Constitutional Illiterates Howard Dean, MSNBC Host Display Their Ignorance on the Electoral College

There are some moments in politics where you watch a candidate giving a speech, answering a point in a debate, or doing something dumb in general – and realize that you just saw a political career end. 

In 2004, we saw one of those moments; I remember commenting to my wife at the time, “You just saw his career end, right there.” Turns out I was right; Howard Dean ended up dropping out of the 2004 Democratic primary after winning one state in the vote – his own Vermont, now best known for the daffy old Bolshevik, Bernie Sanders.

But Dean wasn’t content to just go quietly into the night. He may not be screaming anymore – at least not in public – but he’s not making any more sense than he did then. 

During a recent appearance on MSNBC’s “The Beat” with host Ari Melber, Dean revealed how little he knows about the founding principles of our republic – and so did the host: 

Heard Dean: “We have to change [our Constitution]. Our foundational electoral system was affected very much by slavery. This was an effort by the small states, & the slave states to make sure they didn’t lose their influence.” pic.twitter.com/5yQOyZhWzW

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) September 28, 2024

Watch the video, but in the event you aren’t able to watch these two constitutional illiterates without giving in to the urge to throw things at the screen, I’ll cover the high points for you.

Melber started off his rant:

“I mentioned the total vote because there’s no other democracy where you constantly have to balance between what the people choose, and what some other arbitrary, very ancient system will allot. But it is notable that we try to do both here.”

The amount of staggering ignorance in that statement is difficult to unpack, but let’s have a go:

• There is no “total vote.” That’s not how we elect presidents. It’s immaterial and irrelevant.
• The United States is not and never has been a democracy. The United States is a constitutional republic. The words “democracy,” democratic,” or democrat” do not appear in the Constitution, which does, though, guarantee the states a “…republican form of government.” We have democratic institutions, like the House of Representatives – but we temper it with republican (small r) institutions like the Senate, which represents the states – and the state selection of electors, who elect the president.
• Every parliamentary system, such as Great Britain, does precisely this. The people don’t elect the prime minister. They elect their representatives – the members of Parliament (MP) – who then elect the prime minister, who wields considerable executive power. The comparison isn’t perfect, but it’s good enough to reveal that Ari Melber simply doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
• It doesn’t matter if the Constitution is ancient or if it was just ratified yesterday. It is and will be the highest law of the land. End of discussion. You can try to amend it – good luck – but you can’t just set it aside. Not without starting some serious stuff that won’t end well for you.

Melber then shows some recent poll results, which he says bolsters his opinion that the Electoral College is old news. I’ll get back to that.

Oh, but let Howard (The Scream) Dean get started:

“We have to change it, (the Constitution) you know, our foundational electoral system was affected very much by slavery. This was an effort by the small states and the slave states to make sure they didn’t lose their influence.”

There is literally not one true statement in that. 

• We don’t have to change the Constitution. It’s fine as it is. Why do leftists always want to change the rules when they can’t get their way?
• Dean, saying the electoral system “was affected… by slavery” is a canard. He is, of course, referring to the infamous 3/5 compromise, which was adopted to prevent the slave-holding states from having an outsized representation by including bondsmen in the tally for the basis of apportionment. That argument has made zero sense since 1865.
• Yes, there is an effort by the small states to make sure we don’t lose our influence. Most of the country doesn’t want to be ruled by Boston, New York, Chicago, and the liberal areas of California. That’s why our electoral system works the way it does; that’s why the Senate works the way it does, with every state, no matter how small or large, having the same representation. That is anti-democratic by design. That is why the United States is not a democracy. We never were a democracy. We never will be a democracy.

By the way, Howard and Ari, it doesn’t matter a damn how many polls you can come up with about whether people like the electoral system we use to elect presidents. It doesn’t matter. The Constitution is what it is. You can try to change it – I predict you’ll fail – but you can’t just hand-wave it away. But – once again – it is always the left that wants to throw the table over and change all the rules when they don’t get their way.

See Related: Biden Botches Thomas Jefferson Quote While Mocking Him and Screaming

INSANE: Watch As Fran Lebowitz Tells Bill Maher She Wants Joe Biden… to Dissolve SCOTUS

Howard Dean is way past his sell date and has been since 2004. If some sagging, leftist network like MSNBC wants to bring him in to opine about something (the Constitution) he knows nothing about, that’s fine; their audience doesn’t know anything about the Constitution, either, and they won’t notice the lack.

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