First Republican 'faithless elector' announces intent to vote against Trump

[Macaquerie]

Iron, wood, oil, etc. and initial processing are all rural. Ranchers are rural. So unless you live fully off the grid and produce your own food, half the US is actually rural. Don't be confused by the US Census bureau distinguished Rural vs Urban areas, because that doesn't tell you who all is a republican and what states are red.

You can't make the argument that the guy working on the oil rig is actually responsible for supplying the rest of the country with oil. His labor is one factor, but it's a fairly minor factor compared to, say, the existence of actual oil under the ground to be extracted. He does his job and is paid for it, but he doesn't deserve some kind of excess voting share because he happens to live and work somewhere that oil exists, that makes no sense.

[Elegiac]

I'm not sure I agree.

Electing by popular vote sounds good in theory, but in practice it allows demagogues to be elected because most people are ignorant of what they're voting for. We're supposed to vote for representatives who know what they're doing to represent us in decisions. We shouldn't just be making them ourselves. The Electoral College is meant to do just that: ensure that whoever is elected is fit for the office even if we, the people, were stupid enough to vote them in.

So therefore the Electoral College -should- be voting against Trump.

And no, what the electoral college does in practice is ingrain the partisan divide and produce a zero sum situation for voters rather than a candidate who is broadly appealing.

[siegfrid]

Good, now that they've outed themselves they can be kicked out of politics for all time

[Viking]

You have to be a special kind of stupid to think the electoral college is a bad thing. Or just be a leftist I guess. Oh wait. Most of you kids probably think the US is a straight-up democracy as well so you probably aren't informed enough to have an relevant opinion anyway.

You're also delusional if you think your scumbag criminal of a candidate, Hillary, has any chance of ever being president. Nothing will change, leftists will keep throwing tantrums, but some of them will come around once Trump actually gets in office and they see he is not "literally Hitler" like the joke media has incessantly parroted.

Infracted

[alexkeren]

You can't make the argument that the guy working on the oil rig is actually responsible for supplying the rest of the country with oil. His labor is one factor, but it's a fairly minor factor compared to, say, the existence of actual oil under the ground to be extracted. He does his job and is paid for it, but he doesn't deserve some kind of excess voting share because he happens to live and work somewhere that oil exists, that makes no sense.

But you don't get the oil without him, and his state's government allowing it to be drilled for. Again, those who own the resource, the rural states don't need the coast states as much as the other way around.

[Hiricine]

Very interesting.

I wonder. Purely hypothetical HOWEVER, what happens if neither of them gets 270?

In the case of a non majority, congress votes for the new president and the senate votes for the new vice president. Trump would likely still be president at that point

[Elegiac]

But you don't get the oil without him, and his state's government allowing it to be drilled for. Again, those who own the resource, the rural states don't need the coast states as much as the other way around.

Who do you think provides the demand for oil, exactly?

Sure, cities won't exist without farmland. But neither would civilization by definition.

So you typing all this bullshit out on a computer made mostly in urban China is amusing, to say the least.

[alexkeren]

City folk build the computers you use to type this drivel.

Rural folks farm shit, we get it, and so what?

I don't need a computer to live, but you need what the farmer produces to live.

[Elegiac]

I don't need a computer to live, but you need what the farmer produces to live.

Again, so what? Why is that remotely relevant to voting?

[mvaliz]

I'd still hold the electoral college to be a really shitty design.

Same.

Even if this part of the EC, by some miracle, saves us from a Trumpocracy - let us not forget that it's saving us from the very problem the EC CREATED IN THE FIRST PLACE!

[Elegiac]

You do realize that if this happens, the 2nd civil war on American soil would take place. People might be okay with others that might be given the job...but to Elect Clinton after all the election crap and to totally ignore this whole process would destroy the political arena and drive this country into a total shitstorm

Good, it'll give us a chance to restart Reconstruction.

[Macaquerie]

I don't need a computer to live, but you need what the farmer produces to live.

Yes, and we have a system called the free market that ensures that urban dwellers pay handsomely to use what rural folk produce. It is going to far to expect people to cede their voting power in exchange for food, what kind of democracy is that?

[alexkeren]

Who do you think provides the demand for oil, exactly?

Sure, cities won't exist without farmland. But neither would civilization by definition.

So you typing all this bullshit out on a computer made mostly in urban China is amusing, to say the least.

It's not a computer, but on topic of the EC and the US being a Republic if the oil producing states were independent countries they could choose to not trade with the likes of California which doesn't produce anything that can't be gotten from elsewhere.

- - - Updated - - -

Yes, and we have a system called the free market that ensures that urban dwellers pay handsomely to use what rural folk produce. It is going to far to expect people to cede their voting power in exchange for food, what kind of democracy is that?

A Republic.

[PC2]

Good, it'll give us a chance to restart Reconstruction.

Were you assuming leftists would win the civil war?

[Glorious Leader]

You do realize that if this happens, the 2nd civil war on American soil would take place. People might be okay with others that might be given the job...but to Elect Clinton after all the election crap and to totally ignore this whole process would destroy the political arena and drive this country into a total shitstorm

Doubtful. Look I would object to the electors nominating Clinton for a number of reasons but one of them is not fear of some group of chicken hawks going to war. Theirs been alot of talk about exactly that ever since obama got into office. It started out really small in the 70s actually, the posse commitatus movement and it's always been talk about armed resistance, civil war, getting your guns!! and it's never amounted to a whole hill of beans. It amped up during obama because ya know he was a marxist socialist muslim christian foundationist who was coming for their guns and trying to turn their children gay but whatever. Chicken talk from chicken hawks.

[mvaliz]

You do realize that if this happens, the 2nd civil war on American soil would take place.

Nope. What will happen is a bunch of drunken redneck dummies will scream "TIME WE THREW US A CIVIL WAR, Y'ALLL!!!" right before getting mowed down by Apache helicopters.

What will happen will be not a civil war, but a series of very violent civil acts of selfish bigotry and hate-crimes that will end with America having a lot less dummies in the voting polls, and will ultimately serve as a reminder why a continued education beyond high school is so important.

[Darsithis]

So therefore the Electoral College -should- be voting against Trump.

And no, what the electoral college does in practice is ingrain the partisan divide and produce a zero sum situation for voters rather than a candidate who is broadly appealing.

The EC should vote against Trump, yes. He is the epitome of a demagogue and has gone on record to say he would prosecute and get revenge on his political opponents. He incites hate. Whether they will or not is up in the air.

I'm not saying the EC gets it right. Chances are they will stick with party lines and continue their long legacy of partisan divide. However, I don't believe that popular vote only would be any better.

[Draco-Onis]

They do. City folk are far more advanced in hunting, trapping and living in that "flyover country" than those that live and work there. City life is hard

You guys go ahead and do that we'll just use our drones with thermal vision and hellfire missiles.

[Glorious Leader]

Nope. What will happen is a bunch of drunken redneck dummies will scream "TIME WE THREW US A CIVIL WAR, Y'ALLL!!!" right before getting mowed down by Apache helicopters.

What will happen will be not a civil war, but a series of very violent civil acts of selfish bigotry and hate-crimes that will end with America having a lot less dummies in the voting polls, and will ultimately serve as a reminder why a continued education beyond high school is so important.

Precisely. Organised civil society may have alot of problems, government may have alot of problems but it is not so weak and inept as to be threatened by a handful of inbred redneck drunk clowns with far too much weaponry and far too little sense.

[PC2]

You guys go ahead and do that we'll just use our drones with thermal vision and hellfire missiles.

The same leftists complaining about the military and droning policy? Becoming what you're suppose to be against doesn't bode well for the ideology.