What if Trump DOES drop out?

[ChristianProgressive]

Oh, it is good point to remind about something you completely ignored - voting systems in general elections (and primaries while we are at it). Do you think current one is fine and no changes are needed?

1) Abolish the EC. No more FL 2000s.

2) Elect House Reps by slate and institute proportionate representation. Each party puts up a slate equal to the number of House Seats that state has. Voters vote for the party, not the person. When the count is made, the seats per state are apportioned accordingly (get X percent of the vote, get X percent of the seats, rounded up).

They would have to recalculate the total number of seats, since there are some states that currently have only 1 or 2 seats, making division problematic currently. No more swamping of urban votes by rural low population votes.

 

[Babbylonian]

1) Abolish the EC. No more FL 2000s.

2) Elect House Reps by slate and institute proportionate representation. Each party puts up a slate equal to the number of House Seats that state has. Voters vote for the party, not the person. When the count is made, the seats per state are apportioned accordingly (get X percent of the vote, get X percent of the seats, rounded up).

They would have to recalculate the total number of seats, since there are some states that currently have only 1 or 2 seats, making division problematic currently. No more swamping of urban votes by rural low population votes.

Hard pass. There are Republicans I consider to be acceptable human beings, even ones for whom I might vote. By the same token, there are Democrats I'd rather see rotting in prison than holding public office, even if they are beloved by party bigwigs.

What you're suggesting here only works if one assumes that every member of a particular party is interchangeable with every other. That's obviously not true and we're witnessing that daily with the insane narcissist the Republicans decided to run for President.

 

[JoeMorgue]

We have military bases, Native American Reservations, and other areas that don't exist legally in any specific state that don't take voting rights away from the people who live there.

The basic idea, which I grant does make some sense on a conceptual level, is to set aside an area that doesn't exist in any one state so that no state can influence, either intentionally or not, the Federal government. But we should be able to do that without disenfranchising so many people.

 

[Meadmaker]

This actually happened in Arizona with the Libertarian party in 2000
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._Neil_Smith#Politics

My guess is that it could, in theory, happen to the Democrats and Republicans too, although it would take a situation even more extreme than the current one to force it.

Of course, Trump can still open his mouth a few more times before ballots are finalized. Maybe he can make things extreme enough for a state party to try.


ETA: I looked it up for Michigan. https://www.michigan.gov/documents/...tion_for_Presidential_Candidates_487894_7.pdf

There is a state central committee recognized by the state for the Republican and Democratic parties. Within one business day after the end of the national convention or state convention, whichever comes last. (I assume national?) they have to certify the name of their candidate. Whoever that is is the guy who gets on the ballot as the candidate of that party in Michigan. So, it's Trump, and nothing can change that.

There are presumably 49 other sets of laws for the other states.

 

[Bob001]

And, to be honest,I can't blame the GOP there, DC is so heavily Democrat it would be the equvilent of a British "Pocket Borough". I support giving all of DC except for the area around the Mall where the White House,Congress,and the Supreme court are located.back to Maryland. The "Vatican City" Solution. There are probably less then a thousand people who actually live in the Mall area.

I suspect the boundaries for an actual Federal Enclave, as proposed from time to time, would be drawn to exclude the few rowhouses and apartments close to the Capitol. The only other residents would be the President and his family (who would no doubt continue, as at present, to maintain legal residence in the state they came from).

One problem with retrocession is that, unless other arrangements were agreed upon, Maryland would suddenly acquire all of D.C.'s financial obligations, especially including the pensions of current and former D.C. government employees. It's not surprising that Maryland isn't eager to embrace the idea.

 

[Bob001]

1) Abolish the EC. No more FL 2000s.

2) Elect House Reps by slate and institute proportionate representation. Each party puts up a slate equal to the number of House Seats that state has. Voters vote for the party, not the person. When the count is made, the seats per state are apportioned accordingly (get X percent of the vote, get X percent of the seats, rounded up).

They would have to recalculate the total number of seats, since there are some states that currently have only 1 or 2 seats, making division problematic currently. No more swamping of urban votes by rural low population votes.

