Archive for the ‘United States’ Tag
Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, center, carries a ballot box containing the 12 Massachusetts electoral votes for Vice President Al Gore during the Electoral College voting at the Statehouse Dec. 18, 2000, in Boston. Pool Photo/Getty Images
Americans don’t really vote for President or Vice President. We vote for a secret group of “Electors” that participate in a process called the Electoral College. That’s how it’s mandated in the Constitution, and then revised by the 12th Amendment. Your vote matters, but you don’t know who you voted for.
You didn’t vote for Obama or Romney. You did vote for a slate of state electors that you probably have never even heard of — electors that hold the fate of our nation in the palms of their hands. Here’s how we really elect our President. And believe me, in our litigious society, it is all about the details.
A 1976 Elector casts her ballot. New York delivered 41 votes to Jimmy Carter.
1. You don’t vote for the Presidential candidate of your choice. Ever. You do vote for a slate of Electors.
2. The number of Electors for each state is the same number as their Congressional delegation … 1 for each Senator and US Representative. Washington DC also has 3 electors.
3. Those Electors are selected by a process unique to each state. In California, the process is different for each party.
4. The Electors cannot be a member of Congress or an employee of the federal government.
5. The Electors are under no federal obligation to vote for the candidate that they are pledged to, though 25 states and Washington, DC do require them to do so. The other 25 states … electors can vote for anyone they choose, becoming “faithless electors.”
6. The Electors are selected on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November in years divisible by 4 (yes, that’s our election day). The Electors, in turn, vote on the December Monday following the 2nd Wednesday in each State Capitol (December 17 this year). They must vote for a President and a Vice President separately, and one of those must not be from their state. The votes are then sealed.
Note that most states have a “winner take all” structure for awarding their electoral votes, but that is a state decision. In Maine and Nebraska, the electors are awarded individually to the winner of each congressional district’s votes, with the two extra votes going to the over-all state winner.
The President of the Senate opens each state’s votes in front of a joint session of Congress on January 6.
7. The President of the Senate then opens and counts the votes in front of both houses of Congress on January 6.
8. If no one receives a majority of votes (270), then the US House of Representatives chooses the President from the Top 3 candidates with each state casting one vote. If no Vice Presidential candidate receives a majority, then the Senate chooses the Vice President from the Top 2 candidates.
Oddities in the history of the Electoral College:
- 1800 – an electoral tie, decided amicably in the House
- 1824 – debatable if the popular vote winner won, especially since not all states even used a popular vote
- 1876 – amid vote tampering and political machinations, the result seems to not reflect the popular vote
- 1888 – the clearest 19th century example of the popular vote winner (Democrat Samuel J Tilden) not being the electoral winner (Republican Rutherford B Hayes)
- 2000 – Gore won a plurality (but not a majority) of the national popular vote by over 540,000. For the electoral college, however, Florida was a mess with hotly contested recounts over ballots that were allowed, or not allowed, in the official count. Ultimately, the US Supreme Court ruled that the official count submitted by Florida was in fact their official result, and Bush won the electoral college 271-266 with one faithless elector abstaining.
None of these incidents degraded the legitimacy of the popular vote, nor the electoral college. Is this because of a better informed populace? A great election system first implemented in 1804, but still working in spite of World War, economic turmoil and societal upheaval? Or are we just staying lucky?
The reality is that only swing states are active sites for modern campaigns. Here’s how the 2012 election looked in late October.
You’ll see pro and con viewpoints over the next few days, I’m sure. Here are three key points to remember:
1. The only way the system changes substantially is by constitutional amendment. That is not an easy thing to do … 3/4 of the states must approve it. Typically, 2/3 majorities in both the House & Senate are required just to propose it. That sounds like Washington these days, right?
2. States can change the way they allocate their Electoral votes, but there is currently no groundswell of public opinion for that to happen. 48 states and the District of Columbia all do it the same way: winner take all.
3. It’s worked over 50 times since the 12th amendment passed, through all kinds of societal turmoil.
I believe the bigger issue today is why we continue to have so many varieties of registration, voter identification at the polls and the actual ballots themselves. I think fixing those issues is much more important than changing the wacky electoral college procedures that we’ve had for over 200 years.
We vote. The Electors vote. The President is peacefully inaugurated on January 20. It has been the American way.
Whatever the alternative systems are that you’re going to read about … there is no proof they will work any better. So why should we change, exactly?
