The GOP's Genius Plan to Beat Obama in 2012

[LongTomH]

The GOP-controlled Pennsylvania legislature has a scheme which would not only defeat Mr. Obama, it could give the Republican far-right permanent control of the White House, especially if the other Republican-controlled states adopt it. Quoting from an article in Mother Jones:

Republican state legislators in Pennsylvania are pushing a scheme that, if GOPers in other states follow their lead, could cause President Barack Obama to lose the 2012 election—not because of the vote count, but because of new rules. That's not all: There's no legal way for Democrats to stop them.

The problem for Obama, and the opportunity for Republicans, is the electoral college. Every political junkie knows that the presidential election isn't a truly national contest; it's a state-by-state fight, and each state is worth a number of electoral votes equal to the size of the state's congressional delegation. (The District of Columbia also gets three votes.) There are 538 electoral votes up for grabs; win 270, and you're the president.

Here's the rub, though: Each state gets to determine how its electoral votes are allocated. Currently, 48 states and DC use a winner-take-all system in which the candidate who wins the popular vote in the state gets all of its electoral votes. Under the Republican plan—which has been endorsed by top GOPers in both houses of the state Legislature, as well as the governor, Tom Corbett—Pennsylvania would change from this system to one where each congressional district gets its own electoral vote. (Two electoral votes—one for each of the state's two senators—would go to the statewide winner.)

This could cost Obama dearly. The GOP controls both houses of the state Legislature plus the governor's mansion—the so-called "redistricting trifecta"—in Pennsylvania. Congressional district maps are adjusted after every census, and the last one just finished up. That means Pennsylvania Republicans get to draw the boundaries of the state's congressional districts without any input from Democrats. Some of the early maps have leaked to the press, and Democrats expect that the Pennsylvania congressional map for the 2012 elections will have 12 safe GOP seats compared to just 6 safe Democratic seats.

Under the Republican plan, if the GOP presidential nominee carries the GOP-leaning districts but Obama carries the state, the GOP nominee would get 12 electoral votes out of Pennsylvania, but Obama would only get eight—six for winning the blue districts, and two (representing the state's two senators) for winning the state. Since Obama would lose 12 electoral votes relative to the winner-take-all baseline, this would have an effect equivalent to flipping a medium-size winner-take-all state—say, Washington, which has 12 electoral votes—from blue to red.* And Republicans wouldn't even have to do any extra campaigning or spend any extra advertising dollars to do it.

The upshot is, that Obama could win the popular vote in Pennsylvania; but, the Republican candidate could win more congressional districts and get more electoral votes

I do suggest you read the Mother Jones 'Trifecta' article: The Real Prize in Tuesday's Elections:

Forget the Senate and House. That's short-term thinking. The real prize in Tuesday's midterm elections is the power to draw congressional seats and determine the country's balance of power for the next decade.

If either party can achieve what politicos call the "trifecta"—control of the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature—in a given state, it will be able to draw congressional districts within that state unencumbered by any need to compromise with the other party. That's the kind of power that creates electoral maps like the one former GOP Majority Leader Tom Delay helped bring to Texas in 2003—a map that pushed four of the state's Democrats out of their seats.

With GOP redistricting, disqualification of voters and now this, the Republicans could have control of the White House and both houses of congress for decades and perhaps generations, making the US effectively a one-party country.

Both Lawrence O'Donnell and Rachel Maddow spoke about this on MSNBC tonight. Keep checking YouTube for excerpts.

[baldguy]

1. 1000 acres of empty farmland has more voting power than a city of 500,000.

THAT'S fair.

[Historic NY]

2. I dare say they might be a party to inciting violence.

[blue neen]

3. Sign The Petition:

Tell the Republicans to Stop Their Partisan Presidential Power Grab in Pennsylvania

http://www.padems.com/petition/tell-republicans-stop-their-partisan-presidential-power-grab-pennsylvania

[LongTomH]

4. Thanks for posting this link!

Now, everyone go over and add your signature!

[blue neen]

5. It's my pleasure.

I despise the crooks running this state--Governor Gashole and friends. It's a travesty.