(2008-06-08) — If legislation introduced this week by Sen. Bill Nelson, D-FL, becomes law, the nation will never again elect a candidate like George W. Bush, who has served as president for seven years after losing the popular vote in 2000 to former Vice President Al Gore.
That’s because Sen. Nelson’s bill would replace the Electoral College, which was designed to prevent a few populous states from dominating the rest, with a new institution tentatively dubbed “the Electoral Middle School.”
“Many Americans, especially those educated in the public schools, would love to see us elect the president by popular vote,” said Sen. Nelson, “My proposal is all about popularity. The Electoral Middle School is a time-tested way to make sure that the right people get the attention they deserve.”
As every American knows, becoming a popular kid in middle school has nothing to do with intelligence, ability, good values or hard work. It doesn’t even require broad-based support, the Florida Democrat noted.
“You just need a critical mass of like-minded people to anoint you,” he said, “and presto! You’re popular. With the Electoral Middle School, we’ll be able elect endless generations of people like Barack Obama by simply ignoring the desires of the sparsely-populated ’states in the middle’ and just letting New York and Los Angeles decide.”
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24 responses so far ↓
1 camojack // Jun 8, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Middle school? Kindergarten would be more like it…
2 Beerme // Jun 8, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Ah, yes! The tyranny of the majority. That’s why our prescient Founders made us a Republic. Looks like we’re gonna have trouble keeping it…
3 Big Java // Jun 8, 2008 at 3:27 pm
It certainly sounds fair, especially to those of us who have never gotten over the trama of not being all that popular in school. It just wasn’t fair! My parents expected me to build a bridge and get over it! This will show them. Ha!
4 flacracker // Jun 8, 2008 at 4:05 pm
He’s been in the US gov too long, he forgets he represents the STATE OF FLORIDA
Time for him to come home and let someone else be the idiot.
5 Ms RightWing, Ink // Jun 8, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Good one Scott. You make crawling to the computer on hands and knees worth it.
If Nelson had his way we would all be acting like we live in Massachusetts and/or California.
So, what is wrong with Iowa or Oklahoma. Small people don’t count
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I was thinking of Randy Newman’s Small People, only different
Small states got no reason
Small states got no reason
Small states got no reason
To vote
They got little minds
And little eyes
And they walk around
Tellin’ great big lies
They got little money
And tiny little cars
They wear K-Mart shoes
On their nasty little feet
Well, I don’t want no Small states
Don’t want no Small states
Don’t want no Small states
Round here
WV: pretty high-ya sure, hand me some more WalMart wine in a box
6 Ms RightWing, Ink // Jun 8, 2008 at 4:14 pm
doesn’t my vote, er opinion count?
7 Ms RightWing, Ink // Jun 8, 2008 at 4:16 pm
well I lost that post and I’m not going back looking for it
8 mindknumbed kid // Jun 8, 2008 at 4:36 pm
This year’s election, even without a viable choice, still matters how you vote. Pontias Pilate tried to “wash his hands” from the decision he was forced to make, and likewise we may wish to avoid being held responsible for the choice we are given to make. Yet it falls upon us to make a choice and to exercise our duty faithfully. I’ve heard that Pilate lost his marbles in the days following the choice forced upon him, hopefully we will deal with our choice a little better!
An electoral middle school is probably about right according to the average voter’s emotional and educational level, there are so many factors contributing to our current dilemma that in order to turn our future around it would require devine intervention. Academia certainly has done their share of the damage though.
9 mindknumbed kid // Jun 8, 2008 at 5:25 pm
This morning I did something outside of my normal Sunday morning routine. As I sat down to help my youngest roll and bag about 80 Sunday Gillette News-Record papers, I turned on the TV and surfed, nothing on so I settled on another rerun of MASH, Radar’s Uncle Ed passed away and he was going home again. It was Fox 31 Colorado, Denver, I presume. They are running a commercial that features some very young children, talking about all of the weather calamities that we see over the years, and saying tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock. What a bunch of brainwashing propaganda, those kids loked to be as young as 6, maybe as old as 11, they know nothing about climate change, or global warming, or what is “normal” when it comes to natural disasters. Is this educating these kids? This stuff leads to young people vandalizing SUV’s, etc. to save their plant. It is poisoning their minds, it is activism at the expense of innocence. For the first time in my life I can say that I am offended by their tactics. Maybe I’m not offended, just outraged. I really don’t believe in being offended, as I believe it to be a sign of immaturity on the part of the offended. I say find a way to counter things, or just deal with it.