More
The Electoral College by William C Kimberling, FEC Office of Election Administration, rev. May 1992
Legal requirements to vote as pledged, by state
The Truly Strange Election of 1836
California electoral law summary
Electoral votes by person in 2012
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James Madison (1751 – 1836)
The 4th President of the United States, 1809 – 1817
AKA: Little Jemmy, His Little Majesty
From: Virginia
College: Princeton University, class of 1771
Married to: Dolley Todd
Children: John (stepson)
Party: Democratic-Republican
Previous Jobs: Virginia state legislator, plantation owner, US Representative, Secretary of State,
In His Words: “In time of actual war, great discretionary powers are constantly given to the Executive Magistrate. Constant apprehension of War, has the same tendency to render the head too large for the body. A standing military force, with an overgrown Executive will not long be safe companions to liberty. The means of defence against foreign danger have been always the instruments of tyranny at home. Among the Romans it was a standing maxim to excite a war, whenever a revolt was apprehended. Throughout all Europe, the armies kept up under the pretext of defending, have enslaved the people.”
“The government of the United States is a definite government, confined to specified objects. It is not like the state governments, whose powers are more general. Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government.”
“Religion & Govt. will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together.”
“The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted.”
Not true: On page 120 of David Barton’s book The Myth of Separation, Barton quotes James Madison as saying:
“We have staked the whole future of American civilization not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments.”
In 1994 this quote was cited by Rush Limbaugh, which of course prompted cries that Limbaugh was wrong. And he was … but only because he was quoting Barton’s book, that was wrong. Responding to the controversy, the editors of The Papers of James Madison, John Stagg and David Mattern, cited their previous research on the quote: “We did not find anything in our files remotely like the sentiment expressed in the extract you sent us. In addition, the idea is inconsistent with everything we know about Madison’s views on religion and government, views which he expressed time and time again in public and in private.”
True: At only 5′ 4″, he is the shortest person to serve as president.
Best known as “The Father of the Constitution,” Madison is considered the most influential contributor to the US Constitution. He worked vigorously to see it ratified in his own Virginia and throughout the US.
Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay collaborated to write the Federalist Papers, which were 85 newspaper articles published in New York that explained how the proposed Constitution would work. These articles were also published in book form and became the road map for the supporters of the Constitution at each state’s ratifying convention. Clinton Rossiter called the Federalist Papers “the most important work in political science that ever has been written, or is likely ever to be written, in the United States.”
In 1776, he was elected to the Virginia convention that resolved for independence. He specifically worked to strengthen the clause on religious freedom to proclaim “liberty of conscience for all,” which is a very liberal view. It certainly does not advocate for a view that is centered on the Ten Commandments.
The Official Portrait: John Vanderlyn was commissioned many famous Americans, including George Washington (for the US House), Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor, John C Calhoun and others. He painted battles and city panoramas, but his commissions barely supported him, as he worked very slowly. His 1842 commission by Congress to paint The Landing of Columbus produced one of his most famous works, which was later used on five-dollar banknotes and a 2 cent stamp in 1893.
“The portrait of James Madison was commissioned by James Monroe. The face is set above a high-collared black coat between a freely painted cravat and the simple powdered hairstyle favored by Madison.” (extracted from Kloss, William, et al. Art in the White House: A Nation’s Pride. Washington, D.C.: The White House Historical Association, 2008.)
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President Ford, first official photo
Gerald R Ford (1913 – 2006)
The 38th President of the United States, 1974 – 1977
AKA: Leslie Lynch King, Jr (his birth name), Jerry, Mr. Nice Guy
From: Nebraska, Illinois, Michigan
College: University of Michigan (class of 1935), Yale Law School (class of 1941)
Ford’s marriage to Betty was delayed until after his first election to the House, as he was not sure how the voters would feel about his marrying a divorced ex-dancer.
Married to: Elizabeth Bloomer Warren
Children: Michael Gerard, John Gardner, Steven Meigs, Susan Elizabeth
Party: Republican
Previous Jobs: waiter, dishwasher, boxing & football coach, lawyer, US Navy (Lieutenant Commander), US Representative, Vice President
In His Words:
Eagle Scout Gerald Ford, on Right
“I believe in friendly compromise. I said over in the Senate hearings that truth is the glue that holds government together. Compromise is the oil that makes governments go.”
“If you have not chosen me by secret ballot, neither have I gained office by any secret promises… I have not subscribed to any partisan platform. I am indebted to no man, and only to one woman — my dear wife — as I begin this very difficult job.”
“All my children have spoken for themselves since they first learned to speak, and not always with my advance approval, and I expect that to continue in the future.”
“I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your president by your ballots, and so I ask you to confirm me as your president with your prayers.”
“It is believed that a trial of Richard Nixon, if it became necessary, could not fairly begin until a year or more has elapsed. In the meantime, the tranquility to which this nation has been restored by the events of recent weeks could be irreparably lost by the prospects of bringing to trial a former President of the United States. The prospects of such trial will cause prolonged and divisive debate over the propriety of exposing to further punishment and degradation a man who has already paid the unprecedented penalty of relinquishing the highest elective office of the United States.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States, pursuant to the pardon power conferred upon me by Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 20, 1969 through August 9, 1974.”
