What Do These Men Have in Common?

Don't let this happen again!

I know what you're thinking. You're pissed off, and with good reason. Believe me, It really gets my goat too that Rutherford B. Hayes won the presidency in 1874, in spite of the fact that Samuel J. Tilden won the popular vote by a whopping 250,000 votes. I'm only slightly less angry that George W. Bush won the presidency 126 years later, even though Al Gore received 543,816 more votes.

Why do these circumstances always fall in the republicans' favor?

The electoral college is a centuries-old slap in the face. It says to the American public that it is not competent to select its own president. The election of 2000 represented the 4th time that the majority of american voters was thwarted by a minority of politicians. There are now over 300,000,000 people living in the United States. Why do only 538 of them get to cast a direct vote for president? I believe the electoral college suppresses the strength of third parties and shifts a candidate's focus to winning important states rather than individual votes. I urge all McBoners out there to take a look at The National Initiative for Democracy, Senator Mike Gravel's proposal to put lawmaking power into the hands of the people. Getting rid of the electoral college is just one of the many perks that could be realized if enough people support this grass-roots initiative.

nb

P.S. Apologies to the 19th president for comparing him to Bush.