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This is how our constitution works tho. He's talking about the institutions that make up our specific democracy
Call it what you will, just don't call it democracy when the will of the minority is exerted on the majority.
My dude the USA is a representative democracy.
That's the way that kind of government sometimes functions, which is why we need strong institutions.
It is not representative tho. I learned in school that a principle of democracy is the equal vote. Each vote counts the same. In the USA each vote counts for a random amount and the people actually electing the president are not even bound to the election results. With the supreme court being this openly corrupt the path to a dictatorship is not that far off.
In a direct democracy, this is true. In a representative democracy, this is not.
It isn't random, and the amount is absolutely gamed in favor of a certain party, which is, again, why we need strong institutions.
The president isn't voted on as part of the representatives, the office of the president is a separate vote and is supposed to be a direct vote. But the number of electors for each state has not kept up with each state's population, which has fucked up the power of presidential votes.
State electors are literally representatives
The electors only exist because it made it possible to hold a vote across a large nation in a time when horses were the fastest mode of communication. And each elector was supposed to carry the results of the same number of voters.
But the country has grown, with some states growing in population much faster than others. Yet the number of electors remains unchanged. Not to mention electors are now completely unnecessary as we have fast and reliable communication methods.
You can disagree with the electoral college and still recognize that electors are literally representatives.
This is basic civics.
But they aren't really, they're just vote messengers, they aren't on capital hill making laws and advocating for their constituents.
All representatives are "vote messengers." That's why we call them representatives.
I would disagree that senators and congressmen are just vote messengers. They run on active platforms, respond to changes in their constituencies (hopefully), deal with new issues as they arise.
Electors literally just ferry the states vote to Washington, that's it and job done. Representatives continually represent the will of their constituents through multiple years, or at least that's what they are supposed to do.
Yes. This is being a representative.
Yes, and how exactly do electors do that on an ongoing basis?
They do it when they're in the role.
Why are you so passionate about something so simple? This entire conversation is confusing to me, in terms of intent.
And what about the other 1200+ days they aren't in the role for each 1 they are in it?
Why are you so passionate in misusing the term representative?
Representatives are more than just vote carriers.
Indeed they often are. They are also advocates, in general.
However
Electors are chosen each cycle and are different people.
So they're just vote carriers. Unlike the actual representatives on this hill who spend most of the year actually governing for you.
Cool. Glad you cleared up that electors are useless and not really representatives.
They're still appointed representatives of the state, though. States vote in the election, per the Constitution.
I'd love to ditch the EC, but it does exist, and the electors are representatives. This isn't complicated at all, and I'm not sure why this is personal to you.
No one voted for them, they are not representatives. They are vote carriers.
Sullying the actual work representatives do by calling glorified vote carriers the same thing is an insult to the word representative.
They represent the state in the actual election of the President. "Faithless electors" are a thing, at least as a theoretical concept.
It's not insulting to use words for what they mean. I am so very confused by your underlying hostility here.
I'm so very confused why you continue to argue your bullshit side.
You have a great day man. This is going nowhere.
No shit, you could have stopped replying your incorrect side ages ago.
Normalize saying "Republicans" instead of "a certain party"