Protecting citizens from the mob electorate that would crown an "elected king"

D.C. McAllister writes at Conservative Review,

...Trump and his surrogates say the popular vote is what should count and delegates should simply act like proxies. If that doesn’t happen, Trump argues, if the delegates decide for themselves--as most of them were elected to do--then the people are disenfranchised, and the voice of the people is silenced. What Trump and others who think this way are missing is that we live in a republic, but this doesn’t mean the voice of the people is not heard or even that we don’t have democratic elements within our system.

We have three elective offices in our national government: representatives, senators, and the president. As it stands today, two of these are elected by the popular vote. The House of Representatives has always been the most purely democratic part of our system. So, yes, the people do have a direct vote and their voice is heard loud and clear. Democracy is alive and well in our system.

Our founders, however, believed in a balance of powers. The Electoral College, as well as the convention system, that we use to elect the president might be messy and the rules change, but it’s born out of the understanding that the presidency should not be won by a direct vote. It is the least democratic part of our government, and that’s important in a balanced republican system.

The presidency was always meant to be distant from the people—with the pathway to victory running through electors and the Electoral College, as well as delegates. The founders understood that, when it came to electing the president, voters would be a larger group and more spread out. They would also be more easily misinformed and manipulated through propaganda. It was important, therefore, to protect citizens from this “mob electorate” that would crown an “elected king.”

These protections are not necessary with the House of Representatives and now the Senate—though it used to be that they were chosen by the states. It’s in Congress that we have representatives who are closer to the people. It’s a more local process where people aren’t as easily manipulated because they know one another and receive information on a smaller scale. Democracy thrives in this environment and functions in a healthy way. People know their congressmen better and are more informed. Because of this, they can elect them directly. This is not the case with the presidency, which is more distant and more easily corrupted. In the election of a president, we have many layers to keep “bad candidates” out and bring stability to the system. If this is abandoned for a popular and more national vote, then the president would be chosen like a congressman but without the same intimate knowledge and accountability. - See more at: https://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2016/04/trumps-whining-proves-he-doesnt-get-our-republic-at-all#sthash.9h9Id4gr.dpuf

- See more at: https://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2016/04/trumps-whining-proves-he-doesnt-get-our-republic-at-all#sthash.9h9Id4gr.dpuf



- See more at: https://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2016/04/trumps-whining-proves-he-doesnt-get-our-republic-at-all#sthash.9h9Id4gr.dpuf - See more at: https://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2016/04/trumps-whining-proves-he-doesnt-get-our-republic-at-all#sthash.9h9Id4gr.dpuf

The representative model of government

For the sore losers who are whining about Colorado's delegate process, Kendal Casey Unruh writes,

To ALL the naysayers (nice for whiners/sore losers) who say "But people weren't allowed to vote!" I've marked so many ballots since the caucus on March 1 the image of a ballot is permanently imprinted on my corneas. What you are really admitting to the world is, " Look at me. I'm lazy and don't care enough to get off my behind and get involved in the best direct representative process on the planet. Please spoon feed me and make it easy." Memo; Those are NOT our Republican values. If it has value, it requires effort.

Ari Armstrong explains,

...Colorado Republicans selected delegates to the national convention the same way they have before, through the caucus system. Incidentally, according to Wikipedia, Colorado’s caucus system was first instituted in 1912 “as a way to limit the power of party bosses and to attract more grassroots involvement,” then replaced by a primary in 1992, then restored in 2002 through 2004.

...Many Trump supporters seem shocked to learn that American government is primarily representative in nature, not a direct democracy. Have they never heard of the electoral college? The Founders were very careful to create levels of representation; indeed, it is part of the checks and balances of constitutionalism. All we do in Colorado is keep an extra layer of representation in the process; we choose state delegates who then chose national delegates. One can argue that the caucus system is not ideal for whatever reason, but the fact that it is based on the representative model of government isn’t by itself a very good reason to oppose it.

...I’m glad I participated in Colorado’s Republican caucus system. From what I saw, it worked well. I’ll take this opportunity to thank the many volunteers who worked tirelessly to help organize and run the caucuses and conventions and the many thousands of Colorado voters who participated in the process. They are everyday heroes who take seriously their responsibility to participate in American governance.

Read more here.