Who here is voting for Biden?

[Robert Mitchum]

This is what you get voting for Biden

[kitchen's mill]

Not really. The electoral college is based on the number of seats in congress and the number of seats in the house is based on the population of a particular state. If 50 million people move to Kansas, the state of Kansas gets more representatives and more electoral votes. Although every state gets at least 3 electoral votes (ND, WY, SD, MT) because of the 2 senate and 1 house seat, that doesn't equate to a lot of clout in the electoral college when you consider CA gets 55 and TX gets 38 votes. Dems now hate the EC because they lost the last election because of it. If they win this election because of it they will suddenly think it's worth saving.

As far as the constitution, an amendment can kill the electoral college but the reality is it won't change anything drastically other than my vote would now be counted instead crushed like a bug on Totem Polar's highway to hell.

The Electoral College is part of compromises made to satisfy the small states.

Under the system of the Electoral College, each state has the same number of electoral votes as they have a representative in Congress, no state could have less than 3.

The result of this system for example : the state of Wyoming cast 210,000 votes, for 3 electoral votes each elector represents 70,000 votes, California casts approximately 9,700,000 for 54 electoral votes, representing 179,000 votes per electorate.

This creates an advantage to voters in the small states whose votes count more than those people living in medium and large states.

So yes, the electoral college gives an advantage to small population states.

The founders did not want the country dominated by the large northeast states, or at least the representatives of the smaller southern and western states didn't.

Still works today.

And ammending the Constitution on this issue would be virtually impossible given the split.

[Zincwarrior]

Actually at the time, Virginia was the largest and most populous IIRC.

[kitchen's mill]

Actually at the time, Virginia was the largest and most populous IIRC.

Including slave population.

Slaves were counted as 3/5 for representation.

So the slave states likely had an advantage, increase in electoral votes with fewer citizens of the state able to vote and be represented by the electorate.

Women had a simular problem.

[blues]

This is what you get voting for Biden

Thanks, Comma-La...your voice has been heard. Hopefully the folks who have been injured, murdered, burned out and/or looted have heard your voice as well.

No thanks.

[jrm]

I'm genuinely interested in hearing you expand a bit on what you're seeing in the GOP right now, what you're seeing within the Democratic party, and why you see the Democrats as the 'less bad' option at this point. Especially speaking as a historically Republican voter.

I think Lindsey Graham is a perfect example of where I see the GOP falling in line. He started openly stating all the problems with Trump and now they are best buddies. Cruz is another example. I find it hard to see integrity or honor in a man who will allow the terrible personal and familial attacks Trump leveled at him to go unanswered. I would defend no man who did that to me prior to an apology of at least as public and intense nature as the attack. We may be on the same side of issues but you would find no comfort from me.

On the COVID front a government mandate of mask wearing has room for controversy. A recommendation and encouragement to wear masks in public is just common sense at this point yet Trump won’t go along with it and I am not hearing voices from the House or Senate calling him out on it.

On the impeachment front even if it viewed as not worthy of removal from office illegally delaying funds while asking for investigation of a political opponent is not acceptable and should have been met with at minimum a press conference saying as much. And it matters not to me that the country being pressured may not have been aware of the held up funds. Trump knew and that is where the wrongful conduct occurred.

To the GOP in general the latest shenanigans with the Supreme Court shows a complete lack of character. You don’t make “rules” just to violate them. They should have been candid and honest with the people that they would not take up Obama’s appointment because they didn’t want to rather than tread out this it just isn’t done in an election year garbage. Democrats will regain power one day and I have little faith that they will exhibit restraint in responding to what they will view as two illegitimate appointments to the Supreme Court even though to the extent I am able I will call for it. So I fear the fuse has been lit and some form of court packing is inevitable. These erosions will not be good for our nation and in the long run will not be worth the minimal good that may come between then and now. All my life I was told and believed the Republicans were the party of family values, principal and integrity. The actions of virtually all at the federal level and the silent acceptance or outright enthusiasm for a thrice married conman show that was a lie. I will hold them accountable for that failure to the extent I can.

I am not sure how you can be a person of principal and excuse the failures of integrity by your side simply because the others have failures of integrity as well. I somehow came to believe you answer for your shortcomings not say they don’t matter because someone else is bad too. I hope I instill that ethic in my son and will not embrace less in those that represent me. It may take awhile to clean house but I do believe we could vote the bums out and only support candidates with integrity if we would.

My state representative was forced out of his speakership for immoral and corrupt behavior yet he didn’t even face a primary challenger. Things like that make it hard to be an enthusiastic Republican.

