If I was in California, I’d lean towards voting for Porter because I like her style of doing things, but Schiff is also a solid choice so it’s a choice between two good candidates.
I do think Adam Schiff will be a contender for the 28 Presidential race.
Ending the electoral college would really help stabilize democracy.
Remember Trump’s “I want 11.780 votes” call to Georgia? He would have needed folks to “find” over 7 million votes for him to defeat Biden if the popular vote was used instead. A much more difficult task to achieve fraudulently.
But it’s probably a good idea if the electoral college changes, and other pro-democracy changes, happen before the filibuster is abolished.
Republicans objectively benefit from: The Senate, gerrymandering, and the electoral college. The EC and Senate subsequently give them an unfair advantage in appointments to the judiciary.
In summary, Republicans have an unfair advantage in every branch of government because of our outdated democratic systems.
Also, the filibuster has undoubtedly helped them in the past several cycles in regards to obstructive legislative goals.
I wish more people understood this when they lament our two-party systems, or lack of progressive policy, and become apathetic when it comes to voting.
Republicans basically pop champagne at that prospect, because they don’t want any of these things to change and become more equitable – ever. They love the systems we have and want nothing more than to stay in power so that they can stay that way.
Here comes the dumbass “popular vote isn’t fair because more people live in blue states idiocy” in 3…2…1…
Glad he would vote for it.. but lets be real.
Democrats are never gonna have 62 senators for a super majority… Dems need the +2 because of course there will be a Kyrsten Sinema or Joe Manchin types imposters on the corporate’teet
The Senate is literally the most unequal representation. A Senator from Wyoming (pop. 580k) or Vermont (pop. 646k) has equal power to a Senator from California (pop. 39 mil) or Texas (pop. 29.5 mil).
The electoral college was created as the implementation mechanism for the three-fifths clause
There was no legitimate reason to keep it around after the passage of the 14th amendment rendered it moot
Let’s throw ranked choice voting in as well!!
EC is definitely an antiquated idea but keep the filibuster but require it to function as it did in the past. Make folks work for it.
All we need to do is uncap the house and the EC issue will be 90% fixed.
Give me no EC and ranked choice. Inject that straight into my veins pls.
I love living in California. All 3 top Dem Senate options are solid and would continue to help push the country in the right direction.
The electoral college often gives the job to the guy with fewer votes, we have to abolish it.
The GOP will never allow the electoral college system to be abolished because they need it. Their policies are fundamentally unpopular so a popular vote in any context is bad for them.
Image how much less insane GOP presidential candidates would have to be, immediately, if the EC was abolished…
Abolish the electoral college and republicans will never win any more single elections.
Would love if the EC was abolished. An opinion I’ve held since I first learned about it when I was a teen lmao even then I knew it was ridiculous.
Hell yeah, now we’re talking!!!
Well that works for my vote. Your move, Katie Porter.
Hell yes! These antiquated policies hurt everyone whether they know it or not.
I’m for abolishing the Electoral College
that’s a good platform
It’s time to remove the vestigial confederacy.
Just bring back the actual fillibuster where you need to talk non stop to block it. Not this wimpy sit on hands thing invented by a sex offender.
I really like Adam. I think he would make a great President.
This is the progressive shit America needs right now
Even without completely abolishing the EC, if you just break the winner take all setup of the current EC and make a more proportional system where candidates gain a number of delegates in comparison to the other candidate, which still gives the winner of the state a majority of delegates, you’d see the will of the people reflected better than what it is now. I still want the EC gone entirely, but any change to the EC would be massive for democracy, and as such all republicans and even some dems who are completely bought and sold to the highest bidders would fight this change and attempt to force us in this status quo.
Another option is expanding the size of the House of Representatives.
He’s been in Congress since 2001 and he’s had plenty of time to put these ideas forward in committee but never has. So what are the chances he’ll actually do it IF he gets elected to the Senate.
Probably SLIM to NONE.
I’m leaning to Katie Porter, she hasn’t been playing the game like Adam has.
I’m ok with the filibuster, provided we go back to Mr. Smith Goes to Washington rules: you can delay the vote for as long as you and you alone can remain standing and speaking.
None of this emailing the clerk “I declare filibuster!” from your vacation in Mexico nonsense.
I’m not a Democrat, but I support at least the removal of the electoral college.
