As for the Electoral College itself, as a Johnny Foreigner I am of course quite happy to redesign your political system for you any time you like, and propose the modest reform -- as I'm sure doing something sensible like abolishing the Presidency completely and instituting a modern parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch, would be far too radical -- that the election of your President indeed be by direct popular vote...
...direct popular vote of the House of Representatives, that is. Said vote to occur any time the House of Representatives feels like it wants to hold one, none of this 'High Crimes and Misdemeanors' nonsense if the incumbent just has to go or 'Fixed Term' nonsense if they just have to stay. The whole annoying multi-year national election campaign for President thing would thus disappear from your TV screens in a puff of smoke (filled rooms) since they won't be campaigning for *your* -- now non-existent -- popular votes, and Congresscritters would get an actual chance to become President despite not being State Governors. You'd just have to kick out your Representative whenever they voted for a President you despised. Everybody wins!
As an added bonus, this would also allow you to completely abolish the Office of Vice-President -- as if something happens to the existing Prez, the House can just vote in a fresh one -- the 22nd amendment, and the impeachment clause, whilst making your whole political system much less mind-bending for we denizens of oversea. :) :)
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Date: 2007-09-30 12:12 am (UTC)...direct popular vote of the House of Representatives, that is. Said vote to occur any time the House of Representatives feels like it wants to hold one, none of this 'High Crimes and Misdemeanors' nonsense if the incumbent just has to go or 'Fixed Term' nonsense if they just have to stay. The whole annoying multi-year national election campaign for President thing would thus disappear from your TV screens in a puff of smoke (filled rooms) since they won't be campaigning for *your* -- now non-existent -- popular votes, and Congresscritters would get an actual chance to become President despite not being State Governors. You'd just have to kick out your Representative whenever they voted for a President you despised. Everybody wins!
As an added bonus, this would also allow you to completely abolish the Office of Vice-President -- as if something happens to the existing Prez, the House can just vote in a fresh one -- the 22nd amendment, and the impeachment clause, whilst making your whole political system much less mind-bending for we denizens of oversea. :) :)