Asserts the moderate-liberal commentator in D.C.: "The 2012 presidential campaign’s turn away from the classic,
straight-up, American election — where the candidate who gets the most
votes nationwide wins — is another sad reminder of the extreme political
polarization distorting today’s politics. No one talks about a 50-state strategy for winning the presidency these days. Most of the nation is now made up of fixed red states and blue states. At
best there are a dozen states truly open to casting a majority of votes
for the candidate with the strongest message and best candidate. And
in those few ‘swing’ states the contest most often comes down to
turnout — Republicans and Democrats concentrating their energies on the
so-called ‘ground game’ involved with getting their most reliably loyal
voters to the polls."
Mr. Williams continues his commentary: "The bottom line in today’s presidential elections is that winning 270 electoral votes is all that counts.In a race this close, there is one other possibility. The magic number will be 269 votes. Under the Constitution, a tie in the electoral results puts the election to a vote in the House of Representatives. With the GOP in control of the House, a tie of 269 electoral votes will make Romney the president. But wait. With the Democrats in charge of the Senate, they can put Joe Biden in as Romney’s vice president. That
absurdity, that picture of total political gridlock in the White House
and on Capitol Hill, is the perfect representation of today’s
dysfunctional Washington politics in which the thoughtful voter plays no
role."
Juan Williams: "The Polarized Political System Is Responsible For America's Dysfunctional Elections"