Representatives are elected to represent their districts, and, apart from fund-raising, constituent service is their primary duty. It's what their staffs spend most of their time on. Problems with Social Security? Call your Congressman. Your kid on duty in Afghanistan needs an emergency home leave? Call your Congressman. Etc. And most Congressmen have close personal connections to their districts. You can't just say "We'll elect a bunch of people and send'em all to Washington."

 

[acbytesla]

I suspect the boundaries for an actual Federal Enclave, as proposed from time to time, would be drawn to exclude the few rowhouses and apartments close to the Capitol. The only other residents would be the President and his family (who would no doubt continue, as at present, to maintain legal residence in the state they came from).

One problem with retrocession is that, unless other arrangements were agreed upon, Maryland would suddenly acquire all of D.C.'s financial obligations, especially including the pensions of current and former D.C. government employees. It's not surprising that Maryland isn't eager to embrace the idea.

That issue could be addressed simply by the Federal government funding the pensions. Still, I would imagine that issue would simply be the tip of the iceberg.

 

[Ladewig]

1) Abolish the EC. No more FL 2000s.

I am fine with that

2) Elect House Reps by slate and institute proportionate representation. Each party puts up a slate equal to the number of House Seats that state has. Voters vote for the party, not the person. When the count is made, the seats per state are apportioned accordingly (get X percent of the vote, get X percent of the seats, rounded up).

So you are forbidding independents and third-party candidates from ever getting elected in states with three or more seats. That by itself is enough to make me hate the idea. Plus you are giving unprecedented power to the state party chairperson who writes the slate. And what makes that doubly worse is that if that is not an elected position, then the campaign finance laws don't apply to him or her.

A better solution is to use an independent committee to draw congressional district boundaries (with or without formulas and computer programs to introduce further objectivity). Then let anyone run in those ungerrymandered districts.

 

[Craig B]

And, to be honest,I can't blame the GOP there, DC is so heavily Democrat it would be the equvilent of a British "Pocket Borough".

A Pocket Borough was not simply a constituency where one particular party predominated in fair elections, but one with so few voters that it was open to manipulation by an influential patron, who could bribe or coerce them.

I support giving all of DC except for the area around the Mall where the White House,Congress, and the Supreme court are located.back to Maryland. The "Vatican City" Solution. There are probably less then a thousand people who actually live in the Mall area.

That rump DC would then probably become a "Pocket Borough", of this kind.

There were also boroughs which were controlled not by a particular patron but rather by the Crown, specifically by the departments of state of the Treasury or Admiralty and which thus returned the candidates nominated by the ministers in charge of those departments.​

 

[Sabrina]

Oh, let DC become the 51st state; Rhode Island is tired of being the smallest state.

All joking aside, I'd be in favor of making DC the 51st state. They fulfill almost all the requirements of a state as it is. Adding a single star to the flag would be awkward though.

 

[ChristianProgressive]

Hard pass. There are Republicans I consider to be acceptable human beings, even ones for whom I might vote. By the same token, there are Democrats I'd rather see rotting in prison than holding public office, even if they are beloved by party bigwigs.

What you're suggesting here only works if one assumes that every member of a particular party is interchangeable with every other. That's obviously not true and we're witnessing that daily with the insane narcissist the Republicans decided to run for President.

That's a fair point. We may just have to accept the possibility of such as a cost of being able to do away with the power-lock the current system gives to loud minorities.

 

[ChristianProgressive]

Representatives are elected to represent their districts, and, apart from fund-raising, constituent service is their primary duty. It's what their staffs spend most of their time on. Problems with Social Security? Call your Congressman. Your kid on duty in Afghanistan needs an emergency home leave? Call your Congressman. Etc. And most Congressmen have close personal connections to their districts. You can't just say "We'll elect a bunch of people and send'em all to Washington."

