Re: Democracy or Republic

["Tassinari" <tassin@moscow.com>]

Thanks for an very interesting and uplifting message in support of the electoral
college.  It was nice to hear a sober discussion amid all the squalor of
unsupported opinion.

Joseph Tassinari

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Rounds" <ltrwritr@moscow.com>
To: <WMSteed@aol.com>; <vision2020@moscow.com>
Cc: <bwolf@moscow.com>
Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2000 12:41 PM
Subject: Re: Democracy or Republic


Good Morning!

I have been reading the vitriolic messages bouncing back and forth about the
recent presidential election, and had to send in my two cents.

First of all,  I was enamored with none of the candidates.  I thought they
held too much to strict party doctrine and offered little to the independent
voter.  Instead of either party choosing a candidate that would draw the
independent vote, each party chose from the loyal party ranks and then tried
to market their man to draw the independent vote.  Sorry, but I honestly
beleive people are smart enought to recognize marketing when they see it.

Secondly, given the dismal choice of candidates this year, the fact that one
vote in this household went to Nader was not a sign the vote was `stolen' as
that vote would NEVER have been cast for Gore.  Sorry, but that was strictly
cast as a protest vote against  ANY of the  party faithful.

Finally, please think carefully about following quote regarding the
electoral college:

>
>             Whereas the prospect of electing to office a President and
>
>Vice President who did not win the largest number of popular votes has
>
>generated proposals calling for a constitutional amendment to provide
>
>for the direct popular election of the President and Vice President.
>
>
>             Whereas such a national popular election for President and
>
>Vice President disregards the constitutional integrity and inviolability
>
>of the 50 states as independent and sovereign governments;
>
>
>             Whereas in their foresight and wisdom, the people of the
>
>United States, meeting by representation in State conventions, adopted a
>
>national Constitution preserving the independence and equal standing of
>
>the 50 states;
>
>
>             Whereas the Federal system of equal and independent states
>
>is an essential safeguard against shifting wills of the majority
>
>overriding the unchanging rights of the minority;
>
>
>             Whereas to preserve the rights of the minority from a
>
>tyranny of the majority, the Constitution of the United States struck a
>
>principled balance between the people of the most populous States and
>
>the people of the least populous States.
>


We live in a sparsely populated, western state.  Do we really want to give
up the electoral college and allow all elections to be decided by the
populations of California, Texas and the states of the Eastern Seaboard?
Frankly I got suspicious when Hillary Rodham Clinton said she would be very
willing to sponsor a bill abolishing the electoral college as one of her
first acts in Congress.

I am an optimist, because I think the system still functions as it was
intended, at least for the most part.  The  arguments regarding dishonesty
of the election are not new, have surfaced with many close elections.  But
remember the number of states where votes were tallied without a hitch, and
think of all the electoral districts without problems.  I also think that
this will never happen agaiin in Florida, for whatever reason you care to
imagine.  Maybe another state, another year, but never again in Florida.

I am jaded by Federal elections.  First of all, we have little say about the
candidates that will pass the primary level.  Heck, this year the
Presidential candidates were decided before we ever got to our Primary!
Secondly, they talk about  a 49.% vs. 49% split of  the votiing population
and  we have endless queries about the will of the `majority'.  I am sorry,
but 49% of the 60% or so that voted does not constitute any `majority' of
the people in this country.

Finally, I dislike public posturing, name calling, endless legal
manipulation and so forth. It seems both main parties are equally guilty in
this.   In my mind the best man in the Presidential election would have been
the one that said `This is a null contest, the majority of the American
People have cast their vote for NOBODY, including me, so I withdraw"  The
irony would be we'd be left with the worst of the possiblities!

Since I liked none of the available candidates and I am a member of neither
party, I have no political ax to grind.  But I do wish to express my sincere
gratitude that the electoral college does exist, and offer my heartfelt
thanks to the courteous and honorable people that do run for office, at
whatver level!

Susan Rounds