Schiff would abolish filibuster, end the Electoral College in his pro-democracy plan

[SqueakyWheel.363]

113. well briefly

let's remember that at the time the majority of Americans opposed parting from Britain, and once that happened wanted George Washington to be President for life, ie King. As to the Anti-Federalist papers, they were authored primarily by southerners alarmed at the essentially egalitarian and abolitionist tone of the proposed constitution, they had no problem with its elitist aspects despite what they wrote, consider the 3/5ths compromise. When you consider that the majority of Americans have Never participated in the democratic process in this country, that Drumpf got more votes than Obama in either of his elections, and that the no president I'm aware of has ever won an actual majority of eligible voters, the founders concerns for the popular vote begins to make sense.

We are living with the consequence of Winner take all laws in reference to the slating of electors. Jefferson decried those laws in 1820 when he lost the electoral vote after winning the popular vote, but took a "if you can't beat them join them" attitude when it became clear that he and Madison were not going to get a constitutional amendment passed banning the practice. The founders left many things unstated in the constitution for many reasons, not limited to the need to get the constitution ratified. They make no mention of whether or how voters should organize and many disliked and even hated political parties. That they make little mention as to the selection of electors until the 12th amendment is not surprising.

Given the interaction of gerrymandered false majority and winner take all, electoral reform is needed, but for my money, given the difficulty of passing constitutional amendment, I'd rather look to ending corporate control of our system with publicly funded, open book, level playing field elections and the elimination of lobby. But I'm an anarchist, what do I know.