A: I’ve kept it. I’ve gotten criticized for this book for not abolishing it. The vast majority of Americans out there now want to abolish the Electoral College. I want to keep it. It undergirds federalism, which I support, and it isolates recounts, which we all want to support. But again, it can be made better in various ways.

For example, I propose that electoral votes be cast automatically. Why should "faithless electors" be allowed to negate the votes of their people?

It’s outrageous. Nobody knows who these electors are. If you look back to 2000, it only would have taken two corrupt electors to change the results of that election. Two.

Q: That’s scary.

A: It is scary. That’s why I say cast the votes automatically.

Q: Of your 23 ideas, what are some of your other favorites?

A: Oh, you’re asking me to choose among my children! That’s just so terrible -- and they get so jealous, one to another. Look, I happen to believe in term limits and I’ve come out in this book for new term alignments for presidents, for the House and Senate and also for the Supreme Court and other judges. By the way, that’s not very popular with them. I’ve heard from a few of them.

Q: Are you getting any disproportionate praise for one of your 23 “children”?

A: I’ve yet to have a single person disagree with my proposal for the Balanced Budget Amendment, which I think is reasonable and flexible, allows for deficit spending in times of depression and war but otherwise tries to bring us back to some fiscal sanity. That would be one.

Q: A Constitutional amendment for a real balanced budget? No accounting tricks?

A: No tricks -- although you have to allow for deficit in times of recession, depression and war. Every economist agrees with that proposition. But the problem is, we don’t come back into balance in good times.

Q: The only way these ideas can become reality is through a Constitutional Convention, is that true?

A: And through amendments. Actually, the only way they can be brought about is through a discussion and debate that lasts a generation. These are long-term changes. They're not things to be rushed into. They are things to be carefully considered and discussed -- and that’s precisely what I call for. I’m not calling for this to happen tomorrow or next year. I’m literally thinking a generation ahead of time.

Q: Do you truly in your heart believe that the people who can’t solve Social Security, who can’t stop wars from being fought by the executive and can’t fix so many other problems could fix these constitutional problems?

A: Well, it’s exactly why I chose the second method that’s never been used under Article 5 -- the Constitutional Convention -- because Congress doesn’t have a role. That’s exactly why I chose it. And by the way, that was the Founders’ preferred method of constitutional change, because even in those early days they did not like Congress.