So, any good ideas on how to counter this garbage?
10 mindknumbed kid // Jun 8, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Ms RW, re#5 - Thank you, I enjoyed it very much!
Diesel fuel costs, home heating oil costs, electricity costs, natural gas costs, all going through the roof. Our government seems to be able to come up with hundreds of ways to ensure increased costs for all of our energy needs. What are people going to do this coming winter? Here in Whyoming we have huge amounts of coal, the government “owns” most or all of it, and they take bids from BIG COAL for the mining thereof, so the most recent bids were rejected, too low now don’t ya know, three times BIG COAL was allowed to bid and three times it was” too low”.
So now, BIG COAL will have higher operating costs, greater shipping costs, and a higher cost for the coal itself. Maybe, the government is right, maybe it was too low……and maybe when we see our electricity rates quadruple, like our home heating oil costs, we will all be grateful to the numbskulls who were making sure BIG COAL paid their “fair share”. And, BTW, why is all of this land in the hands of the federal government anyhow?
11 gafisher // Jun 8, 2008 at 7:30 pm
mkk Re#9: “… those kids loked to be as young as 6, maybe as old as 11, they know nothing about climate change, or global warming, or what is “normal” when it comes to natural disasters.”
Hey, look what a childish mind and a chicken-little attitude did for that guy who the textbook says really won in 2000!
12 gafisher // Jun 8, 2008 at 7:32 pm
College? Middle-School? How about Alternative Education, the national GED (Government Eternally Democrat)?
13 JamesonLewis3rd // Jun 8, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Many people do not know the reasoning behind the Electoral College.
I still think it is a good idea.
14 onlineanalyst // Jun 8, 2008 at 8:22 pm
The Electoral College, as I understand it, prevents the abuse of mob rule and the tyranny of the majority. Without the EC, only densely populated states would determine the fate of the entire nation, and there would be no effective representation of the will of the smaller states.
We are a republic, not a democracy. This is a protection for the minority.
OT but I think that it bears reflection. A commenter at HotAir observed that Obama would probably never pass the security vetting for clearance by the FBI, given the past associations that he has had. Some presidential timbre he has, eh?
15 JamesonLewis3rd // Jun 8, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Almighty God is offended by many things, as am I, and we’re not going to get over it.
Satan likes to flick his wrist disdainfully, scoff at the efficacy of God’s Word and tell us we should “just deal with it.”
Evil is offensive.
~~~~~
I found this WSJ editorial interesting as it relates to the ongoing theme regarding apathy and complacency.
16 RedPepper // Jun 8, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Let not your hearts be troubled, fellow Scrapplers.
All that is needed to make the Dems see the light on this issue is an election where they are losing the popular vote, but winning in the Electoral College.
Hillary & Bill (Nelson, not Beelzebubba) will become collaborators on a film with the subtitle, How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Constitution. QED.
17 nomoregore // Jun 8, 2008 at 10:30 pm
He forgot to add that selection by means of a minority only works in the Democrat Party presidential nomination process. In fact, some of those who decide who runs are only allocated 1/2 a vote, sort of like, but not even as good as the old 3/5 vote that blacks used to get.
We are SOOOOOOOOOOOOO progressive!!!!
Thangyaverrramuch!