Kinstler painted Ford ten times. “He wanted me to keep trying,” he said.
“The three-martini lunch is the epitome of American efficiency. Where else can you get an earful, a bellyful and a snootful at the same time?”
“I gave a speech in Omaha. After the speech I went to a reception elsewhere in town. A sweet old lady came up to me, put her gloved hand in mine, and said, ‘I hear you spoke here tonight.’ ‘Oh, it was nothing,’ I replied modestly. ‘Yes,’ the little old lady nodded, ‘that’s what I heard.'”
Not true: On September 8, 1974, Ford gave President Nixon a full pardon for any crimes he committed against the United States while President. This was extremely controversial. Critics claimed the pardon must have been some sort of corrupt bargain that had been struck between the two men before Ford was nominated as Vice President. All parties denied that there had been such a deal. The New York Times called it “a profoundly unwise, divisive and unjust act.”
Ford testified before Congress about the pardon; he was the first sitting President to do so since Abraham Lincoln.
In 2001, Senator Ted Kennedy said that he had opposed the pardon at the time, but in time he had come to the belief that history had proved that Ford had made the correct decision.
True: Ford is the only President who also earned the rank of Eagle Scout.
A star football player at the University of Michigan, Ford helped lead the team to two undefeated seasons and national championships. Ford became the only future President to tackle a future Heisman Trophy winner in 1934 when he tackled Jay Berwanger, who won the award in 1935.
President Johnson appointed Ford to the Warren Commission, who investigated the assassination of President Kennedy. He was an outspoken proponent of the single-assassin theory.
Ford was the first Vice President confirmed to office under the procedures outlined in the 25th Amendment. After Agnew’s resignation, Nixon had sought advice from senior Congressional leaders about whom he should choose as a replacement. House Speaker Carl Albert said, “We gave Nixon no choice but Ford.”
The Official Portrait: Among Everett Raymond Kinstler’s more than 1200 portraits are such well-known personalities as Tony Bennett, Carol Burnett, James Cagney, Betty Ford, Gene Hackman, Katharine Hepburn, Lady Bird Johnson, Paul Newman, Peter O’Toole, Gregory Peck, and John Wayne. Others include authors Arthur Miller, Ayn Rand, Tennessee Williams, and Tom Wolfe; Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Harry Blackmun; business and government leaders such as John D. Rockefeller lll, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, 6 U.S. Governors, four US Secretaries of State, and the presidents of universities and colleges including Brown, Harvard, Oklahoma, Princeton, Smith, Wellesley, Williams, and Yale.
Kinstler has painted more than 50 cabinet officers, more than any artist in the country’s history. Seven Presidents — Richard Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush — have posed for him. His portraits of Ford and Reagan are the official White House portraits.
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This 1881 painting is currently in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
The 21st President of the United States, 1881 – 1885
AKA: Chet, Gentleman Boss, Prince Arthur, The Dude President, Walrus
From: Vermont, New York
College: Union College
Married to: Ellen Herndon
Children: William, Chester, Ellen
Party: Whig, Republican
Previous Jobs: teacher, principal, lawyer,
In His Words: “I trust the time is nigh when, with the universal assent of civilized people, all international differences shall be determined without resort to arms by the benignant processes of civilization.”
“The office of the Vice-President is a greater honor than I ever dreamed of attaining.”
“Men may die, but the fabric of our free institutions remains unshaken.” – said upon the death of President Garfield.
“I love the autumn. The crispness in the air, the changing of the leaves, and the changing of my wardrobe to winter-weight wools.”
“Madam, I may be President of the United States, but my private life is nobody’s damn business.”
Not true: Arthur’s father was born in Ireland, and he moved frequently with his young family. That led to Chester Arthur’s political opponents starting a rumor that he was foreign born and not eligible to be Vice President in 1880. The rumors first swirled that he was born in Ireland, and then in Canada … but neither rumor took hold. Isn’t this all of the proof we need to see that history does repeat itself?
True: Arthur owned at least 80 pairs of pants, which may not be a lot by today’s presidential standards, it was quite the extravagance back then.
His nomination as Vice President was a compromise. Republicans were fighting between the Stalwarts and the Half-Breeds, with Garfield’s nomination only happening after 36 ballots. Arthur was the 2nd choice for Vice President.
He refused the duties of the office of President while President Garfield was incapacitated and unable to perform those duties. The nation was rudderless during the two months of Garfield’s decline.
