Know Your Meme
Michigan Republicans want their honey badger title back. At their state convention this weekend, they voted by 1370-132 for a scheme to divide up the state's Electoral College votes in a way that helps Republicans. If the plan had been in place in November, Mitt Romney would have lost the popular tally in Michigan but won nine of the 16 Electoral College votes. The Michigan GOP's support for the plan put Republican Governor Rick Snyder on the spot. From the Detroit News:
Gov. Rick Snyder, who made an appearance to deliver a speech backing Schostak, remains leery of the proposal. At a brief meeting with the press, he reiterated that it's "not the appropriate time" to discuss it.
"The right way is to talk about it in a bipartisan way … just prior to a census," Snyder said.
Last month Governor Snyder said 2013 "would be the best year" for making the change, but that was before Republicans around the nation, including in Michigan, decided it didn't look so great to be openly rigging the game. Republican officials in Florida, Virginia, Wisconsin and Ohio also backed away from the plan. At this point, only Pennsylvania Republicans seem to be moving forward with an actual bill to divide the votes of a blue state, while Republican stalwarts in Michigan watch with apparent longing. The proposal had been pushed in the halls of the Republican National Committee by a former chair of the Michigan GOP.
It'll be interesting to see if Republicans in other blue states push for the revival of this idea at their local meetings. Note that Republicans in red states are not proposing to divvy up their Electoral College delegates so that a Democratic candidate would get some.
Michigan Republicans' vote to help themselves this weekend comes as their emergency manager law is on the verge of taking away local democracy from almost half the African-Americans in the state. (H/t Tricia's Morning Maddow and Morgan Whitaker at Politics Nation)
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Some people keep acting like this is something different than past history events. But really it is just the same old load of crap. The rich bastards are the Romans and Pharisees wanting to have power, control, and greed over the people to have them work like slaves, because the rich bastards want their shiny trinkets. Stir up the people with deceptions, lies, corruption, and hypocrisy in the world. Than dish out a load of crap of man-made illusions saying we are having all these problems so we have to do this or that. And also have these wars so we can go kill a whole mess of innocent people, because the excuse is that these people are the ones who have caused all of our troubles. And in the meantime, these rich bastards continue to accumulate huge wealth at the expense of everybody else’s very lives as these rich bastards think they have more power than God does and should be worshiped. This is nothing different, except the same old load of crap.
Now that is actually a clever way of advertising isn't it to put that on the word continue. But you should watch where these Ads lead to.
To me one of the great uncovered scandals of this decade is how the Republicans were able to win court approval for all their gerrymandering. I mean, I thought one person one vote was the law of the land and the Federal Courts were supposed to make sure that everyman's vote was equal. That isn't the case. In some states, after Republican gerrymandering one Democratic vote is worth 3/5ths of a Republican vote. When did the law change, and why wasn't it reported?
Ya but Yabut...
You here all know me but even in Florida there was some resistance from Dems (we had a voter initiative to redistrict fairly) Those Dems did not want to lose their safe seats even if it meant the continuation of total Red blot on the legislature
In California 20 years ago, the Democrats and the Republicans did a "redistricting" that protected every incumbent, so they all voted for it. I regret to say it was the product of a man I had worked for and used to respect, Willie Brown, but it was the single most cynical, awful thing he ever did.
The one good thing that came out of the Schwarzenegger Governorship was the plan that went to the voters and was approved, that took the power of redistricting away from the legislature. Once that happened, and "fair" districts were created, in the past election we made the Republican Party irrelevant in California - there is now a 2/3 Democratic majority in both houses, which means we no longer have to pay attention to the Republicans, and can finally get the state's finances figured out (assuming Governor Moonbeam can show the leadership he failed at 38 years ago when the crisis was created due to his incompetence).
Letting people whose careers depend on the outcome of the decision they make do something that requires a "greater vision of the country" is a logical impossibility. The way to solve politics in this country is for every state to get the politicians out of the redistricting process and get the districts re-created as level playing fields. We will win every time, after that.
How in the world did these people put rethugniCons back in charge of their government? Weren't they paying attention the last time? For a party that wears "family values & morals" like a Scarlet letter, these people are immoral in all of their dealings and they're blatantly bigoted against everyone that isn't male, white, old, hold large bank accounts and married! What they're doing is a last ditch effort to keep the reigns of power - shame on them, can't win on ideas, so let's rig the game! VOTE people, vote these scoundrels & traitors to democracy out of office!
You've obviously never been in rural Michigan, a place that would give Alabama and Mississippi a run for their money in the stupidity sweepstakes.
There's a VERY fair way to fix this "problem". Elect the president by national popular vote. Period. Proposing this would also expose the GOP for the damn hypocrites they really are.
Yep.
Now all we need to do is amend the Constitution.
nyliberal - I take that as a wink; the "ALL we need to do" part is a very tough bar to raise. But if the talk is going to be about proportioned electoral votes, then the damn Donkeys better get out front on this and include a more popular message as counter-point. Otherwise once again they will find themselves standing around with their britches around their ankles.
I'm honestly curious, and I don't know the answer: the Michigan Republican leaders may not care how this makes them look, but what percent of Michigan citizens who normally vote Republican would find this acceptable? I'd imagine there would be a full range of responses: "Don't care, as long as we win!" "It's a little dirty, but there are lots of dirty tricks in politics, so... Meh." "I'm not sure about this, but I don't support liberal causes either. Hm..." "...I'm not okay with this. I'm voting for the other party."
What would the breakdown be between those categories?
...And while we're at it, what would the reaction among Independents be?
This is the very reason why people choose not to vote anymore, ("what's the point generation") as I like to call it. When we take away a persons reason to endure long lines and weather conditions with these types of imbecilic schemes to change the REAL outcome of the vote, we are changing the very meaning of democracy. Just imagine if everyone's vote counted for the person they actually voted for, the true meaning of democracy will be achieved! The electoral college is a flawed archaic system that needs to be eliminated for this country to achieve true greatness. Maximize the majority, possibilities become endless!!
I've never understood the real need for electoral votes. Why can't we just have the popular vote be the final word. There are too many slimy loopholes for politicians to slip through and it's time we closed them. I'm sick of people running for political offices who are only doing it for themselves and their personal agenda. There should be some kind of vetting process to weed out these kinds of people. If they aren't interested in working FOR the PEOPLE then they don't get in. Period. Kick the bums out and let's get on with it already!
This is just soooo brilliant. Think of the money they could bring into their districts. Not only could they get rid of the electoral college but that whole hassle of national voting. Everyone can just vote for their representatives every two years, and maybe their Senators too, then count up the red districts and the blue districts and the House of Represenataives decide who wins the presidency! That permanent Republican majority is looking very doable these days.