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| Graphic courtesy of The Obama Diary. |
Courtesy of Mother Jones:
Over the past six months, someone—or a group of someones—has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund an effort to change the rules of the 2012 presidential election to make it very difficult for President Barack Obama to win reelection. But the shadowy lobbying group mounting this campaign hasn't disclosed its donors—and under current law, it doesn't have to.
In two states, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, GOP legislators have introduced bills that would change how electoral votes—a candidate needs 270 of the 538 to win the presidency—are awarded in a presidential election. Under the current system, the winner of the statewide popular vote receives all of the electoral votes from that state.
If the Republican plan becomes law in either Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, those states would change how electoral votes are awarded. The new plan would allot electoral votes on the basis of vote totals within congressional districts. If a candidate wins a congressional district, he or she would receive one electoral college vote. Whoever does best in the statewide race would receive two electoral votes.
Because Republicans will draw the boundaries of the congressional districts in both states, the new rules would mean that Obama could win the states but still receive fewer electoral votes than his Republican opponent. Should a Republican split the states' electoral votes with Obama (even if Obama draws more votes), that could provide the GOPer with the margin of victory in a close race. (Under the US Constitution, it is up to the states to allot electoral votes as they see fit.)
The Republicans know they can't win in a fair contest, not against this President, so they are going to use every dirty trick in the book.
So the important question for progressives to ask themselves is do we stand together to fight back, or do we lend aid and comfort to our enemies? Simple question don't you think?
Get rid of the Diebold machines. Get out the word. Protect voter rights.
ReplyDeleteNow, more than ever, it is important to do the work it is to be an American and maintain our democracy.
Thank you for putting it into perspective, Gryphen.
ReplyDeleteWe cannot afford lost votes in this election.
Anyone who withholds a vote from the Democrats will have to take responsibility should the Republicans weasel their way in.
Life will get beyond ugly if that happens. Just look at us right now. This is the legacy of the Bush years. The GOP could care less about the 99% (though many of their voters are among that very group, poor fools).
A massive victory margin is our only protection against the Republicans.
Fuckers.
ReplyDeleteDear Jesse -
ReplyDeleteOff Topic.....
You are freakin' awesome...THANK YOU for posting your thoughts - I agree with so much...including your admiration for our President Obama.
Since I've moved to the DC metro area this September, it's a thrill knowing I'm around his brilliance and humanity.
Don't stop man - go, go GO!
Tata Ala!
You asked a good question, but you didn't offer an answer. Do you have suggestions for how we can help?
ReplyDeleteI will fight tooth and nail for fairness and honesty in this election. And on inauguration day, if any one of those GOP imbeciles they have put up against the capable, intelligent man in the White House is sworn in, I will give up on this country. Our future will never resemble anything like what the founding fathers hoped for.
ReplyDeleteSomewhat O/T, but Politico is reporting a 5th instance of creepy lecherous behavior from Cain:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/67819.html
AND, better yet, GOP stalwart Bill Bennett has called "BULLSHIT" on Herbie's lame-ass excuses:
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/282514/bennett-not-lynching-herman-cain-kathryn-jean-lopez
Here's a sampling:
"Neither is it insignificant that the Cain campaign discounted the charges in the initial stories, saying they were based on anonymous sources, only to make a mockery by blaming other campaigns with less substantiation than the original stories.
I have watched long enough and held my tongue long enough to give him the benefit of the doubt, but can no longer say this is a witch hunt, “a lynching” to use his word, or any other euphemism. There are allegations out there that matter and they have stacked up. For we who led the charge against Bill Clinton on a number of related issues to continue to blame the media or other campaigns or say it simply doesn’t matter makes us the hypocrites as well."
Now THAT'S what I'M talking about!
More bad news for Herb Cain - number and counting...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/67819.html
Bill Daley's out as Chief of Staff. Probably a good thing, I'd like to see someone in that seat who is not from Chicago.
ReplyDeleteFresh allegations are tipping point for Herman Cain, Iowa conservatives say
ReplyDeletehttp://caucuses.desmoinesregister.com/2011/11/07/fresh-allegations-are-tipping-point-for-herman-cain-iowa-conservatives-say/
I'm in Wisconsin and they redrew the districts to favor Republicans. I hope this bill doesn't pass, but Republicans outnumber Dems in both houses.
ReplyDeleteThis bill will pass in Wisconsin. The GOP controls enough votes to get it done. There is no way to stop this in Wisconsin. The re-redistricting plan has already been done and it does favor the Republicans. There are court challenges to it,...but the Judges are all Republican Judges too,...even the State Supreme Court is heavily Republican.
ReplyDeleteProportionally awarded electoral votes are more democratic.
ReplyDeleteUntil Johnson, that was the way most states chose electors. That way all voters, at least the Democratic and Republican voters were represented in the electoral college.
The Democrats in Texas changed Texas to a winner take all electoral apportionment and other states followed.
Large portions of Houston,Dallas and SW Texas, E and N central and some areas of S Austin as well as other segments of Texas have not had their due representation in out nation's POTUS election for about 30years now. (I'm in the same pickle in Va now. My vote for POTUS will never count.)
It doesn't matter who they vote for, in the end their "vote" will be for the candidate they opposed. And of course my own vote for POTUS wasn't counted either becasue even when my candidate won, Texas,since Johnson has always voted unanimously for the Republican Candidate under the winner take all system.
And that ain't right and that ain't Democracy.
This is why I'm so active with getting the vote out.
ReplyDeleteI live in Pennsylvania, and can't begin to tell you the extent of underhanded tricks the Republicans are doing. There are robocalls from democrats endorsing republican candidates, you can tell they're fake because the voice changes when the name is mentioned. WTF? And this redistricting trick just adds to my frustration.
It's no coincidence that The President has campaigned heavily in our state and has a well organized network of volunteers challenging the counts.
We had City elections in Philadelphia, and there were people auditing our votes as we exited, we'll see how the numbers match up.