By Perry Hooper, Jr.
As an Elector I have been bombarded by emailers pleading with me to “do the right thing” which in their perverse minds is to vote for Hillary Clinton. Not surprisingly most came from the liberal strangleholds of California and New York. The only right thing for me to do is to cast my vote for Donald J. Trump as I am legally, morally and ethically required to do. I call on all electors across the country to cast the vote as their individual states voted and not listen to any of this nonsense.
Our Founding Fathers’ keen vision and insight for our country reappeared again after last week’s elections. Although Hillary Clinton may capture the popular vote, Donald Trump won the presidency based on the votes awarded by the Electoral College. Clinton did not capture a majority as some claim. A majority of votes would constitute 50 percent plus one; instead, she won a plurality by capturing more votes but not a majority. Third party candidates and write-ins account for this disparity.
Bill Clinton, for example, never won a majority of the popular vote. He won a plurality in the 40-percent range in both his elections with Ross Perot taking 19% of the vote in 1992.
It is very discouraging to watch educated people and pundits on national television babbling about the unjust Trump win. Evidently, these people slept through their government classes.
Many are calling for an elimination of the backbone of our Constitutional form of government, The Electoral College. Led by Ultra-Liberal Lame Duck Senator Barbara Boxer of California they want to turn our system of government upside down. I could not disagree more strongly. Who in their right mind would eliminate a safeguard from mob rule or decisions that would disenfranchise about 35 out of our 50 states? According to their logic thinly populated Wyoming does not even deserve a Senator. I don’t think Alabamians or our fellow Americans in states such as Mississippi, Idaho and Utah would want to yield to that majority. The Electoral College was designed to give residents and voters in smaller states a bigger, more pronounced voice during presidential elections. I can’t imagine anyone in these states eliminating the Electoral College thus allowing the voters of eight to nine large population states the ability to choose the leader of the free world.
Finally Trump campaigned based on the Electoral College pure and simple. As he has stated he would have had a completely different strategy if he were campaigning for the popular vote. He would have spent time and resources in the very blue states like New York and California. He may not have won these very liberal states, but he would have garnered a much larger share of the popular vote in these states and would still be the President – Elect.
Perry O. Hooper Jr. was the Alabama State Co-Chair for Trump. He may be reached at 334-391-0554.
