Why are we writing off the possibility of an Electoral College coup?

[The Hitman]

Yeah yeah yeah I know "it's a long shot" but

For crying out loud, Trump was helped to victory through THE KREMLIN conducting a cyber operation ON OUR ELECTORAL PROCESS.

If there ever were a reason to spur electors to be faithless, wouldn't this be it?

Why is no one taking this seriously? Why can't we, as Democrats, throw our effort behind this?

So much to gain. He hasn't won anything yet.

[Jean-Jacques Roussea]

1. Because Republicans hate Hillary more than Russia

Thanks in part to Russia. If anything, we'd have a chance if we convinced them to vote Hillary under the assumption that Hillary would be impeached and we'd get Kaine.

[NewJeffCT]

36. Yes, that's a tough sell

Electors are chosen because they are strongly loyal partisans. Hillary hatred has been bred into Republicans since 1991, and they tend to have an irrational hatred of almost all Democrats.

[The Hitman]

2. That assumes you'd lobby for Hillary

The Hamilton Electors, for instance, are looking for a moderate Republican or independent.

[duffyduff]

14. And these electors are complete jackasses.

It is HRC or Trump. Period.

[ooky]

23. They don't function as electors. They rubber stampers.

I fail to understand why anybody would want to even be an elector if its just a rubber stamp job.

[duffyduff]

24. I know. The EC is as broken as the rest of it. n/t

[Yupster]

38. It's used as an honor

Generally people are chosen who have given decades of work for the party. They mighht be a county chairman who has volunteered for 50 years.

It's just an honor.

Not the group of Republicans likely to vote for Hillary.

[Madam45for2923]

22. HRC needs 37 more electors. The Hamilton electors need 270.

[treestar]

35. Since Hillary won the popular vote

the Hamilton electors are being stupid. Now had Orange Toxin won the popular vote, but they were concerned that he is unhinged and might harm us severely, that is, he should not have the nuclear codes, then their solution might make sense.

[sarah FAILIN]

3. Because they don't care.

The only 2 I've heard of won't vote for Clinton. 1 resigned rather than vote against Trump. If by some miracle it went to the house/senate I think he would still win. I just don't think there is a way out of this. It is insanity to me but I shouted the warning on Russia before the election and nobody cared.

[NoGoodNamesLeft]

6. If he is charged and found guilty of treason he CANNOT legally be president.

People should push for that.

[unblock]

9. how is he possibly guilty of treason? it's defined in the constitution and involves actual arms.

interference in an election, accepting foreign help in an election, etc., might be violations of federal law, and they might be impeachable offenses (not that republicans would impeach him), but they're not actual "treason" as defined in the constitution.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_Three_of_the_United_States_Constitution

Section 3: Treason[edit]


Iva Toguri, known as Tokyo Rose, and Tomoya Kawakita were two Japanese Americans who were tried for treason after World War II.
Section 3 defines treason and its punishment.

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.

The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.

The Constitution defines treason as specific acts, namely "levying War against [the United States], or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort." A contrast is therefore maintained with the English law, whereby crimes including conspiring to kill the King or "violating" the Queen, were punishable as treason. In Ex Parte Bollman, 8 U.S. 75 (1807), the Supreme Court ruled that "there must be an actual assembling of men, for the treasonable purpose, to constitute a levying of war."[15]

[duffyduff]

25. They put their fucking partisanship over the good of the country.

Anybody in the EC who votes for Trump is an idiot. A complete and total idiot and basically a traitor to the US.

[NoGoodNamesLeft]

4. Sadly, the Republicans don't care as long as they have power

They don't care about anything but their own partisan politics and if it benefits them in any way they will defend it.

I'm hoping there are enough Republican lawmakers in D.C. who will join with Democrats and impeach Trump. They HAVE to do it if they love this country. If they don't they may as well just let Putin annex the US in January.

[The Hitman]

5. I still don't get why we aren't pushing for this

Whether or not it's unlikely...

Yes we can hope he gets impeached but this would be infinitely better for everyone.

