It could happen. An article in the
Los Angeles Times explains how:
As I put together different combinations, I had in mind that Republicans
traditionally do pretty well in most of those states still too close to
call. So, I hit on a scenario that gave Romney the southern trio --
Virginia, North Carolina and Florida -- plus the two Western states –
Colorado and Nevada – that are seldom hospitable to Democrats.
I also gave Romney Iowa in the heartland, although that is pretty good
ground for Obama. To the president I gave only Ohio as a reward for
saving the auto industry and New Hampshire because, in the end, that
independent little state generally goes for the Democrat.
It was a completely plausible split and the result was a shock: 269 electoral votes each for Obama and Romney. A tie! As
those of you who paid attention in social studies class will remember,
if no candidate achieves 270 electoral votes, the decision is thrown to
the newly elected House of Representatives. There, each state gets one vote...
That means an electoral college tie puts Romney in the White House. But
the news is not necessarily as good for his running mate, Paul Ryan. The Senate gets to pick the vice president, and each senator gets one vote. If Democrats hold on to the Senate this fall...
President Romney and Vice-President Biden. God help us. And this final note:
Of course everything changes if just one elector in one state takes it
upon himself to break the tie. In most states, that would be a perfectly
legal thing for an elector to do. Such craziness is the risk we run
under a system in which every vote counts, but some count a lot more
than others.
You know, I'm not even on your side of the Atlantic, but that combination would be good thing for you. Best chance to overcome partisanship for at least 4 years and back to what i find most attractive about american democracy: strong individual senators and congressmen who are not just soulless voters for their respective parties.
ReplyDeleteExcept here the Vice President doesn't have any power. I don't think a mixed leadership would overcome partisanship. And, at the risk of sounding (overly) cynical, I believe there are very few Senators and Congressmen who are anything other than "soulless voters for their parties."
DeleteNot so cynical -- realistic, IMO. Congress' approval rate stands at 10%. Failure to compromise to benefit the country shows me our Reps and Senators are out for themselves.
Delete