Romney/Biden Ticket?

I was watching the latest polls and it dawned on me how both parties could win the election.

It sounds odd, but if I’m not mistaken, there is an avenue in which this could occur.  With the polls at 48% for Obama and 48% for Romney, there is a sliver of a chance that there could be a tie. Don’t laugh; the swing states are neck-and-neck for each candidate, so it’s possible.

The swing states are: Nevada, Colorado, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Vermont. Let’s say Obama took Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsyvania, and Vermont, while Romney took Nevada, Colorado, Iowa, Florida, and Virginia. That is an even split in the Electoral College, with 269 each.

The Electoral College has 538 votes that make up the districts within the states and a split of 269 to 269 could feasibly occur. It has happened three times before, in the 1800s. The popular vote is only a rough indicator of how the president is elected. Those votes are sent to the electors who examine the wishes of their district and make a final determination for president.

If a tie occurs in the Electoral College, then the 12th Amendment states that the new House of Representatives must make the final decision. Each state gets one vote. That means Montana would have the same vote as New York. As you can see, the majority party would have the advantage. If the Republicans are still in the majority after the election then they would most likely vote Mitt Romney as president.

But what about the Senate? The Senate gets to decide who the Vice President is. If the Democrats are still a majority, then most likely they would vote for Joe Biden. In essence, we could have a Romney/Biden administration. Even if there was a tie in the Senate, Joe Biden (president of the Senate) would have the deciding vote to break the tie. Would he vote for himself?

In this strange scenario, two men from opposite parties could be in the white house. I will let you decide whether this is a win/win or not.  

Bigger Government is rarely an admired government.

Conservatives believe government should be small and stay out of their way, while progressives feel government should be big and be a helping hand to the little guy.

I believe the conservatives have got it right and not for the normal reasons. Sure government should be around to assist in roads, the welfare and security of citizens, but bigger government can create a cyclical negativity resulting in dissatisfaction. Let me demonstrate.

Let’s say you are conservative and your guy is in office and he is doing a lot of stuff you like. After your guy’s term is up, a liberal guy gets elected and you’re furious, because all the stuff your guy did is now being dismantled. 

If voters elect liberal government officials, then the democrats will no doubt get what the policies they appreciate most. If voters elect conservative government officials, then the republicans will get what they want. What we are forgetting is that after an election, almost half the people didn’t get what they wanted.  The result is constant complaining for the next several years from the side not in office. As government grows, so too will the animosity of the citizens.

Think of it this way.  If my coworker nags me day after day or is regularly critiquing my actions, the coworker I rarely see becomes much more pleasant. This is because those less involved in our lives are not around to offend us, so we complain more often when someone wrongs us more often. A bigger government will, by the nature of its increased involvement with communities, foster more complaints.

How could a modern country do without big government? There was a period in our young history when the churches and civil minded people volunteered to take on the role of helping the uneducated, poor, sick, jailed, and destitute. Now, we rely on government for these things…and volunteers are disappearing.

 It may be a nice security blanket to have the government of your choice in office, but when the other team is in office that blanket could smother you.  Remember, it’s not the four years or so when your guy is elected that you need to worry about, it’s the next four years or so when the other guy is elected.  That is why, although it may mean more work on my end, I believe a small government is appreciated more.

“Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.” 
John F. Kennedy