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Puerto Rico Votes on US Ties

51 is an uneven number and makes me nervous. I like even numbers. Maybe we can let Canada be the 52 state.
 
PeteEU said:
I hope for them that they get in, but I have my doubts .... they have to get past the Tea Party in the House.
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I haven't heard them take a position. I don't think they oppose it. After the TP cost them the opportunity to take the Senate, the GOP is going to cut them loose. They were only good enough as long as it won them elections.
 
Chaddelamancha said:
51 is an uneven number and makes me nervous. I like even numbers. Maybe we can let Canada be the 52 state.
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When Canada wants to do that, it's fine with me. Everytime the seperatists in Quebec make noise, the Atlantic provinces talk about joining the US anyway.
 
rocket88 said:
I haven't heard them take a position. I don't think they oppose it. After the TP cost them the opportunity to take the Senate, the GOP is going to cut them loose. They were only good enough as long as it won them elections.
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It will come down to 2 things....

The island will have to be renamed Port Rico and they will have to accept English as their only official language. That will be the Tea Party and their backers that will demand that, and well..
 
When Puerto Rico becomes a state, I'm make sure to gloat about all your accusations of Colonialism Pete.
 
If I was in congress the only way I would vote for it is if it came with an end to the electoral college. Any other deal is a non starter. I see nothing to gain from a blue state with seven electoral votes.

The system already allows you to lose the popular vote and the majority of the states and still win. There is nothing to gain from making that worse.

On second thought, I would come around if there is a cap at four per state. That should be easier to deal with.
 
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Some say that the UK would be the 51st state, but frankly I don't think I can handle the stress of your long ass elections.
 
GarzaUK said:
Some say that the UK would be the 51st state, but frankly I don't think I can handle the stress of your long ass elections.
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no one says that...
 
PeteEU said:
It will come down to 2 things....

The island will have to be renamed Port Rico and they will have to accept English as their only official language. That will be the Tea Party and their backers that will demand that, and well..
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Port Rico? Richport. It wouldn't be the first state with a Spanish name. Colorado, California, Nevada...

But I can't see the GOP allowing the TP to hold them hostage anymore. Not after Akin and Mourdock cost them the Senate.
 
Henrin said:
If I was in congress the only way I would vote for it is if it came with an end to the electoral college. Any other deal is a non starter. I see nothing to gain from a blue state with seven electoral votes.

The system already allows you to lose the popular vote and the majority of the states and still win and I see nothing to gain from making that worse.

On second thought, I would come around if there is a cap at four per state. That should be easier to deal with.
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Just because the GOP wins the Dakotas, there's no way they should count as much as states with a higher population. If you took just Minneapolis and St. Paul, no suburbs, that equals the population of North Dakota. Crops shouldn't get more of a vote than I do.

Worrying about another "blue state," I thought you were a Libertarian who believed in the rights of people to self-determination. What do you care if the Republicans lose some power? You believe in secession, but not accesssion?
 
Henrin said:
If I was in congress the only way I would vote for it is if it came with an end to the electoral college. Any other deal is a non starter. I see nothing to gain from a blue state with seven electoral votes.

The system already allows you to lose the popular vote and the majority of the states and still win. There is nothing to gain from making that worse.

On second thought, I would come around if there is a cap at four per state. That should be easier to deal with.
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Well...based on 2010 redistricting, and ignoring swing states, red states gained 12 electoral votes on the blue states. Even including Puerto Rico at 7 that's still a gain for red states of 5...though of course I understand right wingers not wanting to volunteer to take +5 over +12. But both parties have said they would support Puerto Rican statehood if a clear majority of Puerto Ricans voted for it. And they say no state has yet been rejected in its application (though I seem to remember Yucatan trying to join the US after the Mexican War and us saying no...but in that case there may not have been an actual vote in congress, only an appeal to the president.)

