The son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, Barack Obama has, to date, had a very short political career as the junior senator from Illinois. But, today, he has defeated the more experienced John McCain in what many are calling a landslide victory, including wins in the battleground states of Ohio, Florida, Virginia, and Iowa, offering proof that Amerca is ready for change.  This alone is a great victory for the United States.

In my eyes, though, the bigger win is what I saw over the last ten days everywhere I looked.  I saw people articulately voicing arguments for both sides.  I saw people young and old extolling their right to vote and claiming that they had or would vote in this election – many for the first time.  Democracy and the American flag were held proudly as what would make America strong in the years to come.  This, for me, was the bigger victory and the one that I am most proud of today.

Today is the first day of the rest of Obama’s career, and I am hopeful that he will prove himself worthy of the trust Americans have put in him.  Regardless, though, I can rest easy knowing that Americans are prepared to rally and speak for what they believe in.  This is a great country and I am proud to be a citizen.

Ranter

Their article, and other like it, go on to suggest that perhaps McCain is using the electoral college and campaigning to win in the places that would matter enough to allow him a chance of taking the 270 electoral votes necessary.  Fortunately, the mathematical experts are suggesting that it’s very unlikely that a split vote could happen, while at the same time admitting that the polls are only so accurate.

The National Journal’s Mark Blumenthal, a former Democratic consultant and founder of Pollster.com, said:

“The idea that somehow you can focus on six states and only move them while the rest of the nation stays frozen – that’s not very realistic,” he said. “All of this is sort of interesting, and we talk about it like it is moving pieces on a chessboard, but the reality is, and this is my main point, if the national margin doesn’t close, none of that is going to happen.”

That this thought, in this day and age, is even something that the people of this country have to question is somewhat indicative of why there are problems in government today.  We urge people to come out to vote only to inject at the end – well, your vote really doesn’t matter.  At least not four times in the past – and possibly not this time either.  That’s rediculous and the people need to rally behind their vote.

Every November over 90 million Americans exercise their right to vote.  They think they’re voting for President, but what they’re really voting for is to instruct the electors on how they want them to vote.  For example, if you vote for a Republican candidate you’re really voting for an elector who will be “pledged” to vote for the Republican candidate.  This system was established in Article II of the Constitution and amended by the 12th Amendment in 1804.  What’s important to know is this – while the state electors are “pledged” to vote for the candidate of the party that chose them, nothing in the constitution requires them to do so.

Using a little math, it’s possible to see that the Electoral College system makes it possible for a candidate ti actually lose the popular vote and be elected president.  In fact, using the numbers, it is possible for a candidate to be off the ballot in 39 states and still be elected president by winning the vote in just 11 of these 12 states: New York, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Georgia or Virginia.

Obviously, this is difficult for Americans to swallow, and without raising the cause flag, this author would suggest that it’s time to look more closely at a system that allows the popular vote to fall behind the opinions of a few.  Our Founding Fathers, when creating this system, were looking at a different time, different communication tools, and different voters.  It’s time to look again, with a modern eye, and give the people a chance to be heard without allowing unjust mathematics to potentially take away the wishes of the majority.

Ranter

]]> http://www.uncensoredrants.com/2008/10/28/could-obama-lose-even-with-the-popular-vote/feed/ 0 http://www.uncensoredrants.com/2008/10/28/does-barack-obama-lack-experience/ http://www.uncensoredrants.com/2008/10/28/does-barack-obama-lack-experience/#comments Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:58:51 +0000 ranter http://www.uncensoredrants.com/?p=73

Does Barack Obama have the experience needed to succeed as President of the United States?

By all accounts, Barack Obama is a new-comer in politics and lacks any real experience in government.  Some say this makes him a bad candidate.  Most established politicians say this makes him unqualified.  Not surprisingly, the majority of Americans seem to have their own opinion on whether Barack Obama is qualified and capable of running the United States of America.

Yet, there are others, that feel differently but are still voting for Barack.  A die-hard democrat, grade school teacher that I talked to told me that she isn’t voting for Obama because he’s qualified or the right person to lead the country; she’s voting for Obama because she doesn’t want to see McCain/Palin in office and a yes vote for Obama is a no vote for McCain.

Interesting perspective to say the least, but looking at the records it begs the question of how many Americans are feeling the same way – as though neither candidate is outstanding, but the one they’ve picked is the lesser of two evils and ultimately who they’re going to vote for.  It’s definitely a sad day for America when voting Americans aren’t voting for who they want to see in office but against who they don’t.

Ranter