As for the Democrats I do not believe either Bidden or Harris is the anarcho-communists they are made out to be by many. There are some of that ilk who will vote for them, assuming that sort of person votes. But it is equally true that there are white nationalist who are equally despicable that support Trump. In fact white nationalist are the number one terrorist threat according to Trump’s administration. I see at least as much implicit support for white nationalists by Trump as I do from Bidden of the violent looting and riots.

I see Bidden as a return to dysfunctional unhealthy politics. Sadly these days that seems more like a move in the right direction than staying on the current course. I do see a budding authoritarian in Harris but I honestly don’t see less of one in Trump and I don’t see Harris doubling down on chaos as a power play. As much as I love the 2nd amendment I believe democracy to be the first barrier to authoritarianism. I don’t see Democrats attempting to shake faith in our elections yet I do from Trump. That makes Harris less of a threat to our nation in the long run than Trump in my calculation.

[WDR]

I have a very hard time accepting that I am willing to pull the handle for Trump a second time, after watching his post Las Vegas rampage meeting with gun grabbing politicians, and watching a giddy Diane Feinstein clasp her hands with joy... and then having him declare by executive order that bumpstocks be made illegal. That is a very slippery slope, and the courts seem to be going along with it. IMHO, Trump pays lip service to the second amendment as part of pandering to his base, and I don't believe he has any great personal convictions about everday folks rights to own arms.



All the same, pre-covid, he did drive a big thorn into the foot of China, brought some manufacturing back to the USA, and was generally friendly to business. Business drives the stock market up (generally) and my 401k benefited greatly in the last four years. He's called out most of the world for relying on the USA for their own defense, and made some steps to counter hostile interests abroad, without getting us entangled in a bunch more wars. He has made some big mistakes with all the covid crap, but I believe we are seeing that most of the shutdowns have caused more harm than good, and for most people, it isn't the death sentence it was made out to be. Around here, things are open, and folks are going about their business.

It isn't a coincidence that most of the rioting and violence is centered in liberal bastions of the country. They support, finance, and run legal interference for a group of people that would like to destroy this country and things that it stands for. If you can't see that, I don't know what to tell you.

IMHO, anyone willingly voting for Biden, given his stated goals with respect to firearms in this country, while participating in a gun forum, has lost their marbles.

No matter who wins, there will be a ratcheting up of political, cultural, and racial violence. Best to accept that now, and prepare for it, physically and mentally.

[Borderland]

The Electoral College is part of compromises made to satisfy the small states.

Under the system of the Electoral College, each state has the same number of electoral votes as they have a representative in Congress, no state could have less than 3.

The result of this system for example : the state of Wyoming cast 210,000 votes, for 3 electoral votes each elector represents 70,000 votes, California casts approximately 9,700,000 for 54 electoral votes, representing 179,000 votes per electorate.

This creates an advantage to voters in the small states whose votes count more than those people living in medium and large states.

So yes, the electoral college gives an advantage to small population states.

The founders did not want the country dominated by the large northeast states, or at least the representatives of the smaller southern and western states didn't.

Still works today.

And ammending the Constitution on this issue would be virtually impossible given the split.

I don't think that's why we have the electoral college. My reading of it is that it was a compromise between those that wanted a popular vote and those that wanted congress to elect the president. Nobody at the time had any idea about the population centers to come. It wasn't a futuristic decision. Purely based on the situation at the time the constitution was written.

[RoyGBiv]

I have a very hard time accepting that I am willing to pull the handle for Trump a second time, after watching his post Las Vegas rampage meeting with gun grabbing politicians, and watching a giddy Diane Feinstein clasp her hands with joy... and then having him declare by executive order that bumpstocks be made illegal. That is a very slippery slope, and the courts seem to be going along with it. IMHO, Trump pays lip service to the second amendment as part of pandering to his base, and I don't believe he has any great personal convictions about everday folks rights to own arms.

Given what's transpired on this front since (hint nearly nothing),I see this as Master Class tea-leaf-reading.

How many Republicans (RINOs) would have been all too self satisfied to have gone along with MORE gun grabbing had Trump not pissed on this fire?

[Borderland]

Given what's transpired on this front since (hint nearly nothing),I see this as Master Class tea-leaf-reading.

How many Republicans (RINOs) would have been all too self satisfied to have gone along with MORE gun grabbing had Trump not pissed on this fire?

I think you have to remember that Trump is a populist. If he reads people want more gun control, you'll get more gun control. Biden just says up front he'll support it, Trump won't show his hand until he checks to see which way the wind happens to be blowing (bump stocks and ERPO's) that particular week. Don't forget that he supports a UBC. That ends private sales without a going thru a dealer and a BC. People in VA should understand the gravity of Trumps position on UBC's. I already have the pleasurer of knowing how it works.