[thechat] Bowling for Columbine

[Ben Dyer]

At 03:51 PM 1/27/2003, you wrote:
>At 03:11 AM 28-01-03, Ben Dyer wrote:
>>Actually, that's completely true.  However, replace "State" with "Country"
>>and it's no longer true.
>
>What's the "Electoral college" and all that then? I tried to understand the
>system, but gave up.

Ah, well Erik just explained it real well.  The system was originally
designed so that if an entire state suffers from foot-and-mouth disease (or
something that makes the entire state go nuts), the electors can override
who the state voted for.

Uhhhh...Alexander Hamilton talked about it in Federalist No. 68:

"It was equally desirable, that the immediate election should be made by
men most capable of analyzing the qualities adapted to the station, and
acting under circumstances favorable to deliberation, and to a judicious
combination of all the reasons and inducements which were proper to govern
their choice. A small number of persons, selected by their fellow-citizens
from the general mass, will be most likely to possess the information and
discernment requisite to such complicated investigations."

<http://www.avagara.com/e_c/reference/00012601.htm>

Basically, "you commoners are idiots and if you do something stupid, we
reserve the right to override what you think."

--Ben