Friday, January 25, 2013

First it was gerrymandering, then...

Reince Priebus
...it was voter suppression. Now the Republicans' latest "strategy" to win elections is by tinkering with the Electoral College.

From -- of all places -- Fox News (my emphasis):

From Wisconsin to Pennsylvania, Republicans who control legislatures in states that supported President Barack Obama are considering changing laws that give the winner of a state's popular vote all of its Electoral College votes, too. They instead want Electoral College votes to be divided proportionally, a move that could transform the way the country elects its president.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus endorsed the idea this week, and other Republican leaders also support it -- suggesting that the effort may be gaining momentum. 

There are other signs that Republican state legislators, governors and veteran political strategists are seriously considering making the shift as the GOP looks to rebound from presidential candidate Mitt Romney's Electoral College shellacking and the demographic changes that threaten the party's long-term political prospects.

"It's something that a lot of states that have been consistently blue that are fully controlled red ought to be looking at," Priebus told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, emphasizing that each state must decide for itself.

Democrats are outraged at the potential change.

Obama won the popular vote with 65.9 million votes, or 51.1 percent, to Romney's 60.9 million, or 47.2 percent, and won the Electoral College by a wide margin, 332-206 electoral votes. It's unclear whether he would have been re-elected under the new system, depending upon how many states adopted the change.

Since gerrymandering has only produced a more extreme (and unpopular) Republican House, and voter suppression has only motivated more minorities Democrats to register and vote, the GOP may want to reconsider its latest scheme to attract support.

I have a suggestion for Mr. Priebus and his Republican colleagues: Try coming up with a better product.

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