Conversely, the current system assures that the minority side never has anyone to represent them to begin with. The dishonorable TEA Party/"shut 'er down"/"abolish the IRS" douche currently wearing the party crown as my alleged "Representative" wouldn't lift a finger to help local constituents where he felt it against his alleged principles. Democrats in my district have been disenfranchised since 1958 unless they are so overwhelmingly populous that they can carry a district.

 

[ChristianProgressive]

I am fine with that


So you are forbidding independents and third-party candidates from ever getting elected in states with three or more seats. That by itself is enough to make me hate the idea. Plus you are giving unprecedented power to the state party chairperson who writes the slate. And what makes that doubly worse is that if that is not an elected position, then the campaign finance laws don't apply to him or her.

A better solution is to use an independent committee to draw congressional district boundaries (with or without formulas and computer programs to introduce further objectivity). Then let anyone run in those ungerrymandered districts.

If the third party got enough votes it would get seats where they were available. My proposal allows third parties to accumulate votes statewide, whereas the present district system permanently segregates them by geography and ensures they never can get enough votes to gain a seat.

 

[Jrrarglblarg]

Oh, let DC become the 51st state; Rhode Island is tired of being the smallest state.

All joking aside, I'd be in favor of making DC the 51st state. They fulfill almost all the requirements of a state as it is. Adding a single star to the flag would be awkward though.

It is very appropriate for the Federal government to operate on land not owned by one of the federated States. The Federal government is a different entity outside the various States themselves.

I'd be satisfied with Congress actually doing their job and actually paying attention to their city. It's theirs but they do jack crap to manage it. It could be a legislative Petri dish instead of a parking place.

 

[Tony Stark]

Amid widespread chatter that Donald Trump could drop out of the presidential race before Election Day, Republican insiders in key battleground states have a message for The Donald: Get out.

That’s according to The POLITICO Caucus — a panel of activists, strategists and operatives in 11 swing states. The majority of GOP insiders, 70 percent, said they want Trump to drop out of the race and be replaced by another Republican candidate — with many citing Trump’s drag on Republicans in down-ballot races. But those insiders still think it’s a long-shot Trump would actually end his campaign and be replaced by another GOP candidate.

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/insiders-to-trump-drop-out-226689

LMAO

Maybe they should look into getting their rich donors to pay him a billion dollars to drop out. I bet he would do it then.

 

[acbytesla]

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/insiders-to-trump-drop-out-226689

LMAO

Maybe they should look into getting their rich donors to pay him a billion dollars to drop out. I bet he would do it then.

He'd be crazy not to. Oops, I forgot, he is crazy. Never mind.

 

[Cl1mh4224rd]

I don't think Trump dropping out is impossible.

Sure, the ego argument is a good one for why he'd stay until the end, but it's also a good one for why he'd drop out. Since he thinks so highly of himself, if even he realizes he's not going to pull out a win, he may choose to avoid an "on-record loss" altogether. And if he drops out, he can still attempt to spin it as a success.

"The election was rigged against me. They tried to make me a loser, but I was smart enough to see it."

"I came out better than when I went in. That's how winners do things."

 

[dudalb]

I don't think Trump dropping out is impossible.

Sure, the ego argument is a good one for why he'd stay until the end, but it's also a good one for why he'd drop out. Since he thinks so highly of himself, if even he realizes he's not going to pull out a win, he may choose to avoid an "on-record loss" altogether. And if he drops out, he can still attempt to spin it as a success.

"The election was rigged against me. They tried to make me a loser, but I was smart enough to see it."

"I came out better than when I went in. That's how winners do things."

BUt knowing Donald, he would late until October to do it, just out of spite for the GOP,to make sure they would have no time to recover in time for November.

 

[TragicMonkey]

BUt knowing Donald, he would late until October to do it, just out of spite for the GOP,to make sure they would have no time to recover in time for November.

Indeed. If he must abandon ship, he's going to **** in the captain's chair before he goes.

 

[Hercules56]

But remember, you aren't actually voting for the candidate, just for a slate of electors who can vote for anyone they damn well please.

If the Electoral College dared to violate the clear will of the people, there would be an immediate Constitutional amendment to elect the President by Popular Vote, RETROACTIVE to the most recent election.