His nomination was secured due to the sentiment that he would not upset the patronage system that prevailed in the Washington of his day. In the end, however, he did institute reforms, and his administration was not marred by the scandals that tarred so many of this era.
The Official Portrait: Daniel Huntington painted the official portrait of President Arthur in 1885. It would prove to be his last significant painting.
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Dwight David Eisenhower (1890 – 1969)
The 34th President of the United States, 1953 – 1961
Normal Rockwell’s Dwight Eisenhower
AKA: Ike
From: Born in Texas, raised in Kansas
College: United States Military Academy
Married to: Mamie Geneva Doud
Children: Doud Dwight and John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower
Party: Republican
Previous Jobs: Night supervisor at a creamery, US Army, US Chief of Staff of the Army, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Chief of Staff of the Army, University President, NATO Supreme Commander
In His Words: “Neither a wise man or a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him.”
“There is one thing about being President — nobody can tell you when to sit down.”
“Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history.”
“Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.”
“The one quality that can be developed by studious reflection and practice is the leadership of men.”
“Un-American activity cannot be prevented or routed out by employing un-American methods; to preserve freedom we must use the tools that freedom provides.”
Not true: There’s a viral email that makes the rounds stating that “Operation Wetback,” which ran during Eisenhower’s administration, deported 13,000,000 illegal immigrants. It’s stated this program also swept up and deported large numbers of legal residents and citizens. Though the program did exist, it resulted in less than 100,000 deportations, and perhaps an additional 500,000 illegal immigrants leaving the country before they were apprehended. The program was controversial and there were reports of abuse, but not nearly on the scale alleged by the viral emails.
True: Eisenhower was responsible for the lives of millions during WWII, as he was in charge of war planning, and later implementing those plans, in Europe. He oversaw the invasion of Italy and the liberation of western Europe from Nazi control. He was the first General elected President since Ulysses S Grant, and is one of only 5 Presidents that did not hold an elected office before becoming President.
The Official Portrait:
This painting is the official portrait of the President. The artist, J. Anthony Wills from Houston, Texas painted 5 copies of the portrait. One of them hangs in the White House and one is at his Presidential Library in Abilene, KS. The location of the other three copies is unknown.
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John Quincy Adams (1767 – 1849)
Adams was the first (ex) President to be photographed, in 1843 … though there are claims that Harrison was photographed in 1841, no proof exists.
The 6th President of the United States, 1825 – 1829
When Adams sat for this portrait, he doubted that artist George Caleb Bingham could produce “a strong likeness.” Ralph Waldo Emerson commented that the aging Adams was “like one of those old cardinals, who as quick as he is chosen Pope, throws away his crutches and his crookedness, and is as straight as a boy.”
AKA: Old Man Eloquent or The Abolitionist
From: Massachusetts
College: Harvard College, class of 1787
Married to: Louisa Adams
Children: Charles Francis Adams, Sr, George Washington Adams, John Adams II, Louisa Catherine Adams
Party: Federalist, Democratic-Republican, Whig
Previous Jobs: secretary, lawyer, state senator, senator, diplomat, Secretary of State
In His Words: “Civil liberty can be established on no foundation of human reason which will not at the same time demonstrate the right of religious freedom.”
“The manners of women are the surest criterion by which to determine whether a republican government is practicable in a nation or not.”
“America does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own.”
Not true: Adams’ service to the United States became an issue in the 2012 Presidential race, 183 years after he died. Michelle Bachmann famously declared that our founding fathers “worked tirelessly to end slavery.” When journalists called Bachmann on being inaccurate, she cited John Quincy Adams as one founding father that was an example of what she meant. In spite of his unprecedented international experience at a very tender age, it does seem to stretch credibility to call him a founding father, as he was only 9 years old in 1776. It is true that he railed against slavery while serving in the House of Representatives, but he was not a steady advocate for abolition until after he was President.
True: He served in the diplomatic service at the age of 13 as the secretary to the US envoy to Russia. He later was one of the secretaries to Jefferson and Franklin, helping them draft the documents confirming US independence from Great Britian. He was barely 16.
In the 1824 Presidential election, he did not win the popular vote, nor a majority of the electoral college. Because no candidate won a majority, he was eventually selected as President by the House of Representatives. Adams had been a brilliant diplomat, but proved to be an idealistic and inflexible President. He followed his father’s unfortunate example as the 2nd President to only serve one term.
He’s the only President to serve in the House of Representatives after he left the White House.
The Official Portrait:
George Peter Alexander Healy was one of the most prolific portrait artists of his day. He painted 18 Presidents, from John Quincy Adams to Ulysses S Grant. Some of his other famous paintings were of Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, Pope Pius IX and John James Audobon.
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