I anticipate some caterwauling this election from the Democrats again about the Electoral College. Here is part five of an ongoing series on reasons that we still need the Electoral College.  (I should link to Gary Gregg of NRO, who is also doing a series on the electoral college, and whose post today hits the same theme as mine.  Copycat.)

Reason The Fifth: It Makes Cultural Extremists Unelectable

There is a cultural divide of some magnitude in this country.  Red-state and blue-state denizens don’t just inhabit different parties, in many ways they inhabit different worlds.  An easy example of that can be found in the reactions to my Why I’m Pro-Life post (those comments are now gone, alas) - red state folks nodding their heads and saying ‘yep’ and blue state folks not understanding where I was coming from at all.  These worldviews and cultural values aren’t right or wrong, necessarily, but they are very different.

The electoral college makes it impossible for someone who is wholly of one cultural group or the other to prevail.  A red-state candidate has to make concessions and outreach to the values of the blue-states, or he will lose.  A blue-state candidate who rejects as invalid the premises of red-state America will crash and burn.  Sometimes these attempts are inept or laughable - Michael Dukakis in a tank to demonstrate that he was a tough guy, John Kerry “hunting” geese to show that he believes in gun rights, really he does.  Americans understand and accept that there are differences among us - but we want to see the other guy making the same recognition.  Red-state Americans respect and admire Joe Lieberman, because he validates our moral and cultural values.  Blue-state Americans respect and admire John McCain, because he validates their valuation of articulation and diplomacy.

It would be bad for America to elect a President that literally hated New York City and everything it stood for.  It would be bad for America to elect a President that literally despised Nebraska and everyone in it.  The electoral college, by adding weight to the votes of the middle of the country, forces the parties to moderate their cultural extremism, and to nominate people who are able to bridge the gap to some extent.  This is a positive contribution to our electoral process.