Excellent read on the Electoral College and what it means to be a democracy.
Excellent read on the Electoral College and what it means to be a democracy. (Protip: we're not a democracy, the USA is a republic)
Originally shared by Edward Morbius
"The Electoral College Was Meant to Stop Men Like Trump From Being President"
If it’s so unlikely that the electors would defeat Trump, why is the topic even worth discussing? Because, given Trump’s likely ascension to the presidency, Americans must talk differently about democracy itself. Yes, the democratic features of America’s political system are precious. But so are some of the undemocratic ones, the ones that prevent people’s basic rights from being taken from them by a show of hands. Right now, the nature of American public discourse—which treats democracy as an unambiguous good—makes that difficult to say. Rarely do Americans publicly acknowledge the tradeoff between democracy and liberty, between popular will and minority rights, which so concerned the framers. If Trump threatens the rights of Muslims or journalists, if he pressures the Federal Reserve or defies the Supreme Court, he will likely do so in democracy’s name. He may have public opinion on his side. If Americans can’t defend their system’s limitations on democracy, they’ll have trouble resisting him.
Peter Beinart at The Atlantic makes the case, convincingly, for the Electoral College to exercise its constitutional right of free-agency to bar Donald John Trump from ascending to the Presidency.
The decision would be unprecedented. It is not, however, "against the rules", and is in fact precisely what and why the system of indirect selection of the Supreme Executive of the United States, the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, the holder of the nuclear launch codes, the defender, through the Department of Justice, of rule of law and civil rights, the selector of Supreme Court justices (the Senate, apparently, willing), and of the head of the Federal Reserve (Janet Yellin's term expires in 2018).
This is a time for leadership.
Please, my American friends:
* Contact the Clinton campaign and request they put the college in play.
* Contact your state's Electors, and request they bar Trump from gaining office.
* Contact your congressional representative, and your state's Senators, and request they put the college in play.
* Contact the White House and request the President and Vice President put the college in play.
Talk to your friends and family. Talk to your local political party -- Democrat or Republican. These are not normal times.
Do not let Liberty die on your watch.
Contacts:
Hillary Clinton campaign "contact" page: https://www.hillaryclinton.com/page/contact-us/
(I suggest the "donations" address, or postal address, unless the campaign provides another.)
United States Presidential Electors, 2016:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_presidential_electors,_2016
House of Representative locator:
http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/
Senate locator:
http://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/
(Call your rep and senator if at all possible, for greatest impact.)
White House contact page:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
Democratic National Committee contact page:
http://my.democrats.org/page/s/contact-the-democrats
GOP contact page:
https://www.gop.com/contact-us/
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/the-electoral-college-was-meant-to-stop-men-like-trump-from-being-president/508310/?utm_source=atlfb
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/the-electoral-college-was-meant-to-stop-men-like-trump-from-being-president/508310/?utm_source=atlfb
Originally shared by Edward Morbius
"The Electoral College Was Meant to Stop Men Like Trump From Being President"
If it’s so unlikely that the electors would defeat Trump, why is the topic even worth discussing? Because, given Trump’s likely ascension to the presidency, Americans must talk differently about democracy itself. Yes, the democratic features of America’s political system are precious. But so are some of the undemocratic ones, the ones that prevent people’s basic rights from being taken from them by a show of hands. Right now, the nature of American public discourse—which treats democracy as an unambiguous good—makes that difficult to say. Rarely do Americans publicly acknowledge the tradeoff between democracy and liberty, between popular will and minority rights, which so concerned the framers. If Trump threatens the rights of Muslims or journalists, if he pressures the Federal Reserve or defies the Supreme Court, he will likely do so in democracy’s name. He may have public opinion on his side. If Americans can’t defend their system’s limitations on democracy, they’ll have trouble resisting him.
Peter Beinart at The Atlantic makes the case, convincingly, for the Electoral College to exercise its constitutional right of free-agency to bar Donald John Trump from ascending to the Presidency.
The decision would be unprecedented. It is not, however, "against the rules", and is in fact precisely what and why the system of indirect selection of the Supreme Executive of the United States, the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, the holder of the nuclear launch codes, the defender, through the Department of Justice, of rule of law and civil rights, the selector of Supreme Court justices (the Senate, apparently, willing), and of the head of the Federal Reserve (Janet Yellin's term expires in 2018).
This is a time for leadership.
Please, my American friends:
* Contact the Clinton campaign and request they put the college in play.
* Contact your state's Electors, and request they bar Trump from gaining office.
* Contact your congressional representative, and your state's Senators, and request they put the college in play.
* Contact the White House and request the President and Vice President put the college in play.
Talk to your friends and family. Talk to your local political party -- Democrat or Republican. These are not normal times.
Do not let Liberty die on your watch.
Contacts:
Hillary Clinton campaign "contact" page: https://www.hillaryclinton.com/page/contact-us/
(I suggest the "donations" address, or postal address, unless the campaign provides another.)
United States Presidential Electors, 2016:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_presidential_electors,_2016
House of Representative locator:
http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/
Senate locator:
http://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/
(Call your rep and senator if at all possible, for greatest impact.)
White House contact page:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
Democratic National Committee contact page:
http://my.democrats.org/page/s/contact-the-democrats
GOP contact page:
https://www.gop.com/contact-us/
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/the-electoral-college-was-meant-to-stop-men-like-trump-from-being-president/508310/?utm_source=atlfb
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/the-electoral-college-was-meant-to-stop-men-like-trump-from-being-president/508310/?utm_source=atlfb
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