# Watch how the Republicans DON'T whine about winning the popular but losing the electoral college... **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 7, 2012, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-how-the-republicans-dont-whine-about-winning-the-popular-but-losing-the-electoral-college/640176 "2012-11-07T04:48:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-how-the-republicans-dont-whine-about-winning-the-popular-but-losing-the-electoral-college/640176/1 "2012-11-07T04:48:16Z")
Ok, so I’m a troll in the GD (i.e. Elections) forum. In fact, I quit here four years ago when I predicted Obama wouldn’t win in 2008. All I can say is the Republicans will \*\*NOT \*\*whine & moan about losing the electoral college but winning the popular the way the Dems did endlessly in 2000. Obama wasn’t _elected_, but \*selected \*blah blah blah, you’re not gonna here any of that this time. Why? Because the Dems majority are young, ignorant, spoiled, whiny immature voters who stamp their little feet insisting that this silly, outdated electoral college thingy doesn’t count, except now of course it’s all that ever counted (cause we won it this time!) Oh well, I’m a Republican and I expected Obama’s first term to be a disaster. I wouldn’t call it a success but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Can put up with another four years of him (though I still know he’s just a tax & spend Democrat)… ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-how-the-republicans-dont-whine-about-winning-the-popular-but-losing-the-electoral-college/640176/2 "2012-11-07T04:50:20Z")
They won’t win the popular vote so your OP is irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-how-the-republicans-dont-whine-about-winning-the-popular-but-losing-the-electoral-college/640176/3 "2012-11-07T04:51:18Z")
You, uh, might want to wait for the final results before shooting your mouth off. CNN has Romney leading by less than 200 000 votes with most of California yet to report in. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-how-the-republicans-dont-whine-about-winning-the-popular-but-losing-the-electoral-college/640176/4 "2012-11-07T04:52:13Z")
Good on you for self-identifying as a troll, though. Saves much time. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-how-the-republicans-dont-whine-about-winning-the-popular-but-losing-the-electoral-college/640176/5 "2012-11-07T04:52:43Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > In fact, I quit here four years ago when I predicted Obama wouldn’t win in 2008. Haw haw haw. Haw haw haw! ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-how-the-republicans-dont-whine-about-winning-the-popular-but-losing-the-electoral-college/640176/6 "2012-11-07T04:56:59Z")
Not sure who you’re counting, but the bleating has already begun on my Facebook Newsfeed from Republican friends about exactly this thing. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-how-the-republicans-dont-whine-about-winning-the-popular-but-losing-the-electoral-college/640176/7 "2012-11-07T05:01:08Z")
[According to his Twitter feed, Donald Trump](http://www.salon.com/2012/11/07/donald_trump_loses_it_calls_for_revolution/) is pissing and moaning and calling for revolution over the popular vote issue. You could argue that this doesn’t count as ‘whining’. But I would understand if you want to just disavow Trump altogether. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-how-the-republicans-dont-whine-about-winning-the-popular-but-losing-the-electoral-college/640176/8 "2012-11-07T05:01:23Z")
**Hail Ants** , would you consider Donald Trump to be a Republican? ---
**Author:** ![StuffLikeThatThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@StuffLikeThatThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuffLikeThatThere)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-how-the-republicans-dont-whine-about-winning-the-popular-but-losing-the-electoral-college/640176/9 "2012-11-07T05:05:25Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Not sure who you’re counting, but the bleating has already begun on my Facebook Newsfeed from Republican friends about exactly this thing. +1 ---
**Author:** ![littlespeedysuperbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@littlespeedysuperbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/littlespeedysuperbike)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-how-the-republicans-dont-whine-about-winning-the-popular-but-losing-the-electoral-college/640176/10 "2012-11-07T05:07:47Z")
The popular vote is close (and Romney is ahead) because they haven’t counted the votes for Washington, Oregon, California, and Hawai’i. I expect Obama to make up the entire difference soon. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-how-the-republicans-dont-whine-about-winning-the-popular-but-losing-the-electoral-college/640176/11 "2012-11-07T05:08:40Z")
Oh my problem in wasn’t that President elect Gore won the popular vote. My problem was that multiple recounts in 2001 established that he secured a majority of votes in Florida. If your team doesn’t want to be called cheats, they should stop stealing elections and engaging in voter suppression. In the old days of Tammany Hall, the Republicans could justly complain about Democratic big city practices as well. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-how-the-republicans-dont-whine-about-winning-the-popular-but-losing-the-electoral-college/640176/12 "2012-11-07T05:30:02Z")