Objectively, he wouldn’t do any of these things because:
(1) Democrats likely won’t have the Senate Majority – the Republicans might end up being the ones to nuke the filibuster. Even if Democrats manage to retain a tight majority, they don’t have the votes to kill the filibuster.
(2) ending the electoral college would either require a constitutional amendment (definitely not gonna happen) or implementation of the interstate popular vote compact, which likely won’t happen, is likely unconstitutional itself, and would probably lead to civil war if attempted.
I hate it when politician campaign on things that aren’t going to happen – voters need to hear his platform on votes we can actually expect him to take, not crude promises for things that are likely never going to happen, but certainly not in the next 6 years. Performative crap.
I can tell you one thing for certainty. If Republicans won the popular vote the last 5 elections, but lost the presidency due to the electoral college, we wouldn’t have an electoral college anymore.
You mean pro authoritarian
I don’t think the electoral college should be abolished completely, but it does need to be reworked. As far as I understand it (and I could be dead wrong, but this is how it was explained to me), the idea was to try and give weight to the opinions of people groups who’d otherwise be silenced due to sheer numbers, like the farmers and agricultural workers who have a better understanding of supply chains and whatnot that those in big cities may not have. Back in the days before the internet was a thing and knowledge of that type wasn’t readily available, makes perfect sense. Nowadays? Not so much.
The filibuster and electoral college have good reason to exist. These are not bad devices. They’re just abused. What needs to be fixed are both voting and representation. This is beyond ease of voting and gerrymandering stuff. It includes even representation so your vote isn’t 1/4th someone else’s just because you two live in different places. It’s all this wrapped together. In many states the electoral votes side with popular vote. Not all states have laws driving this requirement, but it would be in very bad faith to oppose it and no states oppose siding with the popular vote.
Well, shouldn’t it just be the popular vote then? Not really. Part of the intent of the electoral college is to have the OPTION to defy the public if for some reason the public is not acting rationally. It’s intended to defy abuse and irrational mass behavior. As the old saying goes, individuals are rational people. A mob is not. And mass events tend to be remarkably irrational. The electoral college is a safeguard tool, and to get rid of it is stupid.
Understand that the electoral college, when the populous acts rationally, IS the popular vote. That’s the default mode of the electoral college, popular vote. It’s doing exactly what you want literally all the time right now. Getting rid of it does nothing from what everyone living today has normally experienced. You’d only be removing the safeguard.
“Oh, but my vote doesn’t matter!” It does. It’s part of the popular vote. The electoral votes follow popular vote.
What’s wrong is what percentage your vote means in your state and total electoral counts. That’s a problem. Your vote is a different percentage from other people.
Equally, gerrymandering skews your representation further throwing off how much your vote matters overall.
These two devices in sum skew what your vote means relative other others. Depending on where you live, your vote might mean 1/8, 1/2, zero, or 2x someone else’s. That’s the messed up part of the above two elements. You either matter a lot or matter very little.
So step one is fix gerrymandering.
Step two is figure out what to do with population representation and electoral counts. Right now it HEAVILY skews up rural America. Now this is done on purpose to give non population dense regions a voice. It’s intended, on purpose, to disenfranchise dense population sectors. Large cities have a lesser vote. What we need to do is decide if the ratios are ok today versus when they were originally established. And we need to decide if we want the bias at all in the first place. So, do we want it and what’s an appropriate ratio if the bias is wanted?
Both of these DIRECTLY affect your vote representation and how your vote equates to each single electoral count.
The electoral college for everyone alive today has had zero effect on your vote other than the designed bias towards rural America that’s been established for a very long time. Outside of that bias, the electoral follows popular vote.
The last three things that need to happen is automatic voter registration along with easy means of voting, we should transition to ranked choice voting, and we should modify the requirements to run for office (broadly opening it up to anyone who wants to run) and bring back old, old school debates that were not pre-scripted BS and pre-approved softball question crap. I want Joe Bob from Arkansas running, and I want wild questions that they have to answer on the spot with zero prep. And then we rank choice the shit out of the sea of candidates and whittle it down.
The republicans would never win with this.
Id settle for repealing the reapportionment act
That fixes a lot of issues alone. At least goes some way to solve the ridiculous idea that a Wyomingites vote for President counts almost 3 times as much as a Californians
38 comments
If I was in California, I’d lean towards voting for Porter because I like her style of doing things, but Schiff is also a solid choice so it’s a choice between two good candidates.
