As Roosevelt put it, “the nation looked to the government and the government looked away.” The Republican vision, FDR said, is “that government is best which is most indifferent.” Just as he described the Republicans of the 1920’s – those who kicked Teddy Roosevelt out of the GOP, he describes the Republicans of the 1980’s, the 1990’s, and today. Not all, just the ones at the top of the party; both stalwarts and mavericks.

The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC). The bill would take effect only when enacted, in identical form, by states possessing a majority of the electoral vote — that is, enough electoral votes to elect a President (270 of 538). When the bill comes into effect, all the electoral votes from those states would be awarded to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC).

Because of state-by-state enacted rules for winner-take-all awarding of their electoral votes, recent candidates with limited funds have concentrated their attention on a handful of closely divided “battleground” states. Two-thirds of the visits and money were focused in just six states; 88% on 9 states, and 99% of the money went to just 16 states. Two-thirds of the states and people have been merely spectators to the presidential election.

Another shortcoming of the current system is that a candidate can win the Presidency without winning the most popular votes nationwide.

The National Popular Vote bill has been approved by 20 legislative chambers (one house in Colorado, Arkansas, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Washington, and two houses in Maryland, Illinois, Hawaii, California, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont). It has been enacted into law in Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, and Maryland. These states have 50 (19%) of the 270 electoral votes needed to bring this legislation into effect.

See http://www.NationalPopularVote.com

Wasn’t Dukakis way ahead prior to the conventions? How’d THAT work out?

well. yeah. but… dukakis had a “tank moment.” and honestly i don’t think there’s any way obama can look like an ass. have you seen that pic of him and patraeus in the chopper? seriously, it has “president badass” written all over it…

I have trouble taking seriously any projection that suggests Obama is going to carry Montana.Look at the RCP map which gives McCain 163 in solids. Add FL and NC, where he has been consistently ahead, and he’s up to 205. From there, here are the states he needs in order to win divided into 2 categories:

1st, the ones most polls have consistently suggested he’s ahead but by small margins: MO, VA, IN, +35 = 240

and 2nd, the real crapshoot states that have gone back and forth but mostly show margins either way in the low single digits: OH, CO, NM, NH, NV. 43 electoral votes.

Folks have been suggesting MI is a crapshoot, but I am not counting it as such because I expect huge Detroit turnout for Obama, and I expect that such ablue-collar high-union state goes democratic in a down economy. If Obama loses MI, he’ll be in trouble.

The other side of that, for McCain, is that based on current numbers, he faces a near impossible task if he can’t carry OH. If he carries OH, then he only needs a good split in the crapshoot states. If he loses OH, he needs to carry all the crapshoot states AND find another W somewhere else.

Though i tend to assume that the GOp carries FL becuase they almost always do even though it’s always close, I am surprised that McCain is not farther ahead down there. There’s really no way McCain gets to 270 w/o FL , because if FL turns blue, then that’s likely to be as part of larger trend where most of the moderate states have swung blue. I attribute McCain’s lack of FL strength to unenthusiastic evangelicals. But my best guess is that at the end of the race, faced with the prospect of an unabashedly socially liberal Obama, presidency, they crab on down to the polls and choke out a vote for McCain.

Unless the media has called it for Obama by Columbus Day. Which they are unlikely to do because it’s bad for ratings.