zoogs Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I never felt it was put in place for illiteracy or as a buffer. I always thought it was a reflection of the looser confederacy of individual states that was the USA, as opposed to most countries with their dominant central governments and completely non-autonomous provinces. I could be wrong about the historical significance of the electoral college, though. The Convention approved the Committee's Electoral College proposal, with minor modifications, on September 6, 1787.[8] Delegates from the small states generally favored the Electoral College out of concern that the large states would otherwise control presidential elections.[9] The constitutional theory behind the indirect election of both the President and Vice President of the United States is that while the Congress is popularly elected by the people,[28] the President and Vice President are elected to be executives of a federation of independent states.In the Federalist No. 39, James Madison argued that the Constitution was designed to be a mixture of state-based and population-based government. The Congress would have two houses: the state-based Senate and the population-based House of Representatives. Meanwhile, the President would be elected by a mixture of the two modes.[29] Additionally, in the Federalist No. 10, James Madison argued against "an interested and overbearing majority" and the "mischiefs of faction" in an electoral system. He defined a faction as "a number of citizens whether amounting to a majority or minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community." Republican government (i.e., federalism, as opposed to direct democracy), with its varied distribution of voter rights and powers, would countervail against factions. Madison further postulated in the Federalist No. 10 that the greater the population and expanse of the Republic, the more difficulty factions would face in organizing due to such issues assectionalism.[30] http://en.wikipedia....ates)#Etymology (just doing some reading and editing in a few [iMO] meaningful passages from wikipedia) Link to comment
The Dude Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 It was put in place in a time when most people were illiterate rubes easily swayed by the most persuasive voice. You act as if something has changed. (I keed) This either is or it is not a democracy. Period. Correct. This is a republic. Link to comment
tschu Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 We're a republic, correct, but that has nothing to do with the presence/absence of the electoral college Link to comment
Mavric Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 We're a republic, correct, but that has nothing to do with the presence/absence of the electoral college Yes and no. You don't have to have an "electoral college" to be a republic. But the electoral college was one mechanism put in place to institute the republic. 2 Link to comment
knapplc Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 The Dude, on 06 November 2012 - 07:38 PM, said: knapplc, on 06 November 2012 - 07:29 PM, said: It was put in place in a time when most people were illiterate rubes easily swayed by the most persuasive voice. You act as if something has changed. (I keed) Quote This either is or it is not a democracy. Period. Correct. This is a republic. Yeah, yeah. I took civics, too. We don't go spreading "republic" around the world, we don't have troops all over the planet keeping the world safe for "republic." Link to comment
tschu Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 We're a republic, correct, but that has nothing to do with the presence/absence of the electoral college Yes and no. You don't have to have an "electoral college" to be a republic. But the electoral college was one mechanism put in place to institute the republic. If we removed the antiquated electoral college, we would still, without question, be a republic. A better republic, arguably. Link to comment
The Dude Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Yeah, yeah. I took civics, too. We don't go spreading "republic" around the world, we don't have troops all over the planet keeping the world safe for "republic." Hey, hey! No need to get snarky with me, pal. Link to comment
zoogs Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 We elect every member of the most powerful branch of the US Government, Congress -- our legislative body - in direct, popular vote election. We elect the head of the executive branch in a mixture of popular and state vote. As for the third branch, we elect none of the Supreme Court Justices. Three branches of government meant to be checks and balances against one another - representing the American people in different ways by virtue of their selection processes. I suppose you could criticize America also for spreading democracy around the globe while not being an absolute democracy itself. I can't believe citizens don't have equal voices in voting on laws! We are the 99.999%! Link to comment
carlfense Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 The polls were right. It's the electorate that is skewed Democratic. Link to comment
knapplc Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 I'm not being snarky, that was supposed to be funny. Come to the tailgate this weekend. I'll get you a beer and we'll be funny together. Link to comment
sd'sker Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 We're a republic, correct, but that has nothing to do with the presence/absence of the electoral college Yes and no. You don't have to have an "electoral college" to be a republic. But the electoral college was one mechanism put in place to institute the republic. If we removed the antiquated electoral college, we would still, without question, be a republic. A better republic, arguably. imagine how different campaigning would be. if every vote counted? also, we would have to stay up all night waiting for hawaii's results. Link to comment
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