I’ve been called a Liberal quite often. I’m actually more left of center with some Libertarian leanings at times, it’s just that the United States has gone crazy. Anything short of creating a permanent slave class and showing any kind of compassion is now considered “liberal.” And don’t even get me started on the Christian Nationalists.
I don’t see myself voting Republican ever again in my lifetime. I have in the past. There are some talking points some Democrats, their followers, Liberals, etc. spout that they have no hope of ever enacting, but by talking about it, they just serve to give people a reason to actually vote against their best interests. From time to time I’m going to examine a few of those talking points and tell you WHY people shouldn’t be spouting them and WHY they will never happen.
Many people would like to abolish the Electoral College. I’m not saying they’re wrong, but it will never happen. It’s one of those things we should stop wasting time on and focus on things we can do.
Why won’t it happen?
When the Constitution was created, at the very least, 9 of the 13 colonies had to sign on. There was a great fear that by just counting the popular vote, New York and Virginia would be essentially running the country and none of the other States would really matter. Nowadays, the same would be true of New York, California, Texas, and Florida. None of the other states would ever feel represented and Presidential races would just focus on the States with the highest population.
Do you think that’s perfectly fine? It doesn’t really matter whether you do or not, because it won’t be changed.
Article II Section 1 of the United States Constitution spells out the Electoral College and how it works. To change it, a Constitutional Amendment would have to be passed. An Amendment is passed when 3/4 (three-fourths) of the States ratify it. That would be 38 States.
I don’t honestly think there would be a way to get more than seven states to ratify it, and even that is doubtful. It’s not a blue or red issue, it’s a representation issue. Do you think Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, or Rhode Island is going to ratify an Amendment that will essentially marginalize their voters’ influence?
This is never going to happen. No matter how many memes you share about it. And it just makes it more difficult to reach some people who could vote for other candidates.
Have you heard of the Equal Rights Amendment? It’s been around since the 1970s.
That’s it. That’s all it says. It still has not been ratified by 38 States. I would say that it is a lot less controversial than abolishing the Electoral College, and yet there it sits. It’s getting some renewed interest lately, but I don’t think I will see it ratified in my lifetime. I’d love to be proven wrong.
There are things we can fight for that have deep meaning for people in their everyday life. Codifying things like same-sex marriage, reproductive rights, and other human rights are much more effective than spinning our wheels about the Electoral College. We have to find a way to get things done within the system.
Every vote counts. Make sure you vote on Election Day!
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Categories: Opinion
One of the biggest weaknesses that liberals in the United States have is that they lack two things that their conservative counterparts have in spades: focus and discipline.
Consider: Roe v. Wade is now history because the anti-abortion movement kept pushing and pushing, relentlessly and without hesitation, to get conservatives elected to state legislatures and, of course, to get majorities in both houses of Congress, especially the Senate.
While liberals were focusing on a ton of issues, many of them social rather than political, the right stayed on target. Even when Democrats won control of the White House in 1992, 1996, and 2008-2012, Republicans and the anti-abortion movement worked ceaselessly to control statehouses and get right-wing judges appointed at the state and federal levels. In other words, while liberals were worried about representation of women and people of color in the movies, or “girrrl power,” or celebrating superficial “wins” like Beyonce dancing in front of a sign that said “Feminism,” conservatives focused on the only thing that mattered: power. Naked political power.
The right, when it stays “on mission” by any means necessary, gets things done, The left usually wastes time and energy trying to “fix everything” it can, even things like the Electoral College. And that is not a good thing.
Or they pick at the minutiae rather than the big picture. I see that all the time on the internet, particularly when left-leaning bloggers post something. They’ll pick it apart over the tiniest things instead of staying with the general point.
“Why did you say men? Are you excluding women?” Things like that. I swear sometimes I want to just give up and not bother, but here I am still.
I read somewhere on the Internet (where else, right?) that liberal brains and conservative brains have subtle structural differences that affect how they perceive the world and respond to stimuli.
Another thing I read on the Internet is that most humans tend to prefer authoritarianism and need to be told what to do instead of thinking for themselves. I’m not persuaded 100% that this is true, but I have noticed that there are folks, even in these “free” United States, who have these “follow the leader” tendencies.
Either way, human nature sure is strange, Patti.
And the ones who want authoritarianism are the ones crying “Freedom!” The world has gone crazy.
Amen.