Stephen Karlson quotes a Journal Sentinel article reminding us why the electoral college is a good thing. Their main point is that if the presidency were decided by popular vote rather than the electoral vote, there would be a major shift in the way campaigns are conducted. Big markets like California and New York would be the only focus since advertising dollars would hit more people than in, say, northern Iowa.
The real genius of the electoral college is that the vote reflects things about this country that would not come out of direct popular voting. It gives more weight to areas of the country that are changing. Florida is growing and becoming more diverse, making it a place worthy of attention by the candidates. Minnesota used to be a liberal stronghold. Now it's in play, and Bush visits almost weekly. Ohio, home of Taft and McKinley, is in play; Kerry has a chance there. As I mentioned earlier, Nevada is hard to read because of the way it is changing.
It's not perfect, but it is quite remarkable in the way that it puts the focus precisely on the areas of the country where divergent views seem to be concentrated. I think that this is necessary for the health of the republic if we are to remain the United STATES of America.
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