[thechat] protests?

[deacon b.]

> Unfortunately, in the USA the majority does not elect the government. 

Fortunately, in the USA, the constitution is supposed 
to rule. Unfortunately, we've never given it a fair 
chance. 

>  If it was simply a case of majority rule, Al Gore would be president.

Not necessarily. If it were majority rule, there would 
have been a different turnout of voters. As it was, if 
your state was going 60/40 for one candidate or the 
other, you were less inclined to vote. 

The numbers are still readily available online. If you 
take each state's population and multiply it by the 
percentage of vote each slate of electors got, the 
majority of the vote would go to Bush. 

The electoral college serves a very valid purpose - it 
makes it a lot more *certain* who lives at 1600 
Pennsylvania Avenue. Better the guy who's second-
best than nobody at all!

For instance, there were widespread election 
problems in Pennsylvania. Nobody bothered to do 
anything about them, though, because if all the 
problems were decided in favor of Bush, it would still 
be a Gore state. Would you like to see *every* vote 
in *every* precinct in *every* state examined when 
we have a close election, or would you rather the 
post-election shenanigans be confined to one swing 
state like Florida? 

If it were not for the electoral college, we'd still be in 
the courts, trying to decide whether Nixon or 
Kennedy won in 1960. 

I voted for Bush. It was a close call, but Republicans 
are against running a deficit, are against expanding 
the government, and there's never been a war 
started in a Republican administration. Who was I to 
know that Bush really was a Democrat?

deke


--

RIP Adam Osborne, 1939-2003
And 23 pounds of thanks!