You know all that stuff you hear about how your vote counts?
It’s a lie.
There, I said it. It ain’t pretty. It ain’t politically correct. But it’s true.
Most of you reading this live in the great state of Washington. Voting for president? Go ahead, waste your time. It doesn’t count.
How about our neighbors to the south? Oregon. Same deal. Knock yourself out. Don’t matter none.
New York, Illinois, Wyoming, Tennessee, Louisiana?
Already a done deal.
You know whom to blame, when it comes to voting for president, right? It’s the Electoral College. No progressive minds in this “college.” Just old-school thinking.
The founding fathers established the Electoral College in the Constitution. There was a little talk back then about having Congress vote for a president. And a little talk about having the people vote for a president. This Electoral College thing was brought in as a compromise. This way, the people “sort of” get to vote for president.
But not really.
Who knows, it might have been a good thing back then. Sort of like that law in Alabama where you can’t wear a funny, fake mustache to church.
With our system today, individual votes determine who gets the Electoral College votes in every state.
So, let’s say 49 percent of the people in Washington State vote for Romney. And 51 percent vote for Obama. Well, that 49 percent might as well have stayed home. Your vote doesn’t count. All the Electoral College votes go to Obama.
You live in Texas and you’re voting for Obama? Silly boy. Romney gets all the Electoral College votes there.
You like Romney and live in California? Waste of time. It’s all Obama there.
Yep, in all but nine or 10 states, we don’t count.
Of course, there is an answer to this silliness. Get rid of the Electoral College. Make us whole again.
And if we do? Well I promise to never wear that fake, silly mustache to church again.
o o o
Speaking of the presidential race, here’s what I tweeted right after this week’s debate was over:
The Birdman from Massachusetts knocked the prez out of the nest Wednesday night. But he still can’t win it.
Someone else (not me, honest!) said that Obama — right after his debate loss was, likely:
Chain-smoking unfiltered Camels and drunk-dialing the Rev. Wright saying “what happened bro?”
Clearly, Obama lost the debate to Romney. But will it matter? I still maintain it will not.
Back in February (think about how long ago that was!) I wrote this in my column:
WASHINGTON (Nov. 7) President Obama has earned four more years in the White House as voters backed him in Tuesday’s election.
That’s the lead I said I expected to see after the voting.
It wasn’t an endorsement. It was a prediction.
Has anything changed? No. Romney needed to make a big move. He needed to agree to tax the wealthy more and agree to cut defense spending more. He did neither. So I stand by the prediction.
Will I have to eat a little raven if I’m wrong? You bet. But that’s life in the column lane.
Lou Brancaccio is The Columbian’s editor. Reach him at 360-735-4505, lou.brancaccio@columbian.com or Twitter: http://twitter.com/lounews.
