On March 9, my colleague Tim Graham pointed out the delicious hypocrisy of a Hillary Clinton supporter advocating using electoral votes to decide the Democrat presidential nomination.
On Sunday, another Hillary backer, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), made a similar recommendation, even though he's on the record as having been against the Electoral College in the past (pictured right courtesy AP).
In fact, since George W. Bush's victory over Al Gore in 2000, wherein the former had more electoral votes despite the latter's popular vote advantage, the Electoral College has been a common whipping boy of Democrats and liberal press representatives.
With that in mind, as this talk likely heats up in the coming months, will the Electoral College haters in the media flipflop on this issue as well? While you ponder, here's the New York Times' take on Monday (emphasis added throughout):
“So who carried the states with the most Electoral College votes is an important factor to consider because ultimately, that’s how we choose the president of the United States,” Mr. Bayh said on CNN’s “Late Edition.” [...]
Asked how she could win the nomination, Mr. Bayh said: “Well, I do think the popular vote is important. But that’s a circular argument. It brings us back to Florida and Michigan.”
He said he would also factor in electability and momentum, then added: “But ultimately, you know, if you look at the aggregate popular vote, and as we all recall in 2000, to our, as Democrats, great sorrow, we do elect presidents based upon the Electoral College.”
The Clinton camp has argued that Mrs. Clinton’s having won the big states should be an important factor when considering her electability.
“Presidential elections are decided on electoral votes,” a spokesman for Mrs. Clinton, Howard Wolfson, said in an e-mail message.
But here's the exquisitely delicious irony which the Times surprisingly pointed out:
Many Democrats, including Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Bayh, have opposed the Electoral College in the past, particularly after 2000, when Florida’s 25 electoral votes were awarded to George W. Bush, who became president, even though Al Gore, the Democratic nominee, had won the popular vote nationwide.
At the time, Mrs. Clinton, who had just been elected to the Senate, said, “I believe strongly that in a democracy, we should respect the will of the people and to me, that means it’s time to do away with the Electoral College and move to the popular election of our president.”
Stealing from Barack Obama, as a typical liberal, Clinton only believes in the will of the people when it matches hers.
That said, how many other news outlets are going to point out this hypocrisy?
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters.





















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I have talked to several
March 24, 2008 - 10:55 ET by Dan The Man 2I have talked to several Dims in my office and they come up with the excuse that it is different. And it is, the rules are not federal or state but within the Dim party itself. They determine the rules and can if they wish merely pick some face fom the crowd. Personally Im ready to see the feeding frenzy.
Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.
Three sensators
March 24, 2008 - 11:22 ET by iveseenitallThree senators fom Washington running for president-- a RINO and two communists. Are the people getting hosed? You betcha'! What a system!
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
Typical white democrat congress critter.
March 24, 2008 - 11:34 ET by ScrapironBayh: I was against it until I found out it would help my friend, now I'm for it until it helps my friend then I'll be against it again. Yep, real decisive people them democrats. With friends like this ,and traitor Richardson, Shrillary don't need any enemies.
Old, Retired and glad of it.
Flip-flopper....flip-flopper
March 24, 2008 - 12:28 ET by bigtimerFlip-flopper....flip-flopper...when this is convenient just flip-flop Hillary along with your shrinking list of buddies.
Hypocrites.
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
republic
March 24, 2008 - 13:10 ET by m1xramThat's the interesting part, "in a democracy", but Americans don't live in a democracy we live in a republic.
The Electoral College balances the will of the people in a great way. Studying how the system works and you'll understand that the Forefathers were also great at mathematics. Consider the 2000 election.. without the Electoral College we would need to recount the entire U.S. rather than Florida.
For more information, see WallBuilders- Electoral College: Preserve or Abolish?
m1xram
This proves that to the
March 24, 2008 - 13:27 ET by mattmThis proves that to the Left, it's about getting power, not determining the will of the voters.
They push Ranked-Choice voting schemes, and elimination of the Electoral College, but if they succeed in this, but the result isn't what they hope for, they'll come up with some other scheme to gain power, while making it look like they are for "the will of the people."
"The people most desirous of political power, are the least qualified to be entrusted with it." - Publius
Two comments
March 24, 2008 - 19:49 ET by nkviking75Two comments
1) From the politician-to-English algorithm (or is it Al Gore-ithm?): Bayh--Hillary, if I help you get the nomination, will you make me your running mate?
2) Why would anyone entrust this country to people who try ot change the rules whenever they're losing? Even kids quit playing with other kids who keep pulling this kind of crap.
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.