02-21-2019, 12:54 AM
(02-21-2019, 12:45 AM)Benton Wrote: The last two Republican candidates lost their first bid at being POTUS by the popular vote, but still assumed office.
Sure, maybe that's a coincidence. Or maybe it's just a reflection that the system doesn't genuinely reflect the will of the people.
The system isn't designed to directly reflect the will of the people. If it were the Electoral College wouldn't exist and the Senate wouldn't be more powerful than the House. The Framers knew that the tyranny of the majority was to be avoided and they were right to think so. Was the majority right about slavery? Was the majority right about Jim Crow? Was the majority right about gay marriage? You can't have it both ways.
Quote:It does seem to matter a bit more with the power people have given to the Executive branch. When the POTUS is going to claim he's authorized to use executive actions because he's working off the will of the people... but the same guy lost the popular vote... it's kind of silly.
No, it's not silly at all. "Working as intended" is common in the software world and applies here as well. One could argue that the EC was designed to prevent a person like Trump from being elected and that's an argument I could entertain. What I could not entertain is the idea that the system isn't designed to prevent the majority from unilaterally imposing their will on others. The Framers were utmost about individual liberty. When the majority infringed on this it was to be squashed. As Franklin said, Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what to have for dinner.
