Donald Trump: the kind of candidate the Electoral College is designed to prevent from taking office

[femmedem]

An interesting op-ed arguing that Donald Trump is precisely the kind of candidate the founding fathers hoped an Electoral College would prevent from taking office. I couldn't find four paragraphs that do this op-ed justice. It deserves to be read in full.

"...The electors’ investigations would particularly be designed to thwart the “most deadly adversaries of republican government,” most specifically “the desire in foreign powers to gain an improper ascendant in our councils. How could they better gratify this than by raising a creature of their own to the chief magistracy of the Union?”

United States intelligence agencies have confirmed that the Russian government committed espionage, an act of war, against the United States in hacking campaign email servers in an attempt to influence our popular vote election that chooses the members of the Electoral College.

Once that vote was held Nov. 8, Russian diplomats confirmed that the Russian government had been in communication with the Trump campaign throughout the election..."

"...n Federalist 68, Hamilton also further describes that: “The process of election affords a moral certainty, that the office of President will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications.” Hamilton believed the Electoral College would block candidates whose only qualifications were “talents for low intrigue, and the little arts of popularity....”

[liberal N proud]

1. Will they do their jobs?

Or will they follow the party line?

[SickOfTheOnePct]

2. It won't matter

Congress has the final say in that they can reject the electoral votes of faithless electors, throw the election to the House, and Trump wins, most likely 32-28.

[KewlKat]

3. Wikileaks has a great write up about how this was suppose to work

Federalist 68 outlined
Hamilton's understanding of the Electoral College

Federalist No. 68 is the continuation of Hamilton's analysis of the presidency, in this case concerned with the mode of selecting the United States President. He argues for our modern conception of the Electoral College, though in the case of an Electoral tie, the power would be given to the House of Representatives to vote on the election of the president.

In justifying the use of the Electoral College, Hamilton focuses on a few arguments dealing with the use of the Electoral College instead of direct election. First, in explaining the role of the general populace in the election of the president, Hamilton argues that the, "sense of the people", through the election of the electors to the Electoral College, should be a part of the process. The final say, however, lies with the electors, who Hamilton notes are,

"Men most capable of analyzing the qualities adapted to the station and acting under circumstances favorable to deliberation, and to a judicious combination of all the reasons and inducements which were proper to govern their choice."

Therefore, the direct election of the president is left up to those who have been selected by the voters to become the electors. This indirect election is justified by Hamilton because while a republic is still served, the system allows for only a certain type of person to be elected president, preventing individuals who are unfit for a variety of reasons to be in the position of chief executive of the country.

This is reflected in his later fears about the types of people who could potentially become president. He worries that corrupted individuals could, particularly those who are either more directly associated with a foreign state, or individuals who do not have the capacity to run the country. The former is covered by Article II, Section 1, v of the United States Constitution, while the latter is covered by Hamilton in Federalist 68, where he notes that the person who will become president will have to be a person who possesses the faculties necessary to be a president, stating that,

"Talents for low intrigue, and the little arts of popularity, may alone suffice to elevate a man to the first honors in a single State; but it will require other talents, and a different kind of merit, to establish him in the esteem and confidence of the whole Union, or of so considerable a portion of it as would be necessary to make him a successful candidate for the distinguished office of President of the United States"

Hamilton, while discussing the safeguards, is not concerned with the possibility of an unfit individual becoming president, instead he says,

It will not be too strong to say, that there will be a constant probability of seeing the station filled by characters pre-eminent for ability and virtue.

Consequence of the Electoral College

The Electoral system of the United States was designed by Hamilton to “weed out” those that are not fit to become the commander in chief of the United States. The election phase has the popular vote and the newly proposed “Electoral College”. The Electoral College is a body of people that is voted in by the public to elect the president of the United States. Even though the election has a popular vote, the Electoral College is the one that officially elects the new president. But, the electors usually vote for the candidate that has the popular vote in their respective states. Those candidate later on would earn the votes of the electors, and the numbers vary within states because it is population based. That “the candidate who receives an absolute majority of Electoral votes, currently 270, wins the presidency”. Though the system may sound acceptable to most people, it does not come without a consequence. One of them being the Electoral College. The “Electoral College allows for the possibility that the winner of the national popular vote does not actually win the presidency”


SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federalist_No._68#Consequence_of_the_Electoral_College



I say we get the electors to vote for Hillary since democrats and republicans alike have said, and he's proved, he's unfit for office. Look at all these conflict of interest cases, his meeting with world leaders and talking to them on the cell phone with out benefit of briefings or security of phones, etc....and dragging the "children of the corn" into all of this and his son-in-law......the only blind trust he's setup on his businesses are he expects to keep this nation in the dark (blind) and we're to "trust" him......No effing way!

We need to fight this sham of a rigged election. The electoral college seems to be the best bet. It's certain no recounts will happen in time. We must stop drumpf from getting the votes in the electoral college. HE'S UNFIT and a TRUE DANGER to our Nation!

[SickOfTheOnePct]

4. And when Congress rejects

the votes of the faithless electors, the election goes to the House, and Trump wins.

Tons of drama for no change in the result.