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I remember studying political science as an undergrad two decades ago. My professors all said the same thing about the Electoral College: “it’s a relic that has

I remember studying political science as an undergrad two decades ago. My professors all said the same thing about the Electoral College: “it’s a relic that has long since stopped serving a practical purpose, but people live with it because it never rocks the boat. If there’s ever an election where the winner of the popular vote doesn’t actually win because they lost in the Electoral College, there will be a huge mass movement to finally get rid of it.” Since then we’ve had two elections in twenty years where a candidate who lost the popular vote “won” thanks to the Electoral College. And the Electoral College is still there. In politics, never underestimate the power of inertia.

mrguyorama 7y ago
It's not about inertia. Look at which party benefits from the electoral college, and then recognize their attempts at voter disenfranchisement.
- smacktoward 7y ago
  Indeed, this was a key misconception my professors and I all shared: we thought there was a broad consensus in American society that democracy is a good thing. It turns out there are a lot of Americans, disproportionately gathered on one side of the ideological spectrum, who care less about democracy than they do about their team winning.
- mikem170 7y ago
  There's pros and cons to the electoral college. At the moment the states can award electors however they want, including deciding on their own to commit them to the winner of the popular vote, as some have done. The states legislatures can also choose electors - there's nothing in the 12th amendment saying it's a people's vote. I think the bigger point that should be talked about is why everyone has invested so much power in the presidency, and argues that their candidate should have won by a 1% majority and is now entitled to implement their national agenda. That is not the way this country was meant to work. You eventually end up with a dictator. My best guess at the reason why we do this: tribalism and mass media. Human nature. Gotta have a chief, one person to look to for answers.
mntmoss 7y ago
On the other hand, the nature of "collapse" is the suddenness with which it takes place. There are all kinds of changes taking place right now, as a result of this crisis, that were previously dismissed as politically infeasible. When the crisis is over there will definitely be some attempt to roll everything back to the "good old days", but not all of it will stick, and we'll have a different set of trends emerge - and trends in the political system may be among them. But maybe not the Electoral College. I don't see the federal system changing very quickly as a result of any current events.
- smacktoward 7y ago
  Yeah, this what Rahm Emanuel was getting at with his infamous line “you never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” A crisis can break through the logjam of everyday interests that normally prevent action. It wakes people up and changes the way they look at things. (Not always in a good way, of course. But still.)

mrguyorama 7y ago

It's not about inertia. Look at which party benefits from the electoral college, and then recognize their attempts at voter disenfranchisement.

smacktoward 7y ago
Indeed, this was a key misconception my professors and I all shared: we thought there was a broad consensus in American society that democracy is a good thing. It turns out there are a lot of Americans, disproportionately gathered on one side of the ideological spectrum, who care less about democracy than they do about their team winning.
mikem170 7y ago
There's pros and cons to the electoral college. At the moment the states can award electors however they want, including deciding on their own to commit them to the winner of the popular vote, as some have done. The states legislatures can also choose electors - there's nothing in the 12th amendment saying it's a people's vote. I think the bigger point that should be talked about is why everyone has invested so much power in the presidency, and argues that their candidate should have won by a 1% majority and is now entitled to implement their national agenda. That is not the way this country was meant to work. You eventually end up with a dictator. My best guess at the reason why we do this: tribalism and mass media. Human nature. Gotta have a chief, one person to look to for answers.

mntmoss 7y ago

On the other hand, the nature of "collapse" is the suddenness with which it takes place. There are all kinds of changes taking place right now, as a result of this crisis, that were previously dismissed as politically infeasible. When the crisis is over there will definitely be some attempt to roll everything back to the "good old days", but not all of it will stick, and we'll have a different set of trends emerge - and trends in the political system may be among them. But maybe not the Electoral College. I don't see the federal system changing very quickly as a result of any current events.

smacktoward 7y ago
Yeah, this what Rahm Emanuel was getting at with his infamous line “you never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” A crisis can break through the logjam of everyday interests that normally prevent action. It wakes people up and changes the way they look at things. (Not always in a good way, of course. But still.)