Politics Alabama
Local, state, and national political opinion... with the occasional use of satire and exaggeration to make a point. Visit http://www.PoliticsAlabama.org for factual information on Alabama Government.
- Sometimes truth is discovered via dogged determination in a relentless examination of the evidence, and sometimes it is stumbled upon all unwittingly. The latter method of truth discovery was recently experienced by MSNBC’s Chris Hayes.
In an on-screen segment, Mr. Hayes was trying to make the point that the Electoral College disenfranchises people and should be abolished in favor of one-person, one-vote. But then he said the most amazing thing.“And the weirdest thing about the Electoral College is the fact that if it wasn’t specifically in the Constitution for the presidency, it would be unconstitutional."
Yes, that’s how it works… nice of MSNBC to finally acknowledge that.
The US Constitution was written as a list of enumerated (that means specifically listed) powers for the Federal Government to exercise, with any power NOT listed being illegal, forbidden, and unconstitutional.
So yes, if the Founders had not set up the Constitution to provide for the election of a President by an electoral college, then such an institution would have lain beyond their powers, and hence, would have been unconstitutional.
The rest of us already knew that, Mr. Hayes, so what took you so long?
Given that MSNBC advocates for political policies such as rigid gun control, national minimum wages, and other programs NOT enumerated as specific powers of Congress, it is amusing that they should sort of accidentally show an understanding of how the Constitution works.0u4
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