We have a sneaking suspicion that if Hillary Clinton had won the election last November and Donald Trump had won the popular vote, we would not hear her calling for the abolition of the Electoral College. Call us crazy, but we just kinda doubt it. But since that’s not the case, Hillary has added the EC to the (endlessly growing) list of reasons why America is not enjoying the benefits of her leadership right now.
In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Clinton said it was time to decide elections based on the popular vote, which – as you may remember – she just happened to win!
“I think it needs to be eliminated,” Clinton said. “I’d like to see us move beyond it, yes.”
Nary a month goes by that we don’t get a reminder from Hillary or her supporters that she won the popular vote, thanks to a sea of Democrats on the West Coast (many of whom probably aren’t actually American citizens). Sadly, of course, that wasn’t enough to put her in the White House because Trump – like each and every president before him – won the only vote that matters: that of the Electoral College. And now, as in 2000, when Al Gore was felled in similar fashion, Democrats are suddenly certain that the EC is everything that’s wrong with our elections.
In her new book (“What Happened,” gathering dust at bookstores everywhere as we speak), Clinton even refers to the Electoral College as “godforsaken.” Because anything that steals her rightful spot in the Oval Office is surely the product of the devil.
President Trump himself has said he would like to see American elections decided by a straightforward popular vote, but he’s also made a point that should not be overlooked: If he had been campaigning to win the popular vote, he would have run a much different race. And in that environment, Democrats may suddenly be surprised to see that there are more conservatives out there in California – people who see little point in voting in a presidential election – than they currently believe.
In any case, it would completely change what a campaign looks like, which is why it’s silly for Hillary to assume she would have won.