[pangaia]

27. Who is WE?

[AgadorSparticus]

37. And who are the ones that DON'T want it? That is even more interesting.

[unblock]

7. first, it's just not going to happen. second, the "best case" is president pence or ryan.

electors are chosen primarily based on loyalty, if not to the candidate, then at least to the party. these are not random americans.

trump has enough of a margin of electoral victory that we would need to have a *lot* of them change their votes to deny trump a majority of electoral votes. historically, i don't think there has ever been more than one or two in any given election.

finally, there's just no way these loyal republicans would hand the oval office over to clinton. best case is that they vote in pence or ryan or someone else, or abstain, or in any event just not trump. no one else can get a majority of electoral votes. so the election would be thrown into the house, who in all likelihood would just vote for trump anyway.

why? because the republicans in the house will respond to the political pressure of the rabid trump voters in their own districts and refuse to hand the election over to anyone else.


finally, let's just imagine that we do actually have a president hillary this way, somehow. republicans and the media would have a field day. congress would still be republican and would refuse to even consider anything she proposed, they would investigate and likely impeach her based on anything and everything, and the rank-and-file would be rioting in the streets until she was removed from office. if you though the crap about obama not being a legitimate president was bad, you ain't seen nothing yet if hillary gets in that way. she'd accomplish virtually nothing, be trashed as ineffective at best, and republicans would win bigly in 2018 and 2020.

[The Hitman]

8. So we just give up?

Because angry republicans would be in the streets? Let our civil liberties, the environment, our democracy be subject to attack by trump?

[unblock]

10. no, we fight in other ways. the electoral college is incapable of stopping this train wreck.

remember that president pence or ryan would, on policy, be no better than trump, really. in fact, quite possibly worse.

the only practical difference is that they would appear more sane in the media.

[The Hitman]

11. I would feel infinitely more comfortable

With either of them in charge of the NSA and nuclear arsenal

[ancianita]

12. Not constitutionally. Don't think it can't happen just because it hasn't happened yet.

[unblock]

16. yeah, and trump could just as well turn out to be a great fdr liberal in disguise.

ain't gonna happen. i get the need for fantasy in the wake of this disastrous election, but it remains fantasy.

[ancianita]

17. The safe claim. Until it's done.

[politicaljunkie41910]

18. No we'd just be giving up like the Dems always do. If the tables were turned, the Repugnants would

be doing everything they could to take the White House back if they thought Russia had interceded in an election on behalf of the Democrats. They'd be in the streets bearing arms with talk of taking back their country which was stolen with the help of a bunch of Red Commies and the Dems would fold like the pussies they always are, in the name of "fighting back in other ways".

[The Hitman]

20. I cannot agree with this comment any more

We are such pansies in times of strife

[onenote]

28. "pansies"? Really?

[LisaL]

13. Because 37 people aren't going to flip. One or two, maybe. Not 37.

[El Mimbreno]

33. It's not unreasonable

37 out of 300+? 37 who would put their country ahead of their party? 37 who can see that trump is unqualified and unstable and will vote accordingly? I sure hope so.

[baldguy]

15. Not a coup. The Electors are free agents. They can vote for anyone they want, constitutionally.

[hellofromreddit]

19. It could happen, but don't count on it. They certainly won't pick Clinton.

So the response come inauguration day stays the same no matter what.

[The Hitman]

21. Finally! A member of Congress with Backbone!

https://twitter.com/jahimes/status/808116879558660098

"We're 5 wks from Inauguration & the President Elect is completely unhinged. The electoral college must do what it was designed for."

Jim Himes (D-CT)

[pangaia]

26. $$$$$$$ ...POWER..... and BIGGLY FEAR of reprisals..

[Orangepeel]

29. Because electors are highly partisan

They are literally people chosen by the political parties to reward loyalty to those parties. The republican electors worked to elect Trump. They are happy he won.

Donald Trump could feed a baby to Vladimir Putin on live TV and at least 90% of republican electors would still vote for him.

[flamingdem]

30. Some complained of getting death threats

It would be dangerous for some to switch now

[musicblind]

31. Because they're afraid of making his supporters mad.

Basically, a substantial portion of the country is terrified of a minority portion of the country.

The Alt-Right has succeeded in holding even the traditional-right hostage in their own house.

[Generic Other]

40. Too late! They are barking mad already!

All we can do is hold our breath and go down with the ship.

[bowens43]

32. It's not going to happen

The voters who supported Trump are probably sending thank you notes to Putin and the electors will never do anything so radical.

Trump is going to be the president. The countries only hope is that in the 2018 election cycle Democrats can regain control of congress.

[treestar]

34. I would hope these people

even if R, would be sensible enough to see Orange Toxin cannot be in charge of the nuclear codes.

[Generic Other]

39. If it happens they probably will not pick Clinton

Although that would be the right thing to do.

But at this point, I'd even accept John McCain, Mitt Romney or Jeb Bush! Oh shit, I actually said that!

[SickOfTheOnePct]

41. Because Congress

will reject the votes of any faithless Trump electors, and then the House will choose Trump.