What do you think about the Republicans and Giuliani trying to rig the 2008 election?

The Electoral College Vote It is the worst part of the Constitution, producing perverse results again and again. On four occasions there has been such a big gap between the national popular vote and the state-by-state electoral college votes that the guy with fewer real supporters in the country got to be President. It happened in 1824, 1876, 1888 and – most tragically for the world – in 2000. The Republicans want to change this – but in only one Democrat-leaning state. California has gone Democratic in presidential elections since 1988, and winning the sunny state is essential if the Democrats are going to retake the White House. So the Republicans have now begun a plan to break up California's electoral college votes – and award a huge chunk of them to their side. They have launched a campaign called California Counts, and they are trying to secure a state-wide referendum in June to implement their plan. They want California's electoral votes to be divvied up not on a big state-wide basis, but according to the much smaller congressional districts. The practical result? Instead of all the state's 54 electoral college votes going to the Democratic candidate, around 20 would go to the Republicans. If this was being done in every state, everywhere, it would be an improvement. California's forgotten Republicans would be represented in the electoral college, and so would Texas's forgotten Democrats. But by doing it in California alone, they are simply giving the Republicans a massive electoral gift. Suddenly it would be extremely hard for a Democrat ever to win the White House; they would need a landslide victory everywhere else to counter this vast structural imbalance against them on the West Coast. You can see this partisan agenda if you look at who is behind the campaign. It was set up by Charles "Chep" Hurth III – a Republican donor to Rudy Giuliani. It was drafted by Tom Hiltachk – a Republican attorney. Its signature drive was co-ordinated by Kevin Eckery – a Republican consultant. Its funds were provided by Paul Singer – a Republican billionaire and one of Rudy Giuliani's biggest donors. Its chief fundraiser is Anne Dunsmore – who went there straight from her post as national deputy campaign manager for Giuliani. Seeing a pattern yet? Oh yeah I forgot to mention that the republicans have taken to the street giving food to homeless people to get them to sign the referendum. Yes this story is a bit dated but I am reviving it because it seems that the republicans are close to getting enough signatures to pass this referendum. What Schwarzenegger vetoed along with his party was The Campaign for a National Popular Vote campaigning for every state simply to commit its delegates to the electoral college to vote 100 per cent for the candidate who wins the popular vote.

Public Comments

1. While I agree with you that the EC is defunct and should be done away with. I very seriously doubt the Republicans and Gulianni are willing to ":rig" the system for fear of being caught and retribution
2. those redistricting tactics have been going on for a long time now... it's BS. One thing is for sure... Republicans are very good at what they do. Cheating.
3. There is going to be a referendum - ie, the people of California get to vote. So what's the problem? If they don't want it, all they have to do is vote it down. I don't see a "conspiracy" in letting the people of the state make their own decision. I think you're seeing plots and evil men where none exist. Perhaps it's time to watch a little less tv.
4. I want to track these people down and f**king kneecap them with a baseball bat. They deserve pain.
5. I think all electoral college votes should be split in each state. It would make people's votes actually mean something. Right now my vote means nothing as a Democrat living in NC
6. For you guys an election is only "rigged" if you lose it.
7. americans are in an eternal slumber and will never wake up until they lose the right to vote
8. they will try again but landslide will be so bad they can't 2000 and 2004 were close enough to rig and were thus the idiot
9. If anyone rigs it,it'll be Hillary. Already caught planting people with questions. She'll do anything to win.
10. This is such a Rovian idea. The shame is they might get it to the supreme court..and we all know how that will turn out.
11. Yeah I agree it would be a dumb thing for any state to do. But like you said it requires a state wide referendum. If California voters are dumb enough vote for it then that's their problem.
12. Civil war looms if that happens.
13. I totally believe that they are trying to rig the system in their favor, and I am appalled. But, I know that they have no shame, and that Rudy and all the rest of the neocons are pure evil. Anyone who supports the New World Order agenda, and the CFR, and/or the Trilateral Commission, and the NAU, and all such things as these, is pure evil. It is time for the people of this country to wake up and smell the coffee....Before it is too late!
14. I read your dissertation very carefully and checked it out. Everything you state is fact. My solution is very simple: We need to abolish the Electoral College period. All Americans should start writing their Congressmen and demanding this. If they believe that a large portion of their constituents are serious about this and there was a possibility they would lose them then they might be forced to act on this.
15. This story is a bit dated but Governor Schwarzenegger, a Republican, knows what they are up to and squelched it. Arnold knows that the GOP is in trouble and trying to do whatever they can to garner more votes. Since the story has come out most Californians are opposed to it and they won't get far. Wasn't it Tom DeLay who tried gerrymandering, through dirty tricks, in Texas to attempt the same sort of thing? In DeLay's case it was to beef up the Texas delegation in the House in favor of Republicans. He got in trouble for that.
16. I do not think so. I remember how CNN and the Democrats try to rig a democrat victory by stating Florida gone to Gore in 2000 before Florida Polls closed.
17. Didn't DeLay do something like this in Texas back in 2000? It was something like rezoning in a way that took the more Democratic-leaning areas and put them together in one big lump while breaking up the Republican ares in to smaller groups to maximize their votes. My details may be rusty but something to that effect did happen. Either way, just more of the same from the Republican Party. Anything goes!