Remember when Reagan CRUSHED Carter in the 1980 election?

DonDiego should explain why the basic principle of "every person's vote is equal" should be "mitigated." He should also explain why a state with eighty times the population of another (I'm thinking California and Wyoming, though I didn't check the exact numbers) should not have eighty times the influence and voting power of the smaller state. Forty million people should out-vote half a million--by a margin of eighty to one. It is ludicrous that an equal number of senators represents each state. It is also ludicrous that California does not have eighty times the electoral votes of Wyoming (it's actually a bit over 18x).

DonDiego interprets this fundamentally anti-democratic system as "a positive for the country."

Big cities don't vote, big city residents do. And when you diminish the power of their votes, you increase the voting power of rurals.

Now picture a bunch of big-city voters that DonDiego wants to "mitigate." Then picture a bunch of rural voters that DonDiego wants to empower.

That tells you all you need to know about DonDiego.

And it ain't pretty!

The fact that people support the unfairness of the system precisely because they benefit from that unfairness signals to me that our country is doomed. Republicans complain and whine about the Deep State and how they are so ASKEERED of SOOOOOCIALISM---presumably because they want to live in a free and fair democracy---yet, they support the most undemocratic institutions. Why? Because they're effin' hypocrites.

"incontrovertibly a decent man."  The same can be said about Jimmy Carter.   

Just a thought:  Can the decency (morality, accomplishments after term in office, etc.) of a past president be inversely related to how his presidency is judged by...history?

Candy

No.

A couple of examples: Lincoln was a very good and principled man and is judged favorably by history. Teddy Roosevelt was also a good man and is viewed similarly. Conversely, Andrew Johnson was a complete jerkwad, managed to alienate both parties, and got himself impeached--and is usually in the bottom three when Presidents are ranked. Warren Harding was a drunk in the White House during Prohibition, and his administration was one of the most corrupt in American history. He had multiple affairs while in office. He is not judged kindly by history.

I think the predominant metric is whether you win a war--or at least, happen to have your butt in the chair when a war is won. That will get anything forgiven by history. Woodrow Wilson, case in point---utter racist jerkwad, prig, white supremacist, insufferable to be around. But...the WINNER! Also see: Andrew Jerkson. He's on the $20 bill, when most Indian nations would prefer to see his face on the bottom of a toilet bowl.

Past Presidents can be comforted by the fact that whatever their ranking in history, they will all move up one place when Donald Trump slides in at the bottom. In fact, the Trump presidency answers your question--one of the biggest assholes to ever walk the earth AND the worst administration in history, which will still be true if this nation lasts another 1,000 years.

I was thinking of Carter being the good and decent person with a productive life after office, even now, way up in his 90's!  His presidency is rated as having been one of the worst.  Actually Carter was a good man prior to office.

One could say that Trump pulled a Woodrow Wilson on us, as it is known that Wilson said not one word to the public about the 1918 pandemic even to the day he died, never mentioning the existence of it let alone any warnings.  Trump spoke alright, just with galactically wrong messages.   What could have been his shining hour (and a better shot at the election) instead d/q'd his chances, along with his blowhard, loose cannon, pompous, self-aggrandizing, fact-ignoring, disrespect of his own experts, words to the public.  And now what he is doing, what else can anybody say about him other than...what a maroon!

Whether flunking a class, quitting a job, getting fired...a graceful exit leaves a good impression.  Throwing a tantrum is seldom forgotten.  Not a legacy to be proud of.  At least Nixon smiled and waved as he boarded the helicopter.

JMHO

Candy

BRAVO. well said.

I agree!

(What's "d/q'd"?)

Old expression similar to 86'd--deep sixed--thrown out--etc.   At least I heard it long ago.

"Disqualified" perhaps?