Electoral College

Vasu Reddy from Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

The presidential election is a system of each state with specific number of delegates, who eventually electing the president of the United States is simply referred to as Electoral College. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_College_(United_States).

The USA Electoral College (EC) was framed to keep the average voter from being able to elect the president directly. They probably had people like Donald Trump in mind when they created the EC and the rules that govern it.  It is doubtful that EC will elect Donald Trump as the next president.  The states that control EC votes are probably 80% to 90% decided on they will vote democrat or republican.  The state wise electoral maps assure the candidates of a GPS on what is assured and what they really need to work on.  There is no blaming the preconceived notions of people.  We are by birth prejudiced to something or the other, and politics are a major part of prejudices in a democratic life.

Donald Trump has his supporters and those supporters will translate into voters.  To start with he is running as a candidate representing the Republican Party.  There will be a fair share of registered Republicans who will vote for the Republican Party ticket, irrespective of the candidate.  This is no different for Democrats.  First and foremost a voter is aligned to the party’s agenda and not the candidate.  For sure we have not had a candidate with Trump’s profile in the USA presidential campaigns, but this is of no consequence to the voter that is beholding to the party.

Personally I am one of those voters who believe the allegiance to the party and its long-term manifesto is a way leading in to an election booth.  First priority is for every person who has the right to vote must exercise the democratic right, and then choose the party that best promotes the principles and philosophy every voter prefers.

The Electoral College has theirs too.  The system is not really complicated.  Each state has a set number of delegates (set number of EC that will vote to elect the president).  At the end of the night the EC votes matter and how the states have voted and the total votes and all other election matrices will not be of any consequence.  On the Election Day, whichever candidate gets 270 Electoral Votes, that’s our next president.

The nation's well being, future and its place in the world are driven by the larger scheme of what was done by prior administrations.  The new administration will set its priorities in motion, provided it has the overall support of Congress, which again has its own Electoral College, and local demographics driving the agenda.

Trump's supporters in this election are primarily republicans, and perhaps people who simply say he is just like me.  They are willing to accept Trump for what he is.  Their reasoning to vote for Trump is that everyone makes mistakes and every makes absurd comments and he is no different.  He is not a politician.

Every dangerous and disgusting thing Trump says proves he's not fit -- and that's the point. He's not fit for the current "system." And that is exactly his appeal. When he opened his apology by saying, "I've never said I'm a perfect person, nor pretended to be someone that I'm not," he was making it clear:

I'm not "pretending to be perfect," like "Hillary Clinton and her kind."

Obama won his first election thanks to the emotions of hope and enthusiasm. Trump could win this election on the emotions of frustration and resentment. Feelings are powerful. According to research, 95% of our decisions are based on subconscious factors -- like how we feel. Not logic. Not what you "know" is right. We make decisions based on what we feel in the moment.

This election is by far going to be any more civil (from what we have already gone thru), but the voter will have preconceived notions dictating the final decision to cast a vote.  What will dictate the outcome of this or any election is primarily the allegiance to the political party and to a small group of voters aligning with the subtle and unconscious human attachment to personality and traits.

While we all crave for change in politics, we simply like our life to be the same.  It is the true Irony of human beings, always looking for something outside of what we already have.

The math for 2016 elections is quite simple.  Focus on swing states and get your voters to the voting booth.  The already decided states need simple advertisement but the swing states need voter participation.  The candidate that gets most voters to show up at a polling place in swing sates, have this job for the next four years.  Rest of the rhetoric and fist fighting, is simply to convince a small potion of the electorate and demeaning the election process.