There is no "National Election"!

[UnrepentantUnitarian]

Stephanie Miller's Newsweek guest, Jon Meacham is right: The "national polls" are meaningless compared to the state ones. Like it or not, it's all "Electoral College," and at least some of us would change that if given the opportunity.

[Lancer]

1. "General Election" is something of a misnomer, too.

A Presidential election is really a group of 50 statewide contests, held simultaneously.

[UnrepentantUnitarian]

2. And even that's a little misnomer now...

With "early voting" varying from state to state, different states vote based on somewhat different political scenarios. Some states will be more heavily tilted toward what happened last week, some will more heavily emphasize this week. It's fast becoming a "voting season" instead of an "election day."

[suston96]

3. The Constitution says the states handle the times, places and manner of elections.....

But the electors for President, the entire House of Representatives, and one third of the US Senate are chosen "nationally" on the same day each year.

To elect a President and Vice-President a national majority of those electors must agree on two of the candidates.

That's as national as you can get.

[UnrepentantUnitarian]

4. The term "chosen" is debatable there.

If you vote weeks earlier, you have "chosen" on a different day. Sounds good, though...just so, ah, eighteenth century.

[suston96]

7. Eighteenth century? That sounds good also....my favorite century - well, one of them...

The John Adams miniseries nailed that for me - the century our nation was born.....

My time machine is almost finished and I hope to go back there and bear witness to one of the most important events in human history......

Even if you vote early there is no "chosen" until that vote is counted, tallied, and assigned to the "chosen" electors or candidates.

[PATRICK]

5. The GOP

might be inclined to change that as they did in 1968 when they nearly lost to the Dems big state advantage. Their own small state advantage turned against them guarantees a necessary surrender of the overall popular vote. They might want a "reform" that allows them to con the nation with a national figure with corporate MSM backing to fast track their return to power now that their base roots has turned into a quagmire of discredited, rather betrayed, nuts and shake loose electors in populated electoral states like California. Maybe in that drama they would hope the Dems would forget campaign or media reform or election reform.

They cannot retreat to regionalism. It is not just Obama but it is chilling to consider that mass rally in Denver, denver!, that matches the number and surpasses the scope of former traditional Dem last campaign rallies in NYC itself. The GOP has been morally gutted and faced the final bill on its intellectual bankruptcy. The only way for the quick return that alone they now have any patience left for, is another fake god and another fake path to power. For them to get it will require the Dems to blindly fall short, get suckered, pre-occupied and help pave the way with their indifference and blindness.

[riqster]

6. National Polls are psychologically important

...even if they have no operational relevance to the actual process of electing our President.