Parade Magazine
Just before heading out on vacation in July, I had the privilege and honor of presenting before the Sarasota County League of Women Voters. My topic? I was asked to explain the use of Super Delegates by the major political parties. To start, I used a Letter to the Editor from our local newspaper which posed a similar question by a letter writer. Except the letter writer took an aggressive stance arguing that only Democrats "rig" elections because of their use of "Super Delegates." You can bet I had a fine time explaining how these delegates came about and how in this year's Election Cycle, the GOP would have loved to use such delegates to limit the impact by the Trump campaign.
But just yesterday, a new Letter to the Editor was printed asking why America has succumbed to the "liberals" in the country and allowed the Electoral College to determine who wins the White House. Seriously? Yes..."The biggest con of them all...what happened to "We the people of the United States?" They go on to opine that the Electoral Votes have no relation to how citizens vote and therefore are part of a large "Liberal" conspiracy to deny the people their champion. "The election should be counted be by counted vote from the people. Or all you have to do is win the most delegates-electoral vote and you win the election!" "Wake up America and do what's right for America and our future!" Geesh, how "liberal" a concept is that! And a CON to boot! Except the use of the Electoral College is neither a Liberal nor a Conservative mechanism. It's a CONSTITUTIONAL one! (See:
www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/provisions.html).
Isn't it a tad bit ironic that the Framers of the Constitution created the Electoral College because they couldn't bring themselves to trust the ordinary citizen when it came to their "pedestrian" notions? I mean, we all want to avoid "mob-rule" but to claim the system is a "Con" ignores everything about it - including the fact that it was created and is maintained in the very Constitution I bet this letter writer wraps theirself in. The bigger issue? IF they truly believe the Electoral College is a Con run by Liberals, would they have accepted Al Gore as the winner of the 2000 election? Gore won the popular vote and George W. Bush was elected president by reaching one vote over the majority needed? (See: www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/scores2.html). I'm not sure many "liberals" were too thrilled with the Electoral College in 2000, right?
Perhaps what really got me thinking was the obvious confusion this letter writer has when it comes to rigging elections. Wouldn't Reapportionment and Gerrymandering of Congressional Districts by both political parties really deserve their angst and the title of being the "Big Con" instead? It's easy to scratch one's head and wonder where some of these people come up with these notions, but it is also very sad to realize that so many Americans refuse to actually learn about how things are actually utilized under our system of government. Why listening to a friend opine about our Constitution and the system it created is not the same as seeking out someone who actually knows and can explain it properly. Seems Americans these days are so angry, they refuse to engage their very own brains to realize the system is not a CON, but the politicians and their related pundits actually are conning US- and following their leads is dangerous to our democratic-republic.
As President George Washington once wrote; "The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon." Perhaps it's time politicians and their supporting pundits start adhering to that concept again. Otherwise, they are the true Con Men in our Society. Have a great week!
But just yesterday, a new Letter to the Editor was printed asking why America has succumbed to the "liberals" in the country and allowed the Electoral College to determine who wins the White House. Seriously? Yes..."The biggest con of them all...what happened to "We the people of the United States?" They go on to opine that the Electoral Votes have no relation to how citizens vote and therefore are part of a large "Liberal" conspiracy to deny the people their champion. "The election should be counted be by counted vote from the people. Or all you have to do is win the most delegates-electoral vote and you win the election!" "Wake up America and do what's right for America and our future!" Geesh, how "liberal" a concept is that! And a CON to boot! Except the use of the Electoral College is neither a Liberal nor a Conservative mechanism. It's a CONSTITUTIONAL one! (See:
www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/provisions.html).
Isn't it a tad bit ironic that the Framers of the Constitution created the Electoral College because they couldn't bring themselves to trust the ordinary citizen when it came to their "pedestrian" notions? I mean, we all want to avoid "mob-rule" but to claim the system is a "Con" ignores everything about it - including the fact that it was created and is maintained in the very Constitution I bet this letter writer wraps theirself in. The bigger issue? IF they truly believe the Electoral College is a Con run by Liberals, would they have accepted Al Gore as the winner of the 2000 election? Gore won the popular vote and George W. Bush was elected president by reaching one vote over the majority needed? (See: www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/scores2.html). I'm not sure many "liberals" were too thrilled with the Electoral College in 2000, right?
Perhaps what really got me thinking was the obvious confusion this letter writer has when it comes to rigging elections. Wouldn't Reapportionment and Gerrymandering of Congressional Districts by both political parties really deserve their angst and the title of being the "Big Con" instead? It's easy to scratch one's head and wonder where some of these people come up with these notions, but it is also very sad to realize that so many Americans refuse to actually learn about how things are actually utilized under our system of government. Why listening to a friend opine about our Constitution and the system it created is not the same as seeking out someone who actually knows and can explain it properly. Seems Americans these days are so angry, they refuse to engage their very own brains to realize the system is not a CON, but the politicians and their related pundits actually are conning US- and following their leads is dangerous to our democratic-republic.
As President George Washington once wrote; "The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon." Perhaps it's time politicians and their supporting pundits start adhering to that concept again. Otherwise, they are the true Con Men in our Society. Have a great week!
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