What do you mean by "a cap at four per state." A cap of what?
 
rocket88 said:
Just because the GOP wins the Dakotas, there's no way they should count as much as states with a higher population. If you took just Minneapolis and St. Paul, no suburbs, that equals the population of North Dakota. Crops shouldn't get more of a vote than I do.
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All states should be equal or we should do away with the system. Since the later would take an amendment the former is all that is desirable here. There is no room for an all red map and four blue states on the corner with the blue corners winning the whole thing. If you want you can think of it the other way around if it pleases you, but the point still stands. An all blue map with red around the corners is just as bad.

Worrying about another "blue state," I thought you were a Libertarian who believed in the rights of people to self-determination. What do you care if the Republicans lose some power? You believe in secession, but not accesssion?
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Self determination is entirely possible to be ignored in our current system. Adding another imbalanced state like Puerto Rico will not help in that regard.

I'm also not sure what secession and accession has to do with each other.
 
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TitusAndronicus said:
Well...based on 2010 redistricting, and ignoring swing states, red states gained 12 electoral votes on the blue states. Even including Puerto Rico at 7 that's still a gain for red states of 5...though of course I understand right wingers not wanting to volunteer to take +5 over +12. But both parties have said they would support Puerto Rican statehood if a clear majority of Puerto Ricans voted for it. And they say no state has yet been rejected in its application (though I seem to remember Yucatan trying to join the US after the Mexican War and us saying no...but in that case there may not have been an actual vote in congress, only an appeal to the president.)
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With the left already owning almost all the major states there is no room to give them another. I'm sure the republicans are dumb enough to do it, but it's self defeating.

What do you mean by "a cap at four per state." A cap of what?
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A maximum of four electoral votes per state.
 
rocket88 said:
Port Rico? Richport. It wouldn't be the first state with a Spanish name. Colorado, California, Nevada...
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Difference is that those named dont sound like Spanish anymore. Plus they joined long ago, before the GOP started to hate latinos.

But I can't see the GOP allowing the TP to hold them hostage anymore. Not after Akin and Mourdock cost them the Senate.
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Maybe .. maybe not. One can hope that the non Tea Party people join the Dems to block them out.
 
Henrin said:
With the left already owning almost all the major states there is no room to give them another. I'm sure the republicans are dumb enough to do it, but it's self defeating.
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Bush was able to win both Florida* and Ohio in two consecutive elections. And after that, the electoral map shifted to the advantage of the GOP in 2010 by 12 EVs. Two elections don't make a trend.

*- mandatory asterisk on anything involving Florida

Henrin said:
A maximum of four electoral votes per state.
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The only motive for this would be partisan. Isn't it enough that a Wyoming vote is worth 6x that of a California vote? The effects of making a Wyoming vote 49.75x that of a California vote would probably be greater than you think. Remember those plans for states that never were from history class? Delmarva, Lincoln, Franklin, Jefferson, Long Island, SoCal, SoFlo. Forget the 51 star flag...start coming up with a 151 star flag.

Henrin said:
All states should be equal or we should do away with the system. Since the later would take an amendment the former is all that is desirable here. There is no room for an all red map and four blue states on the corner with the blue corners winning the whole thing. If you want you can think of it the other way around if it pleases you, but the point still stands. An all blue map with red around the corners is just as bad.
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Assuming Florida* goes to Obama as it is expected to, the blue states will outnumber the red states by 26+DC to 24. I wouldn't refer to that as an "all red map and four blue states in the corner."

But I agree that the electoral college should be reworked. As it stands, big cities don't have any voice in the matter. NYC, LA, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego, San Antonio, Detroit, Boston. None of them in swing states. Who would ever go there to campaign?
 
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rathi said:
When Puerto Rico becomes a state, I'm make sure to gloat about all your accusations of Colonialism Pete.
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Its a fact... they are a colony as long they dont have all the rights and privileges of a citizen and their island is equal to the other areas of the US. I will be very happy when the US stops to be a colonial power :)
 
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