Our Unprincipled Politics
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Oct. 26 (Bloomberg) -- My late father taught me that whatdefines a principle is the willingness to adhere to it even whenthat adherence hurts. Maybe that’s why the newfound appreciationof the Electoral College among many of my friends on the lefthas struck me as a weirdly compelling spectacle.
After the 2000 election, when George W. Bush lost thepopular vote but (after the Florida debacle) won a majority ofElectoral College votes, liberal commentators spent yearscalling for the direct election of the president. Now that thereappears to be a serious prospect that President Barack Obamawill lose the popular vote but win a majority of the electors,the Electoral College doesn’t look so bad.