What a difference a night makes
Remember how the Electoral College was outmoded? Remember how it denied the right of the people? Remember how we needed to scrap the Electoral College and go to popular elections? Example:
September 13, 2004
Protect the Vote/Abolish The Electoral College
...I confessed my doubts that John Kerry could win the presidential election....
One thing that is bringing doubts to my mind is recalling all that talk of election overhaul after the 2000 presidential non-election.
It hasn't happened. From reports I've read over the past several months, the election "machine" is pretty much as it was in 2000 and that stokes my fears that even if Kerry can win the popular vote, that it is entirely possible that we'll end up George Bush and Company for four more years.
The fact, as illustrated by the "election" four years ago, is that the majority does not rule and every vote is not equal.
That's bad enough to scrap the Electoral College system, but there are other consequences as well.
The Electoral College distorts campaigns because a few swing states take on an oversized importance, leading the candidates to focus their attention, money, and promises on a small slice of the electorate. This emphasis on "swing states" removes the incentive for a large part of the population to follow the campaign, or even to vote....
Of course I have the benefit of hindsight, but TONS of people voted this year, even in "no matter" states like California.
Now that we have preliminary results for the election, let's see how much of a push there is to abolish the Electoral College now:
Bush 51,745,946
Kerry 48,135,662
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