The Soapbox

Joined: 01/04/2001 Posts: 27042
Likes: 34319

What's this?

The nation is organized into smaller political units called states.

They are also social units with their own unique characteristics (or different ones in different parts of the state). There is something arbitrary about it, but they arose organically, and there is a certain logic to that. So it is a way to make sure that different regional interests get a say in national politics. It isn't the only way, but it is a perfectly legit way.

I think it is one of the keys to American democracy (representative republic, really), with all its many controls against tyrannies of the majority and the notion of straight mob rule, which one person-one vote can lead to much more easily without these protections.

I fundamentally disagree with you on this point - as I do with most of my current political allies.
[Post edited by hoolstoptheheels at 02/18/2020 12:12PM]

(In response to this post by 81_Hokie)

Posted: 02/18/2020 at 11:51AM

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Current Thread:

Will Virginia Drop the Electoral College? -- Hoos Operator 02/18/2020 09:09AM

The same people that shriek about election integrity continue to make it -- HokieDan95 02/18/2020 10:39AM

The shenanigans cut both ways, of course -- Fuzzy Dunlop 02/18/2020 2:58PM

Essentially making VA voters' votes less valuable/impactful than voters -- CharlestonSC 02/18/2020 10:13AM

How dare we treat the Presidential Election like every other US election -- WahooMatt05 02/18/2020 09:41AM

Yay, let’s let California and New York pick our Presidents for us. ** -- JMHoo 02/18/2020 09:14AM

It seems odd that any state would surrender their voting/political power -- HWA 02/18/2020 10:11AM

Or, let's let the candidate with the most votes be the winner ** -- wahoo138 02/18/2020 09:36AM

Don’t think they have enough population between them to decide a vote -- 111Balz 02/18/2020 09:19AM

Truth is, it is calibrated to current population distributions. -- hoolstoptheheels 02/18/2020 09:58AM

I am not sure how you can say that when millions of voters have their votes -- 111Balz 02/18/2020 11:07AM

The electoral college is recalibrated when the House is recalibrated. -- hoolstoptheheels 02/18/2020 12:06PM

But again this is for one election, one branch of the government. -- 111Balz 02/18/2020 12:37PM

Right. Including all those regions that would have no say without the -- hoolstoptheheels 02/18/2020 12:57PM

You mean, if the people who choose to live in -- 111Balz 02/18/2020 1:17PM

There doesn’t need to be a recalibration -- TomKazanski 02/18/2020 09:22AM

When millions of citizens essentially don’t have a vote -- 111Balz 02/18/2020 09:26AM

Don't you think that's what the Va idea would do? -- hoolstoptheheels 02/18/2020 10:08AM

I am not in favor of the Va idea, for the reasons you expressed ** -- 111Balz 02/18/2020 10:53AM

And it would be even worse with a national popular vote -- Faz d. Hoo 02/18/2020 09:39AM

How do you figure? ** -- 81_Hokie 02/18/2020 09:50AM

If you live in "fly over" country, and the coasts + maybe Chicago and a -- hoolstoptheheels 02/18/2020 10:12AM

Sounds like you are saying that all the votes in -- 81_Hokie 02/18/2020 10:21AM

Those are two mutually exclusive scenarios. -- hoolstoptheheels 02/18/2020 10:34AM

But that was more of an issue of getting "independent states" to give up -- 111Balz 02/18/2020 10:59AM

For the very reason that we have Donald Trump. Not a result I like. -- hoolstoptheheels 02/18/2020 12:02PM

A case can be made that Trump proved the system doesn’t work -- 111Balz 02/18/2020 12:39PM

The electoral college provides protections in this day and age -- hoolstoptheheels 02/18/2020 1:08PM

So affirmativeaction for rural voters? As for the framers, the also -- 81_Hokie 02/18/2020 10:53AM

Of course not, but since the vast majority of states that get a say in -- hoolstoptheheels 02/18/2020 11:00AM

STATES should not get a say, people should. 10 million farmers spread -- 81_Hokie 02/18/2020 11:09AM

Yes they should, that's the federalist structure intended. -- hoodeyo 02/18/2020 12:45PM

The nation is organized into smaller political units called states. -- hoolstoptheheels 02/18/2020 11:51AM

Who doesn’t have a vote -- TomKazanski 02/18/2020 09:35AM

His point is that Alabamans and Wyomingites don't really have a vote -- Faz d. Hoo 02/18/2020 09:41AM

And the poor millions of GOPers in CA, NY, IL, etc. ** -- Hoodafan 02/18/2020 09:44AM

And Texas and Florida ** -- tchoo 02/18/2020 09:18AM

Rather than WI and PA? I have an idea... let's give everybody a vote then -- 81_Hokie 02/18/2020 09:20AM