A recurring tug-of-war in the politics of our country has been between the concept of “united” and that of “states.” Smaller states have rightly feared that larger states could enact laws that would be favorable to them, while riding roughshod over smaller states.
One of the strongholds against that danger is the fact that each state, no matter how large or small, has two United States senators. And another safeguard is the Electoral College, which the Founders established to elect the president and vice president.
Many of the Democrat Presidential hopefuls have gotten behind a number of dubious ideas — getting rid of private health insurance, paying reparations for slavery, free college tuition for all, to name a few. Some also want to do away with the Electoral College and choose presidents based on a national popular vote.
An effort is under way to do that very thing. Sixteen states have entered into what is known as the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, in which participating states would agree to award all of their electoral votes to the candidate who won the national popular vote. As the Heritage Foundation’s Hans Von Spakovsky and Laura Williamson explained, if every single voter in a state voted against a candidate who won the popular vote, all of the state’s electoral votes would go to that candidate.
The compact would be implemented if states with a total of 270 electoral votes sign on to it. So far, the 16 states taking part represent 196 votes, including California with its 55 electoral votes and New York, with 31. If your state has not signed up but is considering it, now is the time to get involved to stop it. (Find out here where your state stands).
If we were to rely on the popular vote, representative democracy would all but be abolished, with two of the three most populous states — California and New York — able to hand-pick every president.
Taking away the balance of power that the Electoral College affords smaller states would ultimately harm them. The backbone of the United States is still the small business owner. Just as the agrarian South was historically wary of the Industrial North, these small business owners, and the local economies that rely on them, should still fear states that are home to large international banks and technology companies. These large states should not be allowed to have undue power over smaller states in regulating those areas not delegated by the Constitution.
It is not just the economy that varies throughout the nation; our values and beliefs are just as diverse. The Electoral College has always been a key player in ensuring that the values of people of faith in smaller states count when electing a president.
The “progressives” challenging Trump say that eliminating the Electoral College would be a fairer way to choose a president. That is neither true, nor is it their real motivation. The truth is, they know that a president chosen by California and New York would advance their agenda more quickly and reliably.
That agenda includes open borders, socialized medicine, higher taxes and, worst of all, taxpayer funded abortion on demand through all nine months of pregnancy.
California and New York are the states where the most abortions are committed. New York has already passed a law that eliminates any kind of limit on abortion, even going so far as to allow a child who has survived an abortion to die. This child is no longer unborn but born, totally outside the mother’s body. If the Democrats have their way, the kind of barbarity that would kill that child nonetheless would be the norm across the nation.
Only five times in our history has the Electoral College seated a president who did not receive the most popular votes. But that shows that the Founders’ system works. All Americans deserve a voice when choosing our president. The Electoral College ensures that Wyoming ranchers and Hawaiian pineapple farmers have the same voting rights as California techies and New York bankers.
Where the executive branch of our government is concerned, the Electoral College has acted as a governor on the engine that drives capricious American politics. It’s a vital role and it must remain in place.
Fr. Frank Pavone is one of the most prominent pro-life leaders in the world. He became a Catholic priest in 1988 under Cardinal John O’Connor in New York. In 1993 he became National Director of Priests for Life. He is also the President of the National Pro-life Religious Council, and the National Pastoral Director of the Silent No More Campaign and of Rachel’s Vineyard, the world’s largest ministry of healing after abortion. He travels to about four states every week, preaching and teaching against abortion. He broadcasts regularly on television, radio, and internet. He was asked by Mother Teresa to speak in India on abortion, and was asked by then-candidate Donald Trump to serve on his Pro-life and Catholic advisory councils. He has served at the Vatican as an official of the Pontifical Council for the Family, which coordinates the pro-life activities of the Catholic Church. To read more of his reports — Click Here Now.
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