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[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

On Mar 21, 2008, at 5:16 PM, Clansgian AT wmconnect.com wrote:

> > Many of America's Founding Fathers hated the thought of political
> > parties
>
> But, Gene, they hated them in this context:

James, I did not write that statement.

> The first presidential election (1789) involved only ten states.   
> Two states
> had not yet ratified the constitution and one (NY) filed too late.
>
> Of the ten states that participated, seven did not hold presidential
> elections as today, the legislators chose the electors.  The idea  
> was that you elected
> your state reps and trusted them to support a presidential candidate  
> of best
> interest to your state.  It was not until 1860 that all states held  
> popular
> elections of electors.
>
> Under that system you would not need political parties, and indeed,  
> in the
> first election there were none.
>
> A vote based on a simple majority of votes would be a disaster.  NY,
> California, Texas, and Florida would choose every president and the  
> rest of us might
> as well stay at home.  Candidates would know this and shower  
> largesse on those
> states at the expense of the rest of us.