Let the People Pick the President

Let the People Pick the President PDF Author: Jesse Wegman
Publisher: All Points Books
ISBN: 1250221986
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
“Wegman combines in-depth historical analysis and insight into contemporary politics to present a cogent argument that the Electoral College violates America’s ‘core democratic principles’ and should be done away with..." —Publishers Weekly The framers of the Constitution battled over it. Lawmakers have tried to amend or abolish it more than 700 times. To this day, millions of voters, and even members of Congress, misunderstand how it works. It deepens our national divide and distorts the core democratic principles of political equality and majority rule. How can we tolerate the Electoral College when every vote does not count the same, and the candidate who gets the most votes can lose? Twice in the last five elections, the Electoral College has overridden the popular vote, calling the integrity of the entire system into question—and creating a false picture of a country divided into bright red and blue blocks when in fact we are purple from coast to coast. Even when the popular-vote winner becomes president, tens of millions of Americans—Republicans and Democrats alike—find that their votes didn't matter. And, with statewide winner-take-all rules, only a handful of battleground states ultimately decide who will become president. Now, as political passions reach a boiling point at the dawn of the 2020 race, the message from the American people is clear: The way we vote for the only official whose job it is to represent all Americans is neither fair nor just. Major reform is needed—now. Isn't it time to let the people pick the president? In this thoroughly researched and engaging call to arms, Supreme Court journalist and New York Times editorial board member Jesse Wegman draws upon the history of the founding era, as well as information gleaned from campaign managers, field directors, and other officials from twenty-first-century Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns, to make a powerful case for abolishing the antiquated and antidemocratic Electoral College. In Let the People Pick the President he shows how we can at long last make every vote in the United States count—and restore belief in our democratic system.

Let the People Pick the President

Let the People Pick the President PDF Author: Jesse Wegman
Publisher: All Points Books
ISBN: 1250221986
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
“Wegman combines in-depth historical analysis and insight into contemporary politics to present a cogent argument that the Electoral College violates America’s ‘core democratic principles’ and should be done away with..." —Publishers Weekly The framers of the Constitution battled over it. Lawmakers have tried to amend or abolish it more than 700 times. To this day, millions of voters, and even members of Congress, misunderstand how it works. It deepens our national divide and distorts the core democratic principles of political equality and majority rule. How can we tolerate the Electoral College when every vote does not count the same, and the candidate who gets the most votes can lose? Twice in the last five elections, the Electoral College has overridden the popular vote, calling the integrity of the entire system into question—and creating a false picture of a country divided into bright red and blue blocks when in fact we are purple from coast to coast. Even when the popular-vote winner becomes president, tens of millions of Americans—Republicans and Democrats alike—find that their votes didn't matter. And, with statewide winner-take-all rules, only a handful of battleground states ultimately decide who will become president. Now, as political passions reach a boiling point at the dawn of the 2020 race, the message from the American people is clear: The way we vote for the only official whose job it is to represent all Americans is neither fair nor just. Major reform is needed—now. Isn't it time to let the people pick the president? In this thoroughly researched and engaging call to arms, Supreme Court journalist and New York Times editorial board member Jesse Wegman draws upon the history of the founding era, as well as information gleaned from campaign managers, field directors, and other officials from twenty-first-century Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns, to make a powerful case for abolishing the antiquated and antidemocratic Electoral College. In Let the People Pick the President he shows how we can at long last make every vote in the United States count—and restore belief in our democratic system.

Let the People Pick the President

Let the People Pick the President PDF Author: Jesse Wegman
Publisher: All Points Books
ISBN: 9781250221971
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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Book Description
A radical spirit of change has overtaken American politics, making once-unthinkable reforms—like abolishing the Electoral College—seem possible. Two of the last five elections were won by candidates who lost the popular vote, calling the integrity of the entire electoral system into question. Political passions are already high, and they will reach a boiling point as we enter the 2020 race. The message from the American people is clear: we need major reform, and we need it now. In Let the People Pick the President, New York Times editorial board member Jesse Wegman makes a powerful case for abolishing the antiquated and antidemocratic Electoral College, and choosing presidents based on a national popular vote. He uncovers the Electoral College's controversial origins, profiles the many attempts to reform it over the years, and explains why it is now essential for us to remove this obsolete system and finally make every citizen's vote matter. Wegman addresses objections from both sides of the aisle and presents an airtight argument that moving toward a national popular vote would reduce voter apathy and political polarization, increase voter turnout, and restore belief in our democratic system. Abolishing the Electoral College is the keystone reform that must be accomplished to improve our politics; Wegman shows that this once-lofty goal can be achieved, and charts a path to accomplishing it.

