Without a shred of self-awareness, right-wing news outlets and Donald Trump appeared to lament European electoral systems that denied populist parties equal representation. If that bothers them, they must be really upset about the Electoral College.
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The right-wing publication Breitbart is up in arms over two recent European elections in which nationalist parties did relatively well in the popular vote but, due to the respective rules in place, failed to win a proportionate share of parliamentary seats. Donald Trump then amplified these articles on his Truth Social platform to make sure his base would be appropriately outraged over this grave injustice.
In the British parliamentary election last Thursday, the Reform UK party of right-wing loon Nigel Farage earned 14.3 percent of the popular vote. However, due to the UK’s “first-past-the-post” electoral system, the party only won five of 650 seats in parliament.
No matter how you feel about Farage, that doesn’t seem fair. And his wasn’t the only party affected. The Greens gained 6.8 percent of the vote but only won four seats.
Things were a bit different in France, where Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (NR) received the most votes but only came in third place with regard to parliamentary seats won. That’s because the main left-wing and centrist parties struck a deal to withdraw some of their candidates in districts where they otherwise would have split the vote and opened the door for NR candidates.
Still, it is another example of an electoral system that seems unjust because the person/party receiving the most votes does not necessarily win.
Obviously, this would upset Breitbart readers and Trump voters.
Boy, are they going to be mad when they learn about the Electoral College.
Certainly, they will be just as distressed about a system that allows candidates like Trump, who received millions of fewer votes both in 2016 and 2020, to become president.
(Editor’s Note: Even following a thorough search, we were unable to find any stories on Breitbart hinting at Trump’s 2016 victory being tainted because he was clearly not the people’s choice. If you find such an article, please send it to https://whowhatwhy.org/contact/).
Of course, the irony of this may be lost on most MAGA supporters, who will note that we are talking about parliamentary elections in Europe (although the UK election did result in a new prime minister).
OK, fine.
However, if proportional voting were used, Republicans would also not be competitive in the Senate… or in many state legislatures.
And, if congressional districts weren’t gerrymandered to smithereens, and Democrats put up candidates in every race, the GOP would lose the House as well.
So maybe, just maybe, Trump and his supporters should not point out flaws in electoral systems that deny equal representation or put people in power who, according to the will of the people, don’t belong there.
That being said, there is a difference between the UK, France, and the US.
After their losses, the right-wing candidates in Europe didn’t make up a massive lie because they couldn’t handle their defeats… and it also stands to reason that neither Farage nor Le Pen will attempt any coups.
