It looks like the national popular vote chorus got larger this week when it comes to presidential elections. There are a growing number of states, even red ones that are considering joining this push to allocate Electoral College votes based on whoever wins the national popular vote. This stems from Donald Trump’s shock 2016 win, where for the fifth time in our history, the winner won the Electoral College but lost the national popular vote. Trump actually had an Electoral College landslide. And yet, this time, and the four other times when this has happened, the country didn’t collapse. Nothing was set on fire. Okay, maybe the San Francisco Bay Area got a little crispy thanks to progressives throwing a temper tantrum, but the nation, more or less, has moved on…except for these folks. There is a sore loser feel to all of this.
Colorado signaled that they were going to do this. Its governor said he would sign the bill if it came before him. It did. He signed it. Now, it looks like Delaware might join the sore loser chorus (via WHYY):
The Delaware House voted 24-17 to join an alliance of states that want to combine all their Electoral College votes and pledge them to presidential candidates who win the national popular vote.
[…]
Eleven states and Washington, D.C. have joined the effort. It won’t take effect until enough states join the group to deliver a majority of Electoral College votes. Not counting Delaware’s three votes, the measure still needs 98 more. Neighboring New Jersey already joined the coalition.
[…]
“While not perfect the Electoral College has been an effective mechanism to protect the interests of small states in selecting our nation’s leader,” state Rep. Lyndon Yearick, R-Dover. “This bill would circumvent a system with a 230-year track record with a system that’s impact is impossible to gauge.”
Bill supporters say Delawareans don’t get a say now.
“We’re already overlooked,” said the bill’s house sponsor state Rep. David Bentz, D-Bear. “Delaware is seen as this true blue state. And if you’re a Republican voter what is your motivation to vote? Because you know at the end of the day Delaware’s three electoral votes will go to that Democrat. If you’re a democrat maybe you’re not motivated either because you know you don’t have to.”
You see there could be some irony to all of this. For starters, I think even if this compact gets enough support, the GOP could still win, even by larger margins. Both sides would be able to run campaigns tailored to their voters, not swing states. You know the old saying, go hardcore liberal or conservative in the primaries and then moderate for the center in the general. With this way, Democrats can go full communist and Republicans can keep pushing tax cuts, jobs growth, national defense, free markets, individual liberty, cutting regulations, and reducing the size of government. Democrats can go hardcore bashing white people, pushing for open borders, denigrating red states and its residents, bashing police, promote infanticide, and aggressively promoting the Green New Deal. Are you afraid of that match-up? For now, I lean heavily towards keeping the Electoral College, though I’m also not afraid to have a debate about changing it.
There are other moves the Left is making to fight Trump. They’re still mad about Trump not releasing his tax returns. So, New Jersey and Washington State passed laws that would prohibit a candidate appearing on their respective ballots for president if candidates don’t release their returns. The next presidential election is going to be good ole’ bloody fun.
Now, one thing that some have asked is whether the GOP would be pushing for this aggressively say if Hillary had won. Maybe. I don't know. It didn't happen. She lost...and I'm grateful for that every day.
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