Reply #20: The point of the electoral college

[The Green Manalishi]

is to intensify and accentuate the difference between the winning and losing candidate so as to make it appear that the nation is more cohesive than it really is.
It is not only possible, but the design tends and was intended to turn a 48/52 split in the popular vote into something that appears to be much more decisive. Amongst other reasons, such as giving established members of the political class a say in who becomes President regardless of what the voters do.

It also is, as with the bicameral legislature, a balance for the more agrarian areas against the overwhelming number of votes in the cities.( A principle I wish we had MORE of here in california as LA would gladly drain dry every river and lake to provide water for swimming pools and *should* be able to do it if one believes in raw democracy.) Otherwise a candidate would only have to win the big cities and do fuck all for anyone outside of a place with a population of 500,000. This pisses off many progressives, of course, because in a pure popular vote progressive positions would win big, particularly if candidates ONLY had to pander to the cities.

I think a part of the point of the super-delegates is to look coldly and rationally at who can *WIN*. The fact is that primaries are usually won by the candidate who brings out the most partisan and motivated voters and, especially, volunteers and contributors, Sara Palin, or for us Howard Dean or Dennis Kucinich, who may or may not be the most viable candidate in the general wherein most of the voters can barely be roused out of their chairs to come to the polls.