The701
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Matt Bliss (R) : "...this brings us closer to a democracy, which you know, that's not a good thing..."
Minnesota state Representative Matt Bliss, having some totally normal Republican thoughts on switching a national popular vote to elect the president...
Pew Research: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/08/05/majority-of-americans-continue-to-favor-moving-away-from-electoral-college/
"Around six-in-ten U.S. adults (63%) say the way the president is elected should be changed so that the winner of the popular vote nationwide wins the presidency, while 35% favor keeping the current Electoral College system, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted June 27-July 4, 2022."
Edit: After posting, I found the full video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7B8r9m9-W8&t=2287s (38:07 in case the link doesn't go there)
He goes on to acknowledge that polls say that the national popular vote bill is popular, but I guess because that doesn't support his case, he says they're all biased anyway.
TheMayorOfTittyCity
The GOP used to be quietly anti-democracy. Since Trump they have gone all in and opposing democracy is now a cornerstone of their public platform
DeadWhiteMale
Republicans frequency claim the United States is not a democracy and they're the ones who should run it no matter how few of them there are.
alcaray
Translation: "More direct democracy is not a good thing for Republicans".
CoarseAndSalty
We get made to come out to vote against your juvenile Bullshit a whole lot for a Constitutional Republic. You might want to take another crack at the dictionary.
ThatBobbyG
Looks like even he has indigestion hearing this crap.
SomethingOtherThanMyRealName
The country is a Republic. The voting system is a democracy. He won't acknowledge the difference.
The701
He also won't acknowledge polls saying that the national popular vote is popular. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7B8r9m9-W8&t=2417s
MattLefferts
It's hard not to just type out, "break his fucking legs," over and over and over. I don't actually want harm to come to someone, but man, that feeling comes up fast.
TheobromineAddict
Wait a minute what did he say right after "… democracy, this is not a good thing… "?
The701
"And I keep hearing in this committee that we're a democracy, we need to support the democracy. We're not a democracy, we're a constitutional republic. We're a set of 50 independent states that have our own laws, that follow the constitution and part of a federal government. The national popular vote, I know some people say it strengthens each individual vote, but this brings us closer to democracy, which you know that's not a good thing. Our founders saw this and saw the strength of the
The701
independent states, and the independent voices of each state. And for the life of me, I don't know why we would put our election integrity in the hands of people in California, Alabama, New York. This is our election. We decide where our electoral votes go." And he continues. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7B8r9m9-W8&t=2287s (38:07 in case the link doesn't go there)
MyLastAccountWasShadowbanned
Errrr... So that totally tracks with the Articles of Confederation being replaced by the Constitution, right? RIGHT??
Carlillo
The quiet part, now ear-splittingly loud.
SkittishLittleToaster
Get em out. Just fucking get. them. out.
MoschopsUK
It has been 43 years since the Republican party took the White House with a popular vote win. They know that if the US switches to a popular vote for President, they're never seeing the inside of the White House again :)
pfshfine
This is phrased confusingly. It means a Republican hasn't won the presidency while a democrat was in office in 43 years, not that a Republican hasn't won the popular vote in 43 years. Both Bushes won a popular vote.
heywoodjabme
Wait until they hear about rank D choice voting.
nachosyndicate
Sounds good. Where do we meet?
Ramensan00
We might even have more than…*GASP* 3 parties! Gorsh, too much like commi-nizm fer me. /s
thisiswhyicanthaveanythingnice
Or as I like to call it “the goal”
Futschigama
GWB won the popular vote in 2004, though
MoschopsUK
That is true, but doesn't change the original statement; in 2004 the Republicans didn't take the WH - a Republican president already had it. He was the incumbent. Definitely worth saying, though, that GWB was the last Republican president to win the popular vote, very nearly twenty years ago. Well done GWB for actually winning the popular vote.
SecretAgentSuperBooger
Sentay
Axiomatic13
INCORRECT! We are a Representative Democracy. This means we elect fucks like this asshole to do what we elected them to do.
TheBoredSuburbian
https://commonslibrary.org/organising-start-here/
oblimo
The Minnesota GOP is desperate to regain relevance within the RNC. Every year MN stays blue, they have the nerve to act surprised and grow a bit more wackadoodle.
ItTastesLikePurple
I want every "We'Re NoT a DeMoCrAcY wE'rE a CoNsTiTuTiOnAl RePuBlIC" dweeb to put up or shut up by refusing to vote or participate in the political process
ClownishAntics
It's meant to be a representative democracy, but It's really a federal republic under a constitution. Also the constitution doesn't really matter. Also the ruling class aren't policed. And apparently that's all working as intended.
Bob122872
covideokilledtheradiostar
I mean, it was a country founded by an elite ruling class made up entirely of white, wealthy, land-owning, straight males. As designed!
TheJuiceLoosener
The Constitution doesn't matter?! It says it matters right in it, right after the "well-regulated militia" bit. See also, "I need my lawyer dog."
TiredOldBroad
jwhennig
Electoral college exists so the mob couldn’t elect in someone who would destroy the republic. It failed. Get rid of it.
DrakeDoe
The Electoral College existed because at one point you physically had to send to someone to Philadelphia to cast the vote on your Town's behalf. the Electoral College exist in the United States before widespread usage of the telegraph existed. that's the only reason.
covideokilledtheradiostar
well, that and slavery. Slavery was a big reason too.
