Hillary Clinton's lead in the popular
vote over Trump now approaches
1.7 million. That's three times Al Gore's popular vote margin
over George Bush in 2000 - the last time a presidential candidate
with less votes won because of the Electoral College. In 2000, of
course, the conservative justices on the Supreme Court added their
help in getting Bush to the White House.
Shortly after the 2016 election,
Trump's former campaign manager Corey Lewandoski stated “Donald
Trump won the election campaign by the largest majority since Ronald
Reagan in 1984." This is of course wrong “There have been
eight presidential elections since 1984. In popular vote margin,
Trump is 8th out of 8. In the Electoral College vote, he's 6th out of
8.” (Mother
Jones, Nov 17)
Clinton's loss in the electoral college
resulted from her failure to win the swing states. She lost nearly
every one, including several that Obama had won twice. There's
much rebuilding of Democratic support to be done in those states.
Internally, the Democrats will also do much soul-searching, and the
debate between the progressive-wing and the centrists will become
more heated.
Nevertheless, it remains that had it
not been from an outmoded model of representative government from the
1700's, Hillary Clinton would have been our President.
The only feasible proposal for dealing
with this electoral college anachronism is the National
Popular Vote Bill. Other options - abolishing the electoral
college by Constitutional Amendment and the "faithless electors"
petitions circulating on the internet - have no realistic chance.
The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the
candidate who receives the most popular votes nationwide (i.e., all
50 states and the District of Columbia). It has been enacted into
law in 11 states with 165 electoral votes, and will take effect when
enacted by states with 105 more electoral votes. The bill has passed
one chamber in 12 additional states with 96 electoral votes.
Most Americans did not vote for Donald
Trump. More of those who chose to go to the polls preferred Hillary
Clinton. So, no, Mr. Trump, you do not have a mandate.
But, in the end, this does not matter.
Republicans retained majorities in both
houses of Congress, thanks in part to the gerrymandering and voter
suppression laws they passed in states under Republican control.
They will also regain control of the Supreme Court - which has been
deadlocked because of Republicans refusal to consider any of
President Obama's nominees.
The Republican Congress will do
everything in their power to undo the achievements of the Obama
Administrations (the Affordable Care Act, Dodd-Franks, the Iran
nuclear agreement). President-elect Trump will be in a position to
roll back executive orders dealing with the environment and
immigration and halt the initial progress in criminal justice reform.
The Supreme Court will once again have a 5-4 right-wing majority,
just like the one that gutted the Voting Rights Act, declared
corporations to have person-hood, and consistently misinterpreted the
Second Amendment.
The Senate filibuster and, like it or
not, Donald Trump, are the only things standing between the
Republicans and the reversal of whatever progress has been made in
the past 8 years. I have little faith in Trump and only a little
more in the Democratic Senators who recently elected Charles Schumer
the minority leader with no opposition. What were they thinking?
“Chuck Schumer, the senator from Wall Street. Chuck Schumer, who
joins Trump and the right wing leadership of Israel and its American
Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in opposing President Obama’s
Iran nuclear deal.” (The
Hill, Nov 16) If Democrats hope to win future elections,
they will have to do a lot better than put Charles Schumer in a
leadership position.