18 mindknumbed kid // Jun 8, 2008 at 11:52 pm
Sorry, I didn’t mean it to sound that way. By “just deal with it”, I really meant react to it in a manner that in the very least lets it be known that there is someone that isn’t going to take it. However, in reality I see no one really doing anything that amounts to anything, we have Abortion mills, and a failed educational system, we have seen God being systematically eliminated from our nation. We cry and complain, but in the end, evil is overtaking us incrementally and it is as if we have no power to do anything to stop it. Has the “Moral Majority” become the minority? I hear and see a lot of hand wringing, I don’t understand why more of the good, honest, hard working Americans are silent. I hate to lose, and ultimately the victory is won, it’s difficult for me. I do not want to accept the fact that we may see the demise of America as we have known it, there is a time for action and it takes a leader with vision.
It’s way past my bedtime here, I hope that someone understands where I’m coming from here.
19 mindknumbed kid // Jun 8, 2008 at 11:54 pm
PUSH
20 Fred Sinclair // Jun 9, 2008 at 7:12 am
[Editor's Note: If your comments are being held for moderation (as practically every post by this author is), and you are violating no known standards of propriety (as this commenter never does), then you might want to consider creating a new username and password, because the vast IT staff at ScrappleFace has no clue why this is happening, and the vast moderation cue review staff is one extended vacation.]
I Followed the links: JWR to Political Mavens to The New Republic - There’s an opponent, Andrew Rice (D) who is running for the Senate against Jim Inhofe in Olahoma on a “Johnny One Note” platform of “greening” Okla. to “combat” Global warming which Inhofe touts as the second greatest hoax, next to the #1 hoax of: “Separation of Church and State”. (I read one idiot, who actually wrote, “It’s right there in the Constitution, look it up and read it for yourself, “…and the Church and State shall forever be separated.”) It’s not there, of course, but considering the education he probably got in our public schools, I’m sure he really thinks it’s there.
*************************************
THE NEW REPUBLIC
Wishful Thinkin’
By Mike Long (bio)
Here’s an absolutely hilarious essay in the New Republic in which the author asserts that a pro-abortion, pro-gay-marriage Democrat is poised to defeat Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe because of the Democrat’s support for–wait for it–support for harsh and consumer-price-increasing measures to fight (so-called) global warming. It’s one of the most naive bits of wishful Dem thinking I’ve read all year. Be sure you don’t have a mouthful of milk when you read it, or you’ll shoot it out your nose. High-larious!
More »
*************************************
The Electoral College isn’t in place by accident. It doesn’t always work (Jimmy Carter), but when it does (algore) it’s very worthwhile and I’m glad it’s there.
Heirborn Ranger
21 Fred Sinclair // Jun 9, 2008 at 7:13 am
.,.,/
22 Fred Sinclair // Jun 9, 2008 at 7:32 am
mkk #18 - Yes, I know where you’re ‘coming from’. Your answer I posted yesterday. The polls are showing this Andrew Rice idiot has 60% of Staunch Republican Oklahoma agreeing with him,
Complacency and Apathy, I believe therein lies your answer (as much as I hate to say it)
“During those 200 years, those nations always progressed through the following sequence:
1. from bondage to spiritual faith;
2. from spiritual faith to great courage;
3. from courage to liberty;
4. from liberty to abundance;
5. from abundance to complacency;
6 . from complacency to apathy;
7. from apathy to dependence;
8. from dependence back into bondage”
The United States is now somewhere between the “complacency and apathy” phase of Professor Tyler’s definition of democracy, with some forty percent of the nation’s population already having reached the “governmental dependency” phase.
He which testifieth these things saith, “Surely I come quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. (Rev. 22:20)
23 JamesonLewis3rd // Jun 9, 2008 at 9:22 am
mindknumbed kid~~
I understood where you were coming from, that you were trying to say that being “offended” is not enough, that action is required, and that’s all well and good, but that’s not what you said.
What you did say was that being “offended” is a sign of “immaturity”.
Telling me that I should be “outraged” but not offended (as you claim to be), well, I consider that to be childish at best (if not downright insane). “Outrage” for no reason…..I don’t get it.
That’s what I was getting at.
Thank you
24 boberinyetagain // Jun 9, 2008 at 12:14 pm
I’m ouraged and offended by comment 23
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