DarkZalgo
Electoral college exists to give conservatives more power. Literally. It was done that way to prevent conservatives from seceding/leaving/etc. just like with the 3/5 compromise.
PoTahTo
I've got it! Why don't Republicans just come up with policies that don't hurt the middle class and everyone likes? Easy peasy!
FRIENDisCHUMisBAIT
As a Minnesotan I can't believe that someone this stupid could get elected. He does not represent our state.
JackingMeHoff
Republicans, the Fascist Party of Nazis.
stonebreaker6
Said the quiet part out loud
trippingthelightfantastic
NepLeet
Those fucktards are not even close to being conservatives anymore. Outright fascists is what they are.
unremarkableasterisk
They abandoned conservatism long ago and now they are rejecting democracy.
covideokilledtheradiostar
Democracy is a terrible thing for republicans. Hence their push towards compete fascism.
Fishy820
He looks like an actor I can't place the movie though. Plays a heavy set character but looks exactly like this guy!
SubsyServy
Kyle Gass the other half of Tenacious D
Thresholdpush
The dude from Constantine with nystagmus?
jonbenwaa
Damn that's who I was gonna say. The shifty eye guy that drowned in a bodega
Thresholdpush
He died recently, iirc.
Fishy820
Yes!! Thank you and that sucks I didn't know.
CorrugatedUrethra1995
"We're not a democracy,"-some dude who as elected via democracy.
sayblekitten
That's what drives me up a freaking wall! A republic IS A DEMOCRACY! It is a TYPE of democracy! It is a democratically elected form of government! *throws up hands* but words don't matter, this is is just more proof.
mrthewhitee
Except he wasn't. He won because someone else gerrymandered his district so people who oppose is ideology are minority.
LordOfThePenguin
*are a statistical minority
CorrugatedUrethra1995
It was still a direct vote from the people in his district. That's democracy.
IKillButerflies
Is it, though? When elected officials create district maps that purposely exclude voters to guarantee a victory in their favor, that's not the people electing a leader, but a leader electing their colleagues. That's why gerrymandering is so insidious. We still have the illusion of the vote, but the outcome was decided by a redrawn district map years prior
TChallaVanDam
AutoRedistrict.org
APassingPlasticBag
Yes but ironically it’s failed democracy because the people most likely did not elect him but in fact the map elected him
thedoci
Why would we want a fair system where votes actually matter?
morninggloryshade777
They def don't want that. They want NO MORE ELECTIONS. THEY will decide who gets power. We're all supposed to blindly conform. Eff them!!!!!!
The701
Republicans: "We just want to make really sure that 'the right votes' matter. You know the ones."
fantabuloustimewaster
The rhite votes, you mean
Bonchoman
JustDriftingAboutTheInterWebs
A fair system that would be detrimental to republicans remainingin office....
ThankYouForYourTime
I believe the term they’re using to try and normalize this is “the tyranny of the majority”, which means
ThankYouForYourTime
“Our beliefs are in the minority so let’s call it tyranny when we are outvoted”. Just like “the uniparty” is “both sides” all over again.
Thelrishlnquistion
If the US system was even remotely fairer the GOP wouldn’t exist.
Iliketacos42
Imagine if we had ranked voting.
OneUniverse
The country was setup to protect slavery and most importantly slave owners.
FudgeWeasel
It's a nice thought - but the UK has a fairer system (still not fair - but fairer), and we have the Tories, so...
CloakedFigure
.
Magjee
I think it would, a two party system just means that they would need to shift on a lot of policies (which they had done, like same-sex relationships, but later abandoned for christo-facism). Under Obama, the GOP chased the middle a bit, since they were unpopular. Sadly the middle was already fairly far to the right.
djj25
I have an idea, put it on the ballot and let the people decide
Svartsinn
MapleSyrupMafia
As a Canadian, it blows my mind that people have to register and do anything to vote... Here, we just get a card telling us when to vote and where, confirming that we are on the voting list. If you don't get it for some reason, you call and it will be fixed. Never had the issue, but it probably happens to new citizens.
thisiswhyicanthaveanythingnice
If Texas was blue the GOP would never elect another president.
Thelrishlnquistion
MERGATROYDER
Texas was purple in 2020. It’ll be blue soon enough.
DrElihuWhipple
Just gotta make sure paxton doesn't throw out millions of votes again.
HypersonicHero
Grew up in Texas and left years ago. Texas democrats have been saying that for ages. I remember it back during the second Bush campaign. "in ten years Texas will be blue"
corndude101
No, Texas is no where near purple. Certain areas are blue, but the state as a whole is red red red until they’re dead.
Crowlands
Almost sounds like you've provided a solution, but I don't think I should say what it is.
corndude101
The solution is not waiting until they’re dead. I know many republicans that are younger than me, and I’m in my 30’s. The best way is to educate, and unfortunately the elected officials are trying to prevent that. They are trying to destroy public education here.
76000BatteryLlamas
Texas is blue, it's just jerrymandered
Thelrishlnquistion
They still abbot back in after Uvalde
kickmyballsrealhard
Gerrymandering doesn’t affect the popular vote for President
Wolfy4226
Nope, it effects the Electoral College...which should also be abolished.
DrElihuWhipple
No, but voter suppression, like paxton throwing out 2.5 million votes, absolutely affects the presidential election.
kickmyballsrealhard
Oh, absolutely. I was just pointing out gerrymandering doesn’t affect it. Republican voting laws definitely do though.