Trump