Pardon for the dumb question - I am Canadian and do not understand US politics. But if the president is decided by the electoral college, why spend hundreds of millions of dollars on elections and polls when they don't matter?
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pend
The election does matter in that it elects a President. The President is n ot selected by popular vote, one person, one vote. Not remotely ideal, but it is what it is for the time being. We are working on getting around thi s with a many state pact. Watch this spot for further details.
-- Rick C. - Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging - Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209
It appears people who own a bigger chunk of US land have a bigger vote. Seems fair.
Greg
The electoral college isn't in practice free to just vote any way they want.
Sometimes they try to cast votes for someone different than who they pledged their votes to, it's called a "faithless elector":
They tend to have their renegade votes just invalidated when that happens, nearly all states have "winner-take-all" rules and the "voting" of the college is just a formality.
Then they probably get kicked out of their party and lose their position on the college.
I think the question is more basic than that he's asking why have a popular election at all if there are just these people in the "electoral college" who can vote however they like.
Reason is the members of the College can't actually, in practice, just vote however they like.
spend
Sorry, what are you talking about?
BTW, I should be living in PA for the next election (in the process of buyi ng a house now) so I should be able to help in the the process this time. The last couple of national elections I lived in states where the outcome w as far from uncertain. It won't be a "large" chunk of land, but I'll get t he same one vote as everyone else in this critical battleground state.
-- Rick C. + Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging + Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209
You seem to be underlining the actual problem. The issue of a faithless elector is really just a pimple on top of the fetid pustule known as the electoral college.
-- Rick C. -- Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging -- Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209
pend
A better question is why vote at all, when its pretty clear that, as a whol e, "society" doesn't really give a shit about anything, except perhaps, the ir own personal gain?
And a follow-up question: Why so much interest in national politics, when it's very clear the politics that affect you the most are the ones that are regional and closer to home.
I just finished reading the book "Why Meadow Died" about that Parkland Shoo ting and how the idiotic policies of the Broward County School Board played a MAJOR part in what transpired. I highly recommend the book. You can't come away from reading it thinking that literally anything matters when it comes to politics. Neither the politicians, nor the people that elect them , have enough sense to run two neurons together. In short, we are screwed
- Electoral College or not, Impeachment or not. It is all just theater.
Maybe so but I'm just trying to address the OP's question specifically which seemed to be more of a mechanical one about how things are in practice currently, rather than any deeper issues.
That is to say it's probably not worth a _Canadians_ time to dive deep into all the hows-and-whys the American political system is f***ed up beyond just having some academic knowledge of the way it is f***ed up at the present time.
My advice for them is just to think "huh that's f***ed up" and go about one's business of whatever it is people do with their time in Canada.
Spoken like a true old fogie from the old-fogie-farm. What'd "society" ever do to you to make you so jaded; society shoot your Mom or something?
Have a real tough life in all probability living the majority of it in a nice suburban home with two cars in the driveway and good food on the table, probably walking around like most people do with two functioning arms and legs and not spending the majority of it in a wheelchair unable to speak like this one guy with cerebral palsy who lives down the block from me?
wow. tough life, man.
Thing I admired best about my late father from the so-called Greatest Generation wasn't his military service, it's while he got old, he lived to 91. but he never got "old." Most of those guys are gone now but from time to time I think it's worth saying "suck it up, buttercup" on their behalf. It's definitely what they'd say. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and try being a man from time to time it feels good.
ole, "society" doesn't really give a shit about anything, except perhaps, t heir own personal gain?
n it's very clear the politics that affect you the most are the ones that a re regional and closer to home.
ooting and how the idiotic policies of the Broward County School Board play ed a MAJOR part in what transpired. I highly recommend the book. You can' t come away from reading it thinking that literally anything matters when i t comes to politics. Neither the politicians, nor the people that elect th em, have enough sense to run two neurons together. In short, we are screwe d - Electoral College or not, Impeachment or not. It is all just theater.
Nearly 7,000 people die of all causes each day in the country. A high schoo l shooting here or there doesn't amount to anything. And the number of deat hs due to violence pales compared to the number of deaths due to toxins in the environment the government does next to nothing to prevent.
spend
ole, "society" doesn't really give a shit about anything, except perhaps, t heir own personal gain?
What is the connection between society not caring about "anything" and whet her or not you vote???
n it's very clear the politics that affect you the most are the ones that a re regional and closer to home.