We’ve already done [Trump](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/266038556504494082). [Grant Paulsen](https://twitter.com/granthpaulsen/status/266038151846457347), Redskins Beat Reporter for 106.7 THE FAN in DC tweets: Karl Rove is upset that the popular vote is taking the backseat to the electoral college. He was Bush’s strategist in 2000. #PalpableIrony. [Bloomberg View](https://twitter.com/BloombergView/status/266018416727580673) @BloombergView : GOP’ers are left boasting that Romney won the popular vote. Too bad that’s not how you win the White house. See: Gore, Al #election2012 ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-how-the-republicans-dont-whine-about-winning-the-popular-but-losing-the-electoral-college/640176/13 "2012-11-07T05:32:24Z")
> [@littlespeedysuperbike](#): > > The popular vote is close (and Romney is ahead) because they haven’t counted the votes for Washington, Oregon, California, and Hawai’i. > > I expect Obama to make up the entire difference soon. According to CNN, Romney is now all of 535 votes ahead. Anyhow, the issue in 2000 was not the popular vote, it was the ripoff in Florida. ---
**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:** [November 7, 2012, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-how-the-republicans-dont-whine-about-winning-the-popular-but-losing-the-electoral-college/640176/14 "2012-11-07T05:32:54Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > **Hail Ants** , would you consider Donald Trump to be a Republican? Maybe he would. I suspect he won’t be willing to consider Donald Trump “The Republicans” though. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-how-the-republicans-dont-whine-about-winning-the-popular-but-losing-the-electoral-college/640176/15 "2012-11-07T05:34:31Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > GOP’ers are left boasting that Romney won the popular vote. Too bad that’s not how you win the White house. See: Gore, Al #election2012[/INDENT] Obama just pulled ahead in the popular vote-up almost 40,000. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-how-the-republicans-dont-whine-about-winning-the-popular-but-losing-the-electoral-college/640176/16 "2012-11-07T05:40:20Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Anyhow, the issue in 2000 was not the popular vote, it was the ripoff in Florida. That was the real issue, yes. But there were plenty of people bitching about the fake issue. Come on, man, we were all there. I remember a Michael Moore book in which he wrote a dialogue with God, and God said he meant for Al Gore to be president, and that’s why he gave him the most votes. I’m not a Christian but, really? You appropriate the voice of God and then have him not understand the electoral college system? ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-how-the-republicans-dont-whine-about-winning-the-popular-but-losing-the-electoral-college/640176/17 "2012-11-07T05:51:32Z")
I can’t but think a change to using the popular vote in favor of the winner-take-all state system would do anything but really hurt the Republicans. Elections would be decided by the large cities, so all campaigning would shift to there. The GOP would have to swing back to the center, and risk losing a lot of support in the states that are solid red now. Most likely it would strengthen a third party that would take more from the Right than the Left. So I imagine there won’t be a whole lot of complaining along those lines. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-how-the-republicans-dont-whine-about-winning-the-popular-but-losing-the-electoral-college/640176/18 "2012-11-07T05:57:57Z")
From the Election Day thread: > [@The official election day 2012 thread: 11/6/12](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-election-day-2012-thread-11-6-12/640045/797): > > And I think George Will (or a talking mouth at FOX - I have many windows open now-) was blobiating a few minutes ago the “No Mandate For Obama” point as he lost the popular vote… > > Just to put the big salt in the wound, the CNN ticker is reporting that Obama is also winning the popular vote. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-how-the-republicans-dont-whine-about-winning-the-popular-but-losing-the-electoral-college/640176/19 "2012-11-07T06:04:27Z")
Ah, yes. The Mandate. I recall a few years ago, George W. Bush won re-election by the narrowest popular margin in history, and not only did they throw around the word ‘mandate’ anyway, they said it was a mandate to gut Social Security, which Bush had not campaigned on at all. I can’t wait for the Daily Show compilation of then-vs-now mandate talk. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-how-the-republicans-dont-whine-about-winning-the-popular-but-losing-the-electoral-college/640176/20 "2012-11-07T06:05:29Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > All I can say is the Republicans will \*\*NOT \*\*whine & moan about losing the electoral college but winning the popular the way the Dems did endlessly in 2000. I agree, they won’t. Because Obama has won the popular vote by a comfortable margin. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-how-the-republicans-dont-whine-about-winning-the-popular-but-losing-the-electoral-college/640176.md?page=2)