It's actually pretty simple to explain, John. The Electoral College was a brokered deal by the framers of the Constitution which appeased the smaller populated states into signing the Constitution because they were afraid the larger populated states would out-vote their preference for a President, and thus in essence it gave each and every vote coming from the smaller states slightly more value than those votes cast in more populated states.
(you see, the more things change, the more they stay the same...and so, can you say "Big City Elitists" and "Small Town Values", everybody???)
Yep! I know, I know, Sandmann. Now you'd THINK in this day and age that a SIMPLE NATIONWIDE ONE MAN-ONE VOTE SYSTEM would be the way to go, wouldn't ya?! You know, a system where the candidate who actually GARNERED the most votes in this NATION would ALWAYS WIN, which hasn't always happened, BTW. You know, maybe a system would might help rid us of often DIVISIVE NOTION which since the advent of color television has become known the "Red States" and the "Blue States".
But naaaah! THAT would be MUCH too easy! And besides the folks with the "ALL the Good Ol' Small Town Values" in this country would NEVER go for somethin' like that anyway, because all those darn "Big City Elitists" might always decide who would win the ONLY SINGULAR NATIONAL ELECTIVE OFFICE FOR WHICH EVERY AMERICAN HAS THE RIGHT TO VOTE!!!
(and now I know I'll be hearing from some of the folks in the smaller states any time now...BUT IF you DO wish to question my history here, I have to warn ya...I DO KNOW my U.S.History, folks...and soooooo...BEWARE!!!)