Why We Need the Electoral College

Why We Need the Electoral College PDF Author: Tara Ross
Publisher: Gateway Editions
ISBN: 1684510139
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
Is the Electoral College anti-democratic? Some would say yes. After all, the presidential candidate with the most popular votes has nevertheless lost the election at least three times, including 2016. To some Americans, that’s a scandal. They believe the Electoral College is an intolerable flaw in the Constitution, a relic of a bygone era that ought to have been purged long ago. But that would be a terrible mistake, warns Tara Ross in this vigorous defense of “the indispensable Electoral College.” Far from an obstacle to enlightened democracy, the Electoral College is one of the guardrails ensuring the stability of the American Republic. In this lively and instructive primer, Tara Ross explains: Why the Founders established the Electoral College—and why they thought it vital to the Constitution Why the Electoral College was meant to be more important than the popular vote How the Electoral College prevents political crises after tight elections Why the Electoral College doesn’t favor one party over the other Why the states are the driving force behind presidential elections and how efforts to centralize the process have led to divisiveness and discontent Why the Electoral College is inappropriately labeled a “relic of slavery” Every four years, the controversy is renewed: Should we keep the Electoral College? Tara Ross shows you why the answer should be a resounding Yes!

No Way to Pick A President

No Way to Pick A President PDF Author: Jules Witcover
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135312044
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
As the United States marks its first presidential election of a new century, Witcover shows us how professional mercenaries -- with little party loyalty and diminished political principles, driven by an insatiable need for money -- are poisoning public life. At the same time, politicians themselves have condoned and even encouraged these developments, responding to the demands of a media-driven age in which the press corps pursues its own quest for celebrity and financial reward. Sharp, revealing, and rich with anecdotes, No Way to Pick a President offers a wealth of presidential history, from the role of the vice president's office to campaign funds, television and the electoral college.

Why We Must Defend the Electoral College

Why We Must Defend the Electoral College PDF Author: Trent England
Publisher: Encounter Books
ISBN: 164177150X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 29

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Book Description
Is the Electoral College “racist” and a “scam” as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claims? Or was Alexander Hamilton right when he declared that “if it be not perfect, it is at least excellent”? In this Broadside, Trent England explains why we have the Electoral College, how it shapes American politics, and why preserving it is necessary to maintain our republican form of government. With an organized campaign trying to hijack the constitution’s state-by-state system in favor of a direct election, now is the time for Americans to come to the defense of the Electoral College.

Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College?

Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College? PDF Author: Alexander Keyssar
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 067497414X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 545

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Book Description
A New Statesman Book of the Year “America’s greatest historian of democracy now offers an extraordinary history of the most bizarre aspect of our representative democracy—the electoral college...A brilliant contribution to a critical current debate.” —Lawrence Lessig, author of They Don’t Represent Us Every four years, millions of Americans wonder why they choose their presidents through an arcane institution that permits the loser of the popular vote to become president and narrows campaigns to swing states. Congress has tried on many occasions to alter or scuttle the Electoral College, and in this master class in American political history, a renowned Harvard professor explains its confounding persistence. After tracing the tangled origins of the Electoral College back to the Constitutional Convention, Alexander Keyssar outlines the constant stream of efforts since then to abolish or reform it. Why have they all failed? The complexity of the design and partisan one-upmanship have a lot to do with it, as do the difficulty of passing constitutional amendments and the South’s long history of restrictive voting laws. By revealing the reasons for past failures and showing how close we’ve come to abolishing the Electoral College, Keyssar offers encouragement to those hoping for change. “Conclusively demonstrates the absurdity of preserving an institution that has been so contentious throughout U.S. history and has not infrequently produced results that defied the popular will.” —Michael Kazin, The Nation “Rigorous and highly readable...shows how the electoral college has endured despite being reviled by statesmen from James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and Andrew Jackson to Edward Kennedy, Bob Dole, and Gerald Ford.” —Lawrence Douglas, Times Literary Supplement

