I Read The News Today, Oh Boy...

So the last "Holy Crap!" moment in the news is this: The Pennsylvania GOP wants to re-apportion electoral votes by Congressional District.  First, they gerrymander the hell out of the districts, so that all those brown Democratic voters are squeezed into a few super-blue districts in Philly and Pittsburgh.  The gist would be that Obama could win the popular vote in Pennsylvania but win a minority of electoral votes from PA overall.

With the GOP controlling both houses of the legislature and the governor's mansion, there is nothing illegal about this.  And nothing ironclad to stop them.

Maybe Democrats in Pennsylvania should have freaking voted in 2010.

A year ago, a colleague of mine said that whomever was elected in 2012 would preside over the dismantling of the American political system.  He's a Cassandra, so I thought "whatever, the world is always ending."

But let's game this out.

Congressional Republicans kill Obama's jobs bill.  The Greeks leave the Euro and European banks crash (again).  Things suck all over.

The GOP wises up and nominates Romney.  Romney and Obama have a tight race, but Obama pulls out a narrow win in the popular vote BOTH nationally and in PA.  But he loses 267-273 in the Electoral College because PA changed the rules.  Let's say Michigan and Ohio follow suit.  Suddenly he narrowly wins the popular vote in PA, MI, OH and USA.  But he loses a lopsided 250-290 in the Electoral College.

In 2000, we were at peace and prosperous, which helped explain the equanimity that met the decision in Bush v Gore.  How bad could it be, we all said.

If these states do this, and Obama wins the popular vote in such a way that he would have won prior to the rule changes... There will be blood in the streets.

I don't like hyperbole, but I think this is a legitimate threat.  When the GOP engages in behavior that his LITERALLY NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE IN THE HISTORY OF THE REPUBLIC, most white people see it as a new age of divisive politics.  Black people see it very differently.  To them, it's no surprise that a black President is being treated this way.  If Romney wins via Electoral College shenanigans, black America will erupt in violence.

And the thing is, they won't be wrong to do so.

Jefferson said that while Rules are important, the Norms of institutions are even more important.

There is shit you should not do.

But the GOP is doing it.  And I think it will tear this country apart.

Dennis G over at Balloon Juice calls the GOP the Neo-Confederate Party.  Who knew they might literally precipitate a new Civil War?