I do think Adam Schiff will be a contender for the 28 Presidential race.
Ending the electoral college would really help stabilize democracy.
Remember Trump’s “I want 11.780 votes” call to Georgia? He would have needed folks to “find” over 7 million votes for him to defeat Biden if the popular vote was used instead. A much more difficult task to achieve fraudulently.
But it’s probably a good idea if the electoral college changes, and other pro-democracy changes, happen before the filibuster is abolished.
Republicans objectively benefit from: The Senate, gerrymandering, and the electoral college. The EC and Senate subsequently give them an unfair advantage in appointments to the judiciary.
In summary, Republicans have an unfair advantage in every branch of government because of our outdated democratic systems.
Also, the filibuster has undoubtedly helped them in the past several cycles in regards to obstructive legislative goals.
I wish more people understood this when they lament our two-party systems, or lack of progressive policy, and become apathetic when it comes to voting.
Republicans basically pop champagne at that prospect, because they don’t want any of these things to change and become more equitable – ever. They love the systems we have and want nothing more than to stay in power so that they can stay that way.
Here comes the dumbass “popular vote isn’t fair because more people live in blue states idiocy” in 3…2…1…
Glad he would vote for it.. but lets be real.
Democrats are never gonna have 62 senators for a super majority… Dems need the +2 because of course there will be a Kyrsten Sinema or Joe Manchin types imposters on the corporate’teet
The Senate is literally the most unequal representation. A Senator from Wyoming (pop. 580k) or Vermont (pop. 646k) has equal power to a Senator from California (pop. 39 mil) or Texas (pop. 29.5 mil).
The electoral college was created as the implementation mechanism for the three-fifths clause
There was no legitimate reason to keep it around after the passage of the 14th amendment rendered it moot
Let’s throw ranked choice voting in as well!!
EC is definitely an antiquated idea but keep the filibuster but require it to function as it did in the past. Make folks work for it.
All we need to do is uncap the house and the EC issue will be 90% fixed.
Give me no EC and ranked choice. Inject that straight into my veins pls.
I love living in California. All 3 top Dem Senate options are solid and would continue to help push the country in the right direction.
The electoral college often gives the job to the guy with fewer votes, we have to abolish it.
The GOP will never allow the electoral college system to be abolished because they need it. Their policies are fundamentally unpopular so a popular vote in any context is bad for them.
Image how much less insane GOP presidential candidates would have to be, immediately, if the EC was abolished…
Abolish the electoral college and republicans will never win any more single elections.
Would love if the EC was abolished. An opinion I’ve held since I first learned about it when I was a teen lmao even then I knew it was ridiculous.
Hell yeah, now we’re talking!!!
Well that works for my vote. Your move, Katie Porter.
Hell yes! These antiquated policies hurt everyone whether they know it or not.
I’m for abolishing the Electoral College
that’s a good platform
It’s time to remove the vestigial confederacy.
Just bring back the actual fillibuster where you need to talk non stop to block it. Not this wimpy sit on hands thing invented by a sex offender.
I really like Adam. I think he would make a great President.
This is the progressive shit America needs right now
Even without completely abolishing the EC, if you just break the winner take all setup of the current EC and make a more proportional system where candidates gain a number of delegates in comparison to the other candidate, which still gives the winner of the state a majority of delegates, you’d see the will of the people reflected better than what it is now. I still want the EC gone entirely, but any change to the EC would be massive for democracy, and as such all republicans and even some dems who are completely bought and sold to the highest bidders would fight this change and attempt to force us in this status quo.
Another option is expanding the size of the House of Representatives.
He’s been in Congress since 2001 and he’s had plenty of time to put these ideas forward in committee but never has. So what are the chances he’ll actually do it IF he gets elected to the Senate.
Probably SLIM to NONE.
I’m leaning to Katie Porter, she hasn’t been playing the game like Adam has.
I’m ok with the filibuster, provided we go back to Mr. Smith Goes to Washington rules: you can delay the vote for as long as you and you alone can remain standing and speaking.
None of this emailing the clerk “I declare filibuster!” from your vacation in Mexico nonsense.
I’m not a Democrat, but I support at least the removal of the electoral college.
