As Hillary Clinton’s lead in the recent vote for president surpasses 2 million, editorial writers M.D. Harmon and Don Roberts have attempted to justify the theft of the presidency from the winner of the popular vote by defending the Electoral College.

Harmon shows his inability to think logically when he trots out an oft-heard, but ill-considered, argument: “If we chose the president by popular vote, voters in a dozen of the largest states could pick our chief executive every time, while voters in the other three-dozen-plus states would never again feel like they participated in the process.” When would all of the voters in “a dozen of the largest states” ever vote for the same candidate?

In reality, abolishing the Electoral College would engage every voter in the process of electing a president. There would be no safe red or blue states. Candidates would have to campaign for votes all over the country in a civilized manner, ever mindful of offending voters anywhere.

For sheer absurdity, Roberts takes the cake. He bleats, “The American people have delivered a blow for democracy … Donald Trump’s victory is the people’s victory.” Most voters rejected Trump. Some victory for democracy and the American people.

Roberts ends his Trumpian segment: “Thank God the Electoral College prevented California, New York and predominantly left-wing media from permanently stealing our country from us.” This right after a plea to “leave hate and division behind.” Nice.

The Declaration of Independence postulates that all Americans are created equal. Choosing our president by direct popular vote is true democracy.

Harmon and Roberts prefer an Orwellian country where all Americans are equal, but some are more equal than others. And where a president pretends to legitimacy when he isn’t supported by even a plurality of our voters.

John R. Merrill

Augusta