I don't agree with that at all. National politics has major impacts on eac h of us. Look at the benifits we either receive or fail to receive dependi ng on the decisions in government. If nothing else consider taxes! The fe ds get some tens of percent of your income while the states and locals get much less. Even property taxes pale in comparison to federal taxes.
ooting and how the idiotic policies of the Broward County School Board play ed a MAJOR part in what transpired. I highly recommend the book. You can' t come away from reading it thinking that literally anything matters when i t comes to politics. Neither the politicians, nor the people that elect th em, have enough sense to run two neurons together. In short, we are screwe d - Electoral College or not, Impeachment or not. It is all just theater.
I can't argue with the proposition that "We, the people" are not well suite d to select those who lead us and those who offer themselves for us to choo se from are often not so good at doing the job. But then largely, the poli ticians have to be who they are in order to get elected. It's not like we select our politicians much differently than we select the winner of Americ an Idol. At least in American Idol we actually get to vote for that person directly instead of having a bunch of state governments in our way.
-- Rick C. -+ Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging -+ Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209
whole, "society" doesn't really give a shit about anything, except perhaps, their own personal gain?
hen it's very clear the politics that affect you the most are the ones that are regional and closer to home.
Shooting and how the idiotic policies of the Broward County School Board pl ayed a MAJOR part in what transpired. I highly recommend the book. You ca n't come away from reading it thinking that literally anything matters when it comes to politics. Neither the politicians, nor the people that elect them, have enough sense to run two neurons together. In short, we are scre wed - Electoral College or not, Impeachment or not. It is all just theater .
ool shooting here or there doesn't amount to anything. And the number of de aths due to violence pales compared to the number of deaths due to toxins i n the environment the government does next to nothing to prevent.
So if someone walks up to you tonight and puts a bullet in your brain, we s hould do nothing about it because it only affected one person and those aro und him?
-- Rick C. +- Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging +- Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209
Not exactly true. As a _group_ if they decide somebody else (even if not on ballot, but qalified) should be the Pres, then they CAN vote for that person.
a whole, "society" doesn't really give a shit about anything, except perhap s, their own personal gain?
when it's very clear the politics that affect you the most are the ones th at are regional and closer to home.
d Shooting and how the idiotic policies of the Broward County School Board played a MAJOR part in what transpired. I highly recommend the book. You can't come away from reading it thinking that literally anything matters wh en it comes to politics. Neither the politicians, nor the people that elec t them, have enough sense to run two neurons together. In short, we are sc rewed - Electoral College or not, Impeachment or not. It is all just theat er.
chool shooting here or there doesn't amount to anything. And the number of deaths due to violence pales compared to the number of deaths due to toxins in the environment the government does next to nothing to prevent.
should do nothing about it because it only affected one person and those a round him?
*You* shouldn't do anything, the standard law enforcement response should b e enough. There's no need for a bunch grandstanding politicians and other a ctivists, who have no idea what they're talking about, to get involved.
pend
Remember, the President is just ONE position on the ballets; all the others are decided by a majority vote. The Electoral College, along with the Hous e and the Senate, were a compromise by the Founding Fathers (Jefferson, Ham ilton, etc.) that was essential to the creation of the Union. And guess wha t, it WORKED!
Trump is a master at mining electoral college votes and doesn't even bother campaigning in the Left Coast states (where I live). This is how he beat a n "unbeatable" candidate with HALF the money. This is why most presidential polls are irrelevant and wrong.
Tom
spend
rs are decided by a majority vote. The Electoral College, along with the Ho use and the Senate, were a compromise by the Founding Fathers (Jefferson, H amilton, etc.) that was essential to the creation of the Union. And guess w hat, it WORKED!
Sort of. No subsequent constitution has bothered to copy the electoral coll ege, which might have been justified as a bribe to the smaller states, but wss a remarkably silly idea even at the time, and hasn't ever actually deli vered what Hamilton claimed for it (in federalist 68).
er campaigning in the Left Coast states (where I live). This is how he beat an "unbeatable" candidate with HALF the money. This is why most presidenti al polls are irrelevant and wrong.
This rather ignores what the Russians spent in the three states that that s wung the 2016 presidential election. Trump didn't spend that money, but if you could work out what the Russians did spend and add it to what he spent he'd look less impressive.
The presidential polls that failed to predict his win didn't assert that Hi llary was "unbeatable". Nate Silver - 538 - gave her a three-fold better ch ance of winning than Trump, but did point out that the least favoured candi date won in 25% of such situations if the odds had been worked out right, a nd cited sports team that had recently won against exactly those odds.
It's unlikely that the Russians are going to be able to do it again, and Tr ump has had three years of demonstrating that he doesn't go to the trouble of making good choices (as if his business history ever showed anything els e).
-- Bill Sloman, Sydney
But, unfortunately, while the size of the land owned may matter, the value of the land does not, very much.
--
Thanks,
- Win
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