COMMENTARY | Pennsylvania Republicans are pushing an electoral college proposal that would split the state's popular vote into proportional shares among the candidate, in proportion rather than winner-take-all. For example, in 2008, Barack Obama with 55 percent would have received 11 Pennsylvania Electoral College votes while John McCain (45 percent) would have reaped 10.
As we might expect, Democrats are blasting the Pennsylvania Electoral College plan as yet another example of Republican pillaging and plundering.
The originator of the Pennsylvania Electoral College plan is state Sen. Dominic Pileggi, the Republican majority leader, who sarcastically scoffs in response. Pileggi says the main protests have come not from Dems but from fellow GOPers who figure they will carry the state in 2012. That's a clever "anyone but Obama" dig at the president.
However, rather than becoming submerged in all of this mumbo jumbo regarding the Pennsylvania electoral college, let's move ahead to the bigger picture.
First, why not scrap the electoral college altogether and rely on the national popular vote?, Back in 2000, we all know who would have won Bush v. Gore in that case, don't we?
For that matter, why not cancel all of these endless individual state primaries and caucuses and straw polls and go to a national direct primary to pick the nominees, both Republican and Democrat?
While we're at it, if we are focused on fairness, let's give more U.S. senators to the larger states. Why should tiny (population-wise) Utah have as many senators as California? Closer to home for Pileggi, why should West Virginia have as many senators as Pennsylvania? Oh, wait, this idea would give Democrats more power. Pileggi and his peers wouldn't want that.
Shouldn't Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico and Guam be granted the full rights of statehood? Pileggi and his fellow Republicans don't support that either. More people of color (a.k.a. Democrats) would be at the polls.
Come to think of it, sports are even more unfair than the Electoral College. Why should the team with the most points get the entire victory? The Baltimore Ravens scored 35 points in an NFL game last weekend while the Pittsburgh Steelers scored seven. But Baltimore gets credit for all 35 points, and Pittsburgh gets credit for none of its seven. What's Pileggi going to do about that?
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