# Hank Williams Jr. Doesn't Like the Electoral College. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 7, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hank-williams-jr-doesnt-like-the-electoral-college/509134 "2009-09-07T02:44:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hank-williams-jr-doesnt-like-the-electoral-college/509134/61 "2009-09-08T14:32:11Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > No, but if he portrays the thread one way, I can give evidence contradicting that. Diogenes says one thing, St. Anger says something else, and you arbitrarily decide which of the two is dictating the tone of the thread? But I’ll let Diogenes speak for himself if he chooses to. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hank-williams-jr-doesnt-like-the-electoral-college/509134/62 "2009-09-08T14:37:04Z")
I suppose we should also let St. Anger speak for himself, but I dont think the point to his comment was even specifically in defense of the electoral college, but rather making fun of Hank for figurately pissing on the founding fathers. ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hank-williams-jr-doesnt-like-the-electoral-college/509134/63 "2009-09-08T14:58:10Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > “This is L. H. Puttgrass signing off and heading for the tub!” > > That’s what I think of every time the media reports on uninteresting opinions from uninteresting people. Thank you for that! I miss Bloom County. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hank-williams-jr-doesnt-like-the-electoral-college/509134/64 "2009-09-08T15:27:37Z")
If you abolished the Electoral College, it would make a difference to how campaigns are run, though perhaps not in a way that Hank Williams Jr might like. At present, it’s strategic to campaign in swing states that might go either way, especially larger ones like Florida or Ohio. (And Obama spent the Sunday before Election Day 2008 at rallies in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, because with a close election it’s important to win Ohio). If it goes on the popular vote, then you can chase uncommitted votes anywhere. In that case, my guess is that Obama would have spent that last Sunday in California. Even though he was going to win California comfortably, it would still be important to maximise his vote in the largest state. And the smaller states become less important, because the individual votes would no longer be weighted by the representation in the Senate. Oh, and Mr Williams is an idiot, because all this would be well over his head. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hank-williams-jr-doesnt-like-the-electoral-college/509134/65 "2009-09-08T16:25:39Z")
I don’t think we need to get rid of the EC. We could just get rid of the ridiculous winner-take-all element. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hank-williams-jr-doesnt-like-the-electoral-college/509134/66 "2009-09-08T16:29:35Z")
> [@wierdaaron](#): > > Though, since Sarah Palin was added to the ticket as a reaction to Obama’s nomination, maybe if it were Hillary instead, they would have gone with someone less disastrous to the GOP ticket. Let’s ask the What-If machine… Can’t. The fing-longer is in the shop. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hank-williams-jr-doesnt-like-the-electoral-college/509134/67 "2009-09-08T16:55:16Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > With apologies to Waylon and Willie: > > Mamas don’t let your babies grow up to be presidents, > Don’t let 'em give speeches or ride limousines, > Let 'em be skinheads or klansmen or queens, > Mamas don’t let your babies grow up to be presidents, > 'Cause they’ll make up dumb rules and they’ll turn into fools, > Even with a country they love. Win. I may have to “borrow” this some time 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hank-williams-jr-doesnt-like-the-electoral-college/509134/68 "2009-09-09T02:10:50Z")
I think Williams is right. If it wasn’t for the Electoral College, Obama wouldn’t have been elected. As the incumbent Vice President, Lieberman would have been the nominee. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hank-williams-jr-doesnt-like-the-electoral-college/509134/69 "2009-09-09T03:10:11Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > The Electoral College is another compromise between the people’s interest and the states’ interest. Ideally, the States should follow Nebraska and Maine’s leads when if comes to dividing the Electoral votes: Divide the votes by congressional district and give the remaining two to whoever wins the state. Bills like Maryland’s are ineffective red herrings. They provide a way for the state legislators to say that they are doing something about the Electoral College with out having to do a damned thing. Given that around a dozen states have signed onto the compact, it doesn’t seem like much of a red herring. I care about how people vote, not about how states vote. > [@Giles](#): > > And the smaller states become less important, because the individual votes would no longer be weighted by the representation in the Senate. No, the smaller states do not become less important, because apart from New Hampshire, nobody ever gave a shit about them anyway. We all know which way Wyoming and Delaware will vote nowadays; all that matters to the candidates is which states they can sway, and the biggest ones of those matter the most. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hank-williams-jr-doesnt-like-the-electoral-college/509134/70 "2009-09-13T23:00:24Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Sounds to me more like an argument against Star Trek: Voyager. Which I think most of the people on this board could get behind. (I’d forgotten the name of that series, so I Googled “worst Star Trek series” to find it). And you didn’t get _Enterprise_? :eek: Voyager at least had some good plots. My first involvement with Voyager was a guy who retold the episodes for people overseas, and I tghought it was a great show. If only he was allowed to edit the scripts )and replace certain actors who tried to ruin the show, cough, Robert Beltran), it would have been a decent show. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hank-williams-jr-doesnt-like-the-electoral-college/509134.md?page=3)