The Unbearable Lightness of Inaction

“It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important.

You have to do the right thing. 

It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit. 

But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. 

You may never know what results come from your action. 

But if you do nothing, there will be no result.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

This is a quick post with its message focused on the importance of taking action (versus taking none), regardless of whether the desired outcome is guaranteed. It was prompted by a contentious conversation I had last night at a local Meetup event with two individuals whom I'd never met before. One was female (under 30) and the other was male (50ish).

Both were Democrats who supported Hillary Clinton.

Electoral College Rules - How Clinton Can Win

"The supreme quality for leadership is

unquestionably integrity." ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

The Constitution's 12th Amendment describes the Electoral College rules. It also addresses a scenario in which no candidate reaches 270 Electoral College votes.

Following is the text of the U.S. Constitution's 12th Amendment (emphasis mine):

"The electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice-President, and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate;

--The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted; 

--the person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President.

But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. 

And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a President whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of the President.  

The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed,

and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States."

Okay. I know that was a lot to take in. It sounds more complicated than it is, which is why I separated the paragraphs and added color to help your eye find the relevant section. First, let me explain the math.

There are a total of 538 available Electoral Votes; hence, 538 Electors who will vote on December 19. Right now, Trump has 306 votes and Clinton has 232 votes = 538 Electoral Votes. So why is 270 is the magic number? 

538 ÷ 2 = 269. So with two candidates, each getting 269 would make it a tie. Therefore, 270 breaks the tie, giving one candidate the majority of the votes.

Are you with me so far?

• Scenario A: If 37 leave Trump and go to Clinton, both candidates will have 269, creating a tie, and the House of Representatives will become the final arbiter.
• Scenario B: If 38 leave Trump and go to Clinton, Trump drops to 268 and Clinton gets 270, the magic number -- and Clinton becomes our first woman President.

But recently, a GOP Elector announced he will not give his vote to Trump. This means that Scenarios A and B are unlikely. What if 37 leave Trump and give their votes to some "other" candidate?

Clinton would still have her 232, "Other" would have 37, and Trump would have 269. And again the House of Representatives would become the final arbiter.

"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, 

and you may cherish the sweetest reflection 

that your vote is never lost." ~ John Quincy Adams

On a personal note, I cling to the belief that many GOP Electors recognize Trump as temperamentally unfit to be president. He lacks integrity, sound judgment, and experience. He behaves recklessly and without forethought, endangering our nation's stability. Putting him in the White House would be a catastrophic mistake for our country and the world. It is my hope that the Electors will put principles above party and not vote for Trump. If they do not feel comfortable crossing party lines and giving their votes to Clinton, then voting for Kasich would likely be embraced by both parties.

Note: If a constitutional attorney/expert reviews this post and says my interpretation is flawed, I will revise and update this post to ensure it is accurate.

*Scroll to the bottom of the page to read my Disclaimer.