunately died for your country, wouldn’t you being dying not only for South Dakotans but also “Californicators” and “New Yawkers,” too? And if that is the case, why don’t you respect their vote?
And isn’t their right to a fair vote a part of the freedom you would be fighting for as an enlisted person for all Americans?
Utter hogwash, Emoluments. Lincoln and others worked to amend the Constitution multiple times during and after the Civil War. If Lincoln wanted to get rid of the electoral college, he would have. You don’t get to draft Lincoln into your absurd suggestion that act only the kindred spirits of southern slave owners are supportive of the electoral college. It’s an important federalist principal, and Lincoln knew that.
You don’t get it, Billy. I never used Lincoln to suggest that we should get rid of the electoral college. I merely used Lincoln and the Civil War to suggest that we should not see ourselves as merely South Dakotans or Virginians, rather as Americans who happen to live in a given state.
Why is a large vote for one candidate coming from a large urban state to be dismissed and marginalized, as this blog piece suggests, but when you can obviously identify another large voting block for another candidate from a predominantly rural setting, regardless of the state or states, then it is some how legitimate? How is saying, “Well, that is just because of California,” is okay, but when one says, “Well, that is just because of the rural areas,” then it is not? In my estimation, the former statement has a “Confederate” quality, while the latter statement has a “Union” quality….
We are the “United States of America,” and not the “united States of America.” Well, definitely not since the Civil War and the ratification of the 14th Amendment, that is…. Thanks to Lincoln…. 😉
I guess what I am really saying is that some of your are “Confederates,” but you do not know it, or else you are in denial…. (Say, what kind of mpg do you get with that pickup with those large tires and that big traitor flag on the back anyhow? 😉 )
The Party which embraces Superdelegates disavows the Electoral College. Unbelievable actually.
That is a good point Charlie and as a Democrat I have always been opposed to “Super Delegates.” Any other Democrat would have beat Trump in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, but the “S D” prevented that reality.
But that said, maybe the Republicans could have used some “Super Delegates,” especially since you embrace the cousin qualities of the EC, in 2016 to prevent this current mess…. 😉
End of story…
End of story, goes here.
EC your peephole has narrowed recently by getting smacked with a right swinging pendulum pushed mainly by folks in the Heartland of America. I sure hope though you don’t get black and blue too! 😉
Oh don’t worry about me, Charlie, I will be just fine. But I bet if Hillary would have won Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, and thus the electoral college, you would not be calling that region of America as the “Heartland.” Instead, you would have blamed the election results on the intercity vote and unions from that region, or “Heartland” shall we say….….
“inner city” 😉
A survey of South Dakota voters conducted in 2011, showed 71% overall support for the idea that the President of the United States should be the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states.
Voters were asked:
“How do you think we should elect the President: Should it be the candidate who gets the most votes in all 50 states, or the current Electoral College system?”
By political affiliation, support for a national popular vote was 61% among Republicans, 82% among Democrats, and 77% among others.
By gender, support was 83% among women and 59% among men.
By age, support was 73% among 18-29 year olds, 67% among 30-45 year olds, 70% among 46-65 year olds, and 77% for those older than 65.
NationalPopularVote
I would like to see the people surveyed. You can’t say a survey is valid when you ask that question of 115 democrats who just had their butts handed to them in a general election.
What?
A Nony Moose up until around 9:25 PM on November 8th, 2016 the Professional Polsterz had Mrs. Bill Clinton winning the United States Election for President. After that the RUSSIANS scammed our voting booths which caused Hillary to lose. Now those same polsterz have a Rock Solid take on South Dakotans For Throwing our Vote Away!?!?!?
Sure I won’t believe this Alternate News. Nope not today.
Say, what did you think of the “alternate” dress that Kelly Ann wore to the inauguration?…… Hahahahahahaha
So with all the things that people say need fixed in the State, why are our legislatures wasting their time voting on a resolution that does nothing?
Why are they not working on a fix for the loss of tax revenues, or a more affordable way for our young folks to pay for college besides going extremely in debt.
Amen!
Trump, November 13, 2016, on “60 Minutes”
“ I would rather see it, where you went with simple votes. You know, you get 100 million votes, and somebody else gets 90 million votes, and you win. There’s a reason for doing this. Because it brings all the states into play.”
In 2012, the night Romney lost, Trump tweeted.
“The phoney electoral college made a laughing stock out of our nation. . . . The electoral college is a disaster for a democracy.”
Recent and past presidential candidates who supported direct election of the President in the form of a constitutional amendment, before the National Popular Vote bill was introduced: George H.W. Bush (R-TX-1969), Jimmy Carter (D-GA-1977), Hillary Clinton (D-NY-2001), Bob Dole (R-KS-1969), Michael Dukakis (D-MA), Gerald Ford (R-MI-1969), and Richard Nixon (R-CA-1969).
Recent and past presidential candidates with a public record of support, before November 2016, for the National Popular Vote bill that would guarantee the majority of Electoral College votes and the presidency to the candidate with the most national popular votes: Congressmen John Anderson (R, I –ILL), and Bob Barr (Libertarian- GA), Senator Birch Bayh (D-IN), Senator and Governor Lincoln Chafee (R-I-D, -RI), Governor and former Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean (D–VT), U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R–GA), Senator and Vice President Al Gore (D-TN), Ralph Nader, Governor Martin O’Malley (D-MD), Jill Stein (Green), Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO), and Senator Fred Thompson (R–TN).
Newt Gingrich summarized his support for the National Popular Vote bill by saying: “No one should become president of the United States without speaking to the needs and hopes of Americans in all 50 states. … America would be better served with a presidential election process that treated citizens across the country equally. The National Popular Vote bill accomplishes this in a manner consistent with the Constitution and with our fundamental democratic principles.”