Objectively, he wouldn’t do any of these things because:
(1) Democrats likely won’t have the Senate Majority – the Republicans might end up being the ones to nuke the filibuster. Even if Democrats manage to retain a tight majority, they don’t have the votes to kill the filibuster.
(2) ending the electoral college would either require a constitutional amendment (definitely not gonna happen) or implementation of the interstate popular vote compact, which likely won’t happen, is likely unconstitutional itself, and would probably lead to civil war if attempted.
I hate it when politician campaign on things that aren’t going to happen – voters need to hear his platform on votes we can actually expect him to take, not crude promises for things that are likely never going to happen, but certainly not in the next 6 years. Performative crap.
I can tell you one thing for certainty. If Republicans won the popular vote the last 5 elections, but lost the presidency due to the electoral college, we wouldn’t have an electoral college anymore.
You mean pro authoritarian
I don’t think the electoral college should be abolished completely, but it does need to be reworked. As far as I understand it (and I could be dead wrong, but this is how it was explained to me), the idea was to try and give weight to the opinions of people groups who’d otherwise be silenced due to sheer numbers, like the farmers and agricultural workers who have a better understanding of supply chains and whatnot that those in big cities may not have. Back in the days before the internet was a thing and knowledge of that type wasn’t readily available, makes perfect sense. Nowadays? Not so much.
The filibuster and electoral college have good reason to exist. These are not bad devices. They’re just abused. What needs to be fixed are both voting and representation. This is beyond ease of voting and gerrymandering stuff. It includes even representation so your vote isn’t 1/4th someone else’s just because you two live in different places. It’s all this wrapped together. In many states the electoral votes side with popular vote. Not all states have laws driving this requirement, but it would be in very bad faith to oppose it and no states oppose siding with the popular vote.
Well, shouldn’t it just be the popular vote then? Not really. Part of the intent of the electoral college is to have the OPTION to defy the public if for some reason the public is not acting rationally. It’s intended to defy abuse and irrational mass behavior. As the old saying goes, individuals are rational people. A mob is not. And mass events tend to be remarkably irrational. The electoral college is a safeguard tool, and to get rid of it is stupid.
Understand that the electoral college, when the populous acts rationally, IS the popular vote. That’s the default mode of the electoral college, popular vote. It’s doing exactly what you want literally all the time right now. Getting rid of it does nothing from what everyone living today has normally experienced. You’d only be removing the safeguard.
“Oh, but my vote doesn’t matter!” It does. It’s part of the popular vote. The electoral votes follow popular vote.
What’s wrong is what percentage your vote means in your state and total electoral counts. That’s a problem. Your vote is a different percentage from other people.
Equally, gerrymandering skews your representation further throwing off how much your vote matters overall.
These two devices in sum skew what your vote means relative other others. Depending on where you live, your vote might mean 1/8, 1/2, zero, or 2x someone else’s. That’s the messed up part of the above two elements. You either matter a lot or matter very little.
So step one is fix gerrymandering.
Step two is figure out what to do with population representation and electoral counts. Right now it HEAVILY skews up rural America. Now this is done on purpose to give non population dense regions a voice. It’s intended, on purpose, to disenfranchise dense population sectors. Large cities have a lesser vote. What we need to do is decide if the ratios are ok today versus when they were originally established. And we need to decide if we want the bias at all in the first place. So, do we want it and what’s an appropriate ratio if the bias is wanted?
Both of these DIRECTLY affect your vote representation and how your vote equates to each single electoral count.
The electoral college for everyone alive today has had zero effect on your vote other than the designed bias towards rural America that’s been established for a very long time. Outside of that bias, the electoral follows popular vote.
The last three things that need to happen is automatic voter registration along with easy means of voting, we should transition to ranked choice voting, and we should modify the requirements to run for office (broadly opening it up to anyone who wants to run) and bring back old, old school debates that were not pre-scripted BS and pre-approved softball question crap. I want Joe Bob from Arkansas running, and I want wild questions that they have to answer on the spot with zero prep. And then we rank choice the shit out of the sea of candidates and whittle it down.
The republicans would never win with this.
Id settle for repealing the reapportionment act
That fixes a lot of issues alone. At least goes some way to solve the ridiculous idea that a Wyomingites vote for President counts almost 3 times as much as a Californians