Winner Take All?

I’ve got a bit of a cold right now, so this one is a bit stale. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to post yet another political piece, but I guess it’s better than nothing at this point.

In 2008, Bush v. Gore Redux? By Bob Herbert

It’s panic time in Republican circles. The G.O.P. could go into next year’s election burdened by the twin demons of an unpopular war and an economic downturn. The party that took the White House in 2000 while losing the popular vote figures it may have to do it again.

With this situation in mind, Republicans in California are trying to tilt the odds in their favor. There is currently an act named the Presidential Election Reform Act, that is meant to peel off 20, or possibly more, electoral votes from California. Normally, the electoral vote system is a “winner take all” where regardless of which candidate won specific districts, the candidate who comes on top across the state rececieves [b]all[/b] electoral votes, even from districts that he or she lost in.

Since Republicans in California know that they can’t win the state, they’ve devised a strategy that if they can’t win all of them, at least they can win enough to tilt the odds in their favor, or at least deny the Democrats electoral votes. If they can peel off 20 electoral votes from the 55 electoral votes that California nearly guarantees to the Democratic party, that’s the equivalent of winning a state like Ohio, as well as denying Democrats the votes that they need.

Disgraceful. Absolutely disgraceful. Not only is this kind of gaming the system unconstitutional, but it reflects the very worst of partisan politics. Knowing full well that they cannot win when the game is fair, they’ve decided to use dirty tricks to steal yet another election.

The proponents of the initiative understand completely that a constitutional crisis could damage the nation’s democratic process and undermine the legitimacy of a presidential election. In their view that’s preferable to a Republican defeat.

What is absolutely appalling to me is the fact that people don’t understand what is going on, and are more than willing to vote on the measure.

The first poll taken on the measure, which is not yet widely understood by voters, showed that it would pass.