[geeks] California Proposition 14

[Phil Stracchino]

On 06/05/10 17:42, Lionel Peterson wrote:
> On Jun 5, 2010, at 3:38 PM, Phil Stracchino <alaric at metrocast.net>  
> wrote:
> 
>>> Personally, I liked the original US presidential election. The  
>>> winner became
>>> president, the first runner up became vice president.
>>
>> Yes, and I still think we should go back to that.
> 
> I'm not so sure that would accomplish anything, since VPOTUS really  
> has no job other than presiding over Senate and casting tie-breaker  
> vote.

Not *any more*, no.

> Each of the 100 senators has more power/influence than VP, who'd want  
> it?

Oh, so that must explain why no Presidential candidate in the last
hundred years has been able to find a running mate.

Oh, wait .....


Seriously, having the runner-up be VP would, or at least SHOULD, provide
an opposing viewpoint - if nothing more - in the Oval Office.  But
perhaps equally importantly, it would mean that the typically 40% to 48%
of voters who voted for the guy who came in second would at least not
feel *totally* disenfranchised, as far too many do now.  Especially if
the office of the Presidency were to be conducted in a manner that gave
them a reason to feel they actually had a voice in the Oval Office,
rather than a glorified cabana boy sent to open shopping malls on behalf
of the President.


-- 
  Phil Stracchino, CDK#2     DoD#299792458     ICBM: 43.5607, -71.355
  alaric at caerllewys.net   alaric at metrocast.net   phil at co.ordinate.org
         Renaissance Man, Unix ronin, Perl hacker, Free Stater
                 It's not the years, it's the mileage.