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Article: Second-Guessing the Founders, Dissing the Electoral College.(Arts&Entertainment)
- Article from:
- The New York Observer (New York, NY)
- Article date:
- September 20, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 The New York Observer. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Glenn C. Altschuler
Why the Electoral College Is Bad for America, by George C. Edwards III. Yale University Press, 198 pages, $26.
A Rube Goldberg contraption, the Electoral College was adopted by the Founding Fathers because it beat the alternatives. In a direct election for President, gullible voters might choose a demagogue. Worse yet, a chief executive chosen by Congress would be beholden to that body, checkmating checks and balances. To insulate them from heat and ferment, pressure and intrigue, the U.S. Constitution made the electors a temporary group, chosen in a manner prescribed by each state, confined to that state when they cast their ...