I agree with Ted Morgan that any attempt to eliminate the Electoral College should be part of a campaign for wholesale reform of an election process that is, at this point, inherently undemocratic at its every stage. That's why I am disheartened (but not surprised) by the emotional displays of outrage by people who should know better at the appearance of people being denied the opportunity to select which one of two corporate shills will have the job of distributing the spoils created by the system to those who don't need to vote to get the lion's share.Ted Morgan wrote: I also agree with Michael Rossmann who suggested that had the vote gone the other way, we would have seen the Bush side clamoring for "justice" with those now complaining telling the Bushie's to be the good sports and accept the "verdict." Certainly, the traveling salesman for the DNC, Jesse Jackson, wouldn't be there. Jeff Blankfort Ted Morgan wrote: > The electoral college is prima facie anti-democratic. It was also part of an intentionally > anti-democratic bias in the landed gentry, legal minds, and mercantile interests who wrote the > Constitution-- the same folks eager for strong enough central government to put down > rebellious farmers (Daniel Shays in W. Mass; Whisky rebellion in Pa.), eager for a common > currency to stabilize trade & commerce amongst the former colonies, and eager for a national > standing army and navy able to safeguard the triangular trade routes, etc. > > So, no problem here with abolishing it. However, Michale is, I think, right that few > progressives have spent a lot of energy on this, and that the more important point might be to > take advantage of the public dissatisfaction with the outmoded electoral college (and near > rock-bottom legitimacy that any administration or party is going to have after this election) > to mobilize public support for REAL democratic reform that will open up the system. THis is so > transparently a crucial first step in the ability of the left to have voice in the larger > culture! So, we should tack on the electoral college reform, (a) a campaign for public > finance of all presidential, senatorial & congressional elections, along with spending caps > for those who accept public funds and a requirement of those media leeches of the PUBLIC > airwaves that they provide free air time to all candidates who qualify for the ballot, and (b) > a move for proportional representation in Congressional elections --to open the opportunity > for minority parties to gain seats and avoid the abysmal & crippling 'lesser of two evils' > dynamic. > > Ted Morgan > \*********************
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