• EatATaco@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    One of the major reasons for the electoral college is because many of the founding fathers thought the people were too stupid to not elect a populist (like Trump) and that Congress should choose the president, but the other side thought it gave Congress too much power. So they compromised with the electoral system.

    It’s been well known since day 1 that the people could do a very bad job choosing the president. The problem is that the EC has been so watered down at this point that the only purpose it currently serves is to create a situation where we’re under the tyranny of the minority. And, ironically, it gave us trump and might do so again.

    • whofearsthenight@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      only purpose it currently serves is to create a situation where we’re under the tyranny of the minority.

      Although optimistically a lot of the way the government was designed is to prevent exactly the type of person that Trump is becoming president, tyranny of the minority is part of the system. EC and the senate are definitely designed in a way to prevent the unwashed masses from gaining too much power, and keep in mind when the framers were designing this we’re talking only about white land-owning men. Our government’s design is progressive for its time compared to a literal monarchy, but it’s still clearly designed with a caste system in mind.

    • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      It’s been well known since day 1 that the people could do a very bad job choosing the president.

      Corruption makes it more likely to be the Electoral collage that makes a stupid decision.

      • EatATaco@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Most electors are bound by state law to vote a certain way, and the scotus has upheld this practice, so I would argue that they really make no decision at all.

        • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Are you talking about federal presidential election or the election to become candidate for the party?
          Because the party election system is 100% decided by the party AFAIK.

    • Omniraptor@lemm.ee
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      11 months ago

      people were too stupid to not elect a populist

      i mean he did also lose the popular vote. that was a pretty significant thing that happened. like i understand where you’re coming from here but he very much did lose the popular vote.

      • EatATaco@lemm.ee
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        11 months ago

        Which is exactly why I said it was ironic that it gave him to us instead of protecting us from him.