If You Can't Beat 'Em: Change the Rules

So California is pretty much a Blue State, right? And it'll probably be bluer than blue over the next few decades or so considering the Republicans have been hell-bent on pissing off every Hispanic voter lately, right? So what's a Republican to do to change all that? Better ideas? Better Presidents? Better wars? How's about changing the rules so that the Republicans can get some of that California's electoral gold.

Thomas Hiltachk, a Sacramento lawyer with connections to the California Republican Party, is working on getting an initiative on the 2008 ballot that'll divvy up California's electoral votes by congressional districts. So the presidential candidate who wins the congressional district will get one electoral vote for it. The only thing winning the state will get a candidate is just two votes, a pair of tickets to Great America, and a gift certificate to In N' Out Burger. Now while Democrats have more congressmen than Republicans, there are enough Republican congressional districts out there to throw up to twenty points a Republicans’ way. Considering the tightness of the past two elections and the South's inability to get a clue, those twenty votes could very possibly swing the election to whatever Republican runs. Those twenty votes, for instance, are the same as Ohio and as we all know Ohio was the difference in 2004. Which means that in 2008, the Republicans won't have to worry about stealing Ohio. Or maybe they still will.

Proponents of the bill are trying to get it put on the June 2008 ballot and since there's nothing really going on for that election, the turnout will be loooow. That could mean that whatever side has the more motivated voters could win and Republicans could be ultra-motivated pass this. To help sweeten the deal, they're also throwing in a lot of conservative red meat into this election, like the ole stand by, more gay bashing measures.

So far, Arnie has yet to weigh in on this.