Summary of Let the People Pick the President

Summary of Let the People Pick the President PDF Author: Fireside Reads
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 58

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Book Description
Learn the Invaluable Lessons from Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College by Jesse Wegman and Apply it into Your Life Without Missing Out! What's it worth to you to have just ONE good idea applied to your life? In many cases, it may mean expanded paychecks, better vitality, and magical relationships. Here's an Introduction of What You're About to Discover in this Premium Summary of Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College by Jesse Wegman: In Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College, New York Times editorial board member and Supreme Court journalist Jesse Wegman sheds light upon the history from 1774 to 1779, as well as information gathered from campaign managers, field directors, and other administrators from Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns of the twenty-first-century, to make a formidable case for ending the outmoded and anti-democratic Electoral College. In this thoroughly researched and appealing call to arms, Wegman presents how we can finally make every vote in the United States matter―and restore belief in democracy. Let the People Pick the President by Jesse Wegman earned multiple reviews, including Publishers Weekly, which remarked the book, denoting how it combines in-depth historical inquiry and insight into contemporary politics to present a compelling argument that the Electoral College violates. Plus, - Executive "Snapshot" Summary of Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College - Background Story and History of Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College for a Much Richer Reading Experience - Key Lessons Extracted from Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College and Exercises to Apply it into your Life - Immediately! - About the Hero of the Book: Jesse Wegman - Tantalizing Trivia Questions for Better Retention Scroll Up and Buy Now! 100% Guaranteed You'll Find Thousands of Dollars Worth of Ideas in This Book or Your Money Back Faster You Order - Faster You'll Have it in Your Hands! *Please note: This is a summary and workbook meant to supplement and not replace the original book.

Presidential Elections and Majority Rule

Presidential Elections and Majority Rule PDF Author: Edward B. Foley
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0190060158
Category : HISTORY
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
In his latest book, Presidential Elections and Majority Rule, Edward Foley asks how the American electoral system can better represent the people. What kind of winner truly reflects the nation's votes: the plurality winners of winner-takes-all elections, as currently used, or the majority-preferred winners of a reformed system? How do third-party candidates affect American presidential elections? What, if anything, would change in a two-candidate run-off?And how can electoral reform be implemented without sowing chaos? Ultimately, Foley outlines a solution in which the Electoral College can be restored to its original majoritarian ideals through state law rather than Constitutional amendment.

Why the Electoral College Is Bad for America

Why the Electoral College Is Bad for America PDF Author: George C. Edwards III
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300249659
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
A new edition of the best-known book critiquing the U.S. electoral college In this third edition of the definitive book on the unique system by which Americans choose a president—and why that system should be changed—George Edwards includes a new chapter focusing on the 2016 election. “As the U.S. hurtles toward yet another election in which the popular vote loser may become president, Edwards’s book is essential reading. It clearly and methodically punctures myths about the Electoral College’s benefits.”—Richard L. Hasen, author of The Voting Wars “Supported by both history and data, George Edwards convincingly argues the Electoral College is anti†‘democratic, anti†‘equality, and anti†‘common sense. We should dismantle it, and soon.”—Kent Greenfield, author of Corporations Are People Too (And They Should Act Like It)

The Electoral College

The Electoral College PDF Author: Josiah Peterson
Publisher: King's College Press
ISBN: 9780692896952
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 49

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Book Description
The 2016 election triggered criticism of America's Electoral College. Opponents argue that it is time to do away with the Electoral College system, whose creation, they contend, was an accident of history in the first place. This small volume sets the record straight. In fact, the Electoral College was an ingenious creation of our Founders.The Founders designed the College to fit in with the rest of the federal system and preserve the division of powers, the moderating influence of states, and a republican government that respects the consent of the governed. The Electoral College represents a kind of insurance limiting the influence of demagoguery. As this quick, easy-to-read handbook shows, without the Electoral College, America would see more partisan and national grandstanding, not less.