US Politics Thread

[KS55]

Hilary Clinton got over 2.8 million more popular votes but still lost to Donald Trump. Probably a better example of how the above could happen.

The electoral college was designed to give small states a decent say. Now, a handful are decisive. At least 40 states are solid democrat or solid Republican. The electorate is inelastic, both in terms of the state results and the votes within them.
In swing states, I guess 45% is immovable for each side with maybe 10% fluid. A few voters hold the presidency in their hands and change is exceedingly slow.

 

[franksinatra]

The electoral college was designed to give small states a decent say. Now, a handful are decisive. At least 40 states are solid democrat or solid Republican. The electorate is inelastic, both in terms of the state results and the votes within them.
In swing states, I guess 45% is immovable for each side with maybe 10% fluid. A few voters hold the presidency in their hands and change is exceedingly slow.

Yes I was listening to a podcast with the pollster Frank Luntz about the importance of places, in particular, like Pennsylvania and the huge sums of money involved in campaigning in these areas.

I suppose in a Country as vast as the USA, with such varied areas and communities there is some logic to having to ensure a party receives a mandate from the largest number of areas.

However as you have highlighted democracy is imperfect and change would be exceedingly slow, for policy also, when a party is reliant on votes from so many different constituencies, with such polar opposite views.

From my understanding, Gun laws is probably an example of this, where democrats have voted against gun reforms as they know this could result in them losing their seats in their constituency, like in 2022. Or in the current election many commentators think Kamala Harris is running a ‘safe’ campaign as she is trying to not alienate sections of voters.

 

[Dax777]

Imagine the rabbit hole you have to go down to actually type a sentence like this.

Imagine the cynicism about human beings, the desperate egoism/self-delusion it takes to cling to what you thought was true that's turned out wrong, the amorality to not care about the harm inflicted on others.

It's not even funny anymore. It's not even stupid anymore. It's not even pathetic anymore.

It's simply absolutely disgusting.

Oh shut up.

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

Oh shut up.

Once several reporters prove to me you aren’t a pedo, I will.

 

[Elbow beards]

The electoral college was designed to give small states a decent say. Now, a handful are decisive. At least 40 states are solid democrat or solid Republican. The electorate is inelastic, both in terms of the state results and the votes within them.
In swing states, I guess 45% is immovable for each side with maybe 10% fluid. A few voters hold the presidency in their hands and change is exceedingly slow.

Isn't something stupid like 10 thousand people that decide who's president?

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

Isn't something stupid like 10 thousand people that decide who's president?

It’s more, but it’s a small number. I do think it’s important to note that states haven’t always been one colo(u)r or another. Many states have varied among red, blue and purple over the years. It’s a long-tailed change though; it can take a generation. The Pacific West being blue and Deep South red is a near-complete reversal of how the nation looked 50 years ago e.g. It’s more an oddity that the margins are so razor thin today and the number of swing states are so few. I am frankly torn on the EC — I see its benefits and its drawbacks. This is an enormous nation with a huge number of varied interests to be represented by a relatively small number of folks in DC and only one President — the fairest system that doesn’t marginaliz(s)e some group or region isn’t that easy to define.

 

[Johnny Mars Bar]

This is how mental Twitter’s algorithm is.

I just searched “Lando Norris” to have a look what people are saying about the F1 qualifying and this was top of the search results.

 

[Elbow beards]

It’s more, but it’s a small number. I do think it’s important to note that states haven’t always been one colo(u)r or another. Many states have varied among red, blue and purple over the years. It’s a long-tailed change though; it can take a generation. The Pacific West being blue and Deep South red is a near-complete reversal of how the nation looked 50 years ago e.g. It’s more an oddity that the margins are so razor thin today and the number of swing states are so few. I am frankly torn on the EC — I see its benefits and its drawbacks. This is an enormous nation with a huge number of varied interests to be represented by a relatively small number of folks in DC and only one President — the fairest system that doesn’t marginaliz(s)e some group or region isn’t that easy to define.

It's the same over here mate. Where I live it's been Labour for a century or so, some places down south are always Conservative, only a couple of councils that will swing from one to the other.

 

[KS55]

It’s more, but it’s a small number. I do think it’s important to note that states haven’t always been one colo(u)r or another. Many states have varied among red, blue and purple over the years. It’s a long-tailed change though; it can take a generation. The Pacific West being blue and Deep South red is a near-complete reversal of how the nation looked 50 years ago e.g. It’s more an oddity that the margins are so razor thin today and the number of swing states are so few. I am frankly torn on the EC — I see its benefits and its drawbacks. This is an enormous nation with a huge number of varied interests to be represented by a relatively small number of folks in DC and only one President — the fairest system that doesn’t marginaliz(s)e some group or region isn’t that easy to define.

I haven’t studied the issue but it seems odd to me that almost all states give ALL their college votes to the majority party, irrespective of the actual tallies.

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

I haven’t studied the issue but it seems odd to me that almost all states give ALL their college votes to the majority party, irrespective of the actual tallies.

I think Nebraska and Maine don’t but otherwise yes. Maybe the solution is that EC votes are split by margin of victory but then we may as well use popular vote?