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2016 Election: Did the Electoral College work as intended, or did it fail us?

2016 Election: Did the Electoral College work as intended, or did it fail us?

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Master PO said:
the EC and our federal government is based on the roman republic of mixed government, it was not formulated as a tool to give southern states power.

The Electoral College - Origin and History

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centuriate_Assembly

OUR AMERICAN FOUNDERS SPEAKING OF OUR ......MIXED CONSTITUTION.


As John Adams wrote to Benjamin Rush in 1790:

No nation under Heaven ever was, now is, nor ever will be qualified for a Republican Government, unless you mean ... resulting from a Balance of three powers, the Monarchical, Aristocratical, and Democratical ... Americans are particularly unfit for any Republic but the Aristo-Democratical Monarchy.

John Adams wrote in 1806: "I once thought our Constitution was quasi or mixed government, but they (Republicans) have now made it, to all intents and purposes, in virtue, in spirit, and in effect, a democracy. We are left without resources but in our prayers and tears, and have nothing that we can do or say, but the Lord have mercy on us."

James Madison from the federalist paper #40 --THE second point to be examined is, whether the [ constitutional ]convention were authorized to frame and propose this mixed Constitution.

Patrick Henry, Virginia Ratifying Convention--4--12 June 1788 --But, Sir, we have the consolation that it is a mixed Government: That is, it may work sorely on your neck; but you will have some comfort by saying, that it was a Federal Government in its origin.
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All great information, though none of which refutes anything I said.
 
Lakryte said:
Obviously yes, since "that chapter" wasn't behind us when the electoral college was created, and we are talking about why the electoral college was created.
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Really? since slavery is no longer relevant, discussing the merits of the EC should omit the slavery angle which is based on a rather thin extrapolation from a law professor I respect very much but don't always agree with
 
TurtleDude said:
Really? since slavery is no longer relevant, discussing the merits of the EC should omit the slavery angle which is based on a rather thin extrapolation from a law professor I respect very much but don't always agree with
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Yes really. Slavery is completely relevant to why the electoral college was created.
 
Lakryte said:
Yes really. Slavery is completely relevant to why the electoral college was created.
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that isn't the issue, the issue is it is NO LONGER RELEVANT in discussing the merits of the EC as it applies to today's society
 
Lakryte said:
All great information, though none of which refutes anything I said.
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yes it does, because the founders created a mixed government taken from the idea of the roman republic, the EC is part of that mixed government, it was not created to benefit the south or based on racism.
 
TurtleDude said:
that isn't the issue, the issue is it is NO LONGER RELEVANT in discussing the merits of the EC as it applies to today's society
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It is relevant because the reason the electoral college was created doesn't change with the passage of time.
 
Lakryte said:
It is relevant because the reason the electoral college was created doesn't change with the passage of time.
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well one of the main reasons was to prevent one state-full of robots, from being totally in the bag for one candidate imposing a president that most of the rest of the country didn't want. And NO slavery was not the main reason for the electoral college anymore than it was for the number of congressional districts
 
TurtleDude said:
well one of the main reasons was to prevent one state-full of robots, from being totally in the bag for one candidate imposing a president that most of the rest of the country didn't want. And NO slavery was not the main reason for the electoral college anymore than it was for the number of congressional districts
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As to slavery being a reason for those things, I think I already covered it earlier. So we can agree to disagree on that point. As to your first point, that simply was not a reason for the electoral college when it was created. I also covered that earlier when discussing Virginia's heavy influence on elections.
 
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