After the election: what to do?
The above map shows that the standard image of the US as divided into a red “heartland” where the Republicans rule supreme and blue coasts, lorded over by effimate badgering liberals is wrong. Even in the ehart of darkness, Texas, there can be found blue districts, as can be found on the larger version of this map. Which suggests one of the ways in which the Democratic Party or progressive forces in general can break the stalemate of Republican dominance based on winning elections in sparsly populate, right-leaning states:
Bring in proportional representation of Electoral College vots in those states.
In Montanta, roughly 60% voted for bush and 30% voted for Kerry. Montana had three electoral college votes; under proportional representation, Bush would’ve gotten two and Kerry one, rather than Bush picking up all three the way he did now.
In Missouri, with 54% Bush – 46% Kerry, its 11 votes would be split 6-5, rather than 11-0.
Even in Texas, the vote being split 61% Bush – 38% Kerry, its 34 electoral college votes could’ve been split something like 21 for Bush and still 13 for Kerry!
So what should the Democrats do? Fight for proportional repersentations in those states where a) they can actually get it and b) it would benefit them. Politics is
about process as much as it is about principle and since the Republicans are willing and eager to use both measure legal and illegal to crush Democractic chances of winning, why not fight back, legally, with this?
Above map created by Robert J. Vanderbei. Take a look at his pages on the 200 elections and
2000 elections.