THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE

2008 MAY PROVE THE COLLAPSE OF THE ELECTORS. By February, within Democrat ranks, the suspicion and tension builds regarding Super Delegates. The close race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton fuels the concern that may kindle into a major inferno. Obama's followers are are even accused as cultist. The explosion will be avoided if the publicly elected delegation develops a large enough vote gap between candidates so that the unelected Super Delegates cannot reasonably alter the public‘s choice. It does not look like such mercy will happen.

Nonetheless, the core of this probable Democrat Primary dilemma does not end when the Republican and Democrat primaries deflate and the November elections begin drawing air. It is November 4, 2008 when all the people’s vote goes blowing in the wind - or at least, many political activists believe so.
The Electoral College (or College of Electors as properly referred) came to be written into law in 1845. Those electors are determined by the number of House Representatives of each state plus their two senators. There is one elector for each U.S. Representative and one for each Senator. All states have two senators each. The number of representatives vary from state to state according to population. It is this faucet that causes large difference in the number of delegates representing given states. Each state has a minimum of three delegates. In as much as the size of the House of Representative is controlled by Census and illegal aliens are often included in census counts some Americans are concerned that non-voting illegal immigrants influence the Electoral vote.
The real nation wide tremor is that the entire vote of the people by the people is ignored in an era when the nation’s vote can be, and is, tallied in an electronic flash. The College of Electors overrode the popular vote several times in recent years. The opposition to the College feels that its power is used to seat the candidates that the political or corporate elitists wish seated. There may be a tornado of truth in that thinking. The state of Maryland dropped out of college - The Electoral College. Presently, seven other states are considering the same. Many activists are moving to strike the College from the Constitution.
From November 4, 2008 through January 6, 2009, when officially counted by a joint session of Congress, the electoral tally will pass through many hands. Of course, the whole world knows the result meanwhile. Typical of government! Nonetheless, this openness signals a vulnerability to corruption.
One must first realize that the U. S. Constitution was not written to protect the common people of the land. The authors of the Constitution were elitists themselves. Like it or not, they were rich aristocratic noblemen out to protect their own interest. They were assuring that their power over “their” government remained in tact - even to surviving a public vote. Thus the College of Electors came to be. All else is a warming homespun American illusion that the common man/woman control the nation.
The U.S. Constitution framework changed little with passing years. Like other governments, America’s government remains comprised of a servitude to the rich and powerful. Only, now, that service is to the huge corporations instead of aloof landowners and farming gentry. And those huge corporations probably do value the Electoral College. After all, President Bush would not be in office if not for the Electoral College. It is time for you too decide how much “change“ you really want.

WMP