Another Interesting But Immaterial Fact About the U.S. Election
Here’s one more vexing, albeit inconsequential fact about the U.S. presidential election earlier this month, offered in this article called The 2016 Election Pitted Booming Cities Against Stagnant Rural Areas. It’s a tally of the counties won by each candidate, according to the percentage of the GDP represented by each (see chart below).
Clinton: 64% Trump: 36%
Just another reason to be sickened by the degraded state of American democracy.
Craig,
“degraded state of American democracy ” ???
Well, not really. The US is not a true democracy, no modern society is really democratic. No nation is a true democracy, or ever was ! The US has an elected representative government, with a complicated electoral system, safeguarded by a Constitution, and Constitutional institutions.
The rules might be a bit bizarre and even a little outmoded, but they’re the same rules for every candidate.
The US Presidency, always delivers some odd outcomes. JFK definitely won due to widespread voter fraud, (particularly in Texas with it’s huge post-humorous vote). Rutherford B. Hayes, Coolidge, Harrison, Jackson, John Quincy Adams, George W Bush, all lost the popular vote.
As for degraded, well that’s not true. The electoral system may not have delivered the result you wanted, but it was no more ” “degraded ” than any other contest and better than those where a large part of the citizenry used to be violently discouraged from voting.
However, there’s one great aspect of the US system. If you can persuade enough of your fellow citizens to agree, you could change the Constitution to provide a better system.
But, that’s the trick,..how to get enough US citizens bothered to even vote, eh ?
Yo Mate Marco – perhaps you mis understand what Craig meant by degraded american system….
You touched on its roots ….not enough people vote for openers.
I am sure that Craig is making reference to the campaigns structure, voting suppression and restrictions placed on various segments of the population in truly partisan fashion . The excessive amounts of money involved. Perhaps those types of issues.
Just the fact that each state can and does play games with voting rules Proves beyond a doubt your premise is correct – We are not a True Democracy etc. We are deeply flawed.
Our constitution needs revival and modernity applied to it with the same fervor that we Arrogantly try to super impose on many other Nations in our continued arrogance and self righteous and self serving manner.
As the old saying goes The Emperor Indeed has No Clothes!
The political voting map shows that the economic engine population centers are voting one way and the rural areas another way as a long term trend.
Those that create the wealth and knowledge sectors are Blue, in contrast the rural people and areas with some cross over of course they are Red and have been winning for awhile.
What is going to happen when these Blue areas say they are tired of the tail wagging the dog, the ones who Butter the bread and send more home to Washington who distributes it to all those red states.
The Blue areas send more money to Washington than they take back.
They see their Progressive policy ideas stonewalled as they run into the resistance of the Red areas even though the Blue area is paying more of the freight.
Craig said degraded state of things, when there are more dependent red state people than one would think but their Masters dont want to pay for such things , so the Blue side bails them out?
How long will it go on before the Blue areas demand a change in Electoral college ratios ???? They already are paying a economic ration that is out of balance !
Petitions to secession are circulating in both California and Oregon and Washington St is considering. California’s goes on ballot in 2019. I have had copies sent to me and the authors know how to SELL – California would phase out State Income tax to its residents.
Talk about borrowing Red tax cut policy and turning it against the other side . Ingenious I might move out there. California would gain much revenue by not sending it to Washington.
Yes it sounds Parochial and some other not so good things, but given the trend where 35 % of the country population is having a dis proportionate influence on the other 65 5 or so , Its Called Blowback!
The Tail is Wagging the Dog as they say! Californians are growing tired of miserable , rigid , non critical thinking , low tolerance zealots who cling to guns, prejudices , social constraints and failed policies forcing the Californians to kow tow as they have same ratio of electoral votes.
Throw in NY and NE and Illinois and a few others who also subsidize the red states and one sees the Imbalance!
The only red state that pays its own way is Texas. So much for
fiscal conservatism being a winning formula. LOL
That is the simmering issue that is rising to a slow boil….
Just a few Inconvenient Truths concerning our collective Degraded State of affairs ! to Ponder !