Popular Vote

In violent times
You shouldn't have to sell your soul
In black and white
They really, really ought to know
--Tears for Fears

One of the Left's many mechanisms for coping with the cognitive dissonance of Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election is to claim that Trump didn't actually win because he lost the popular vote. By 'popular vote,' the Left is referring to the results of the general election which, disregarding the possible impact of voter fraud, currently has Hillary Clinton ahead by approximately a 2.5% margin over Trump.

Winning the popular vote but losing the presidential election is not unusual. It has now happened five times in US history, which equates to nearly one occurrence in every ten presidential elections held in this country.

As specified by the Constitution, it is the Electoral College, not the popular vote, that determines the outcome of presidential election in the United States. As Prof Williams observes, the primary grounds for this was our founding ancestor's deep abhorrence for democracy and majority rule. A search by topic on this site will reveal many posts written about the topic.

Auberon Herbert's 130+ year old essay asks the question that anyone suffering from general election cognitive dissonance must come to terms with: what gives a candidate elected by a democratic majority valid power over the minds, bodies, and possessions of others?