Your last point on the electoral college brings up the topic of sweeping electoral reform. If you do away with the electoral college, would we choose presidents by national popular vote? That would be great, as we'd see presidential candidates pay attention to more than the six or seven swing states that currently determine presidential elections! Another major hindrance to progress is our two-party duopoly. It causes us to lose all nuance in our politics, because people are forced to get behind whichever of the R or D candidates best reflect their policy preferences. In contrast, a ranked-choice type of election system would open the door to political pluralism, where people can actually vote for what they most want and believe in, without the unintended consequence of causing their most despised candidate to win (by depriving the major party candidates of their vote). The electoral outcomes would be nudged towards the middle, because candidates would be motivated compete for people's 2nd or lower choices.
Wharton, I’m not sure the best way. Pure popular vote should work in theory but the big objection would be that all the campaigning would switch from swing states to big population centers, leaving rural America behind.
One compromise would be to make every state allocate their electoral votes by congressional district, but that would still leave the 2-Senator imbalance that favors small states.
I guess some really smart nerds would need to work on some ideas and use supercomputer models to simulate outcomes.
I was at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto Tuesday, visiting the current incredible exhibition there and I was in full sight of the door the US is currently knocking on: hell. Notice the enthusiastic support….Ah, but seems I cannot post pictures here. The Auschwitz exhibition of course.
Thank you for this deep thinking, Rick! This helps get the conversation going and focuses priorities.
Thanks, Max! Hope you are well.
Your last point on the electoral college brings up the topic of sweeping electoral reform. If you do away with the electoral college, would we choose presidents by national popular vote? That would be great, as we'd see presidential candidates pay attention to more than the six or seven swing states that currently determine presidential elections! Another major hindrance to progress is our two-party duopoly. It causes us to lose all nuance in our politics, because people are forced to get behind whichever of the R or D candidates best reflect their policy preferences. In contrast, a ranked-choice type of election system would open the door to political pluralism, where people can actually vote for what they most want and believe in, without the unintended consequence of causing their most despised candidate to win (by depriving the major party candidates of their vote). The electoral outcomes would be nudged towards the middle, because candidates would be motivated compete for people's 2nd or lower choices.
I do like ranked-choice, though!
Wharton, I’m not sure the best way. Pure popular vote should work in theory but the big objection would be that all the campaigning would switch from swing states to big population centers, leaving rural America behind.
One compromise would be to make every state allocate their electoral votes by congressional district, but that would still leave the 2-Senator imbalance that favors small states.
I guess some really smart nerds would need to work on some ideas and use supercomputer models to simulate outcomes.
Or just let me decide how to do it!😀
I was at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto Tuesday, visiting the current incredible exhibition there and I was in full sight of the door the US is currently knocking on: hell. Notice the enthusiastic support….Ah, but seems I cannot post pictures here. The Auschwitz exhibition of course.