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There have been 4 or 5 (one is a bit ambiguous) elections where the winner lost the popular vote. [0] So no, this isn't more than any other time in US history c

There have been 4 or 5 (one is a bit ambiguous) elections where the winner lost the popular vote. [0] So no, this isn't more than any other time in US history combined. But more importantly, who cares? They lost the popular vote in an election in which the popular vote didn't count for anything. If the popular vote had counted for something in these elections, you would have gotten a different result. The candidates would have campaigned differently, and people would have voted differently. Just look at the difference in turnout between swing-states and safely red or blue states [1]. We wouldn't see this disparity if the popular vote counted for something. Complaining that the winning candidate lost the popular vote is like complaining that the team that won the superbowl had a lower free throw shooting percentage. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_elections_in_which_the_winner_lost_the_popular_vote https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_ele... [1] https://ballotpedia.org/Voter_turnout_in_United_States_elections https://ballotpedia.org/Voter_turnout_in_United_States_elect...

psychometry 7y ago
This might be the dumbest, most unnecessarily pedantic comment I've ever read on HN.
- navigatesol 7y ago
  Why? The candidates optimize to win the electoral college, not the popular vote. You have no idea what the results would have been if the goal was to win the popular vote.
- dang 7y ago
  Please follow the site guidelines no matter how dumb or pedantic some other comment is, or you feel it is. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
Buttons840 7y ago
I don't think he was complaining about the election as much as he was saying that the election system which selected the minority over the majority is just one reason people are becoming increasingly pessimistic.
RcouF1uZ4gsC 7y ago
I agree. Complaining about the popular vote in presidential elections is like complaining that the NBA Finals were won by the team that won the most games, but had a lower total score across those games. Winning 2 games by 5 points each, is better than winning a single game by 30 points. So, winning more states even by close margins, is better than running up the score in a few states.
- jdoliner 7y ago
  Your analogy is much better than mine.
hiram112 7y ago
> the team that won the superbowl had a lower free throw shooting percentage This is why I love HN. My kind of people!

psychometry 7y ago

This might be the dumbest, most unnecessarily pedantic comment I've ever read on HN.

navigatesol 7y ago
Why? The candidates optimize to win the electoral college, not the popular vote. You have no idea what the results would have been if the goal was to win the popular vote.
dang 7y ago
Please follow the site guidelines no matter how dumb or pedantic some other comment is, or you feel it is. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Buttons840 7y ago

I don't think he was complaining about the election as much as he was saying that the election system which selected the minority over the majority is just one reason people are becoming increasingly pessimistic.

RcouF1uZ4gsC 7y ago

I agree. Complaining about the popular vote in presidential elections is like complaining that the NBA Finals were won by the team that won the most games, but had a lower total score across those games. Winning 2 games by 5 points each, is better than winning a single game by 30 points. So, winning more states even by close margins, is better than running up the score in a few states.

jdoliner 7y ago
Your analogy is much better than mine.

hiram112 7y ago

> the team that won the superbowl had a lower free throw shooting percentage This is why I love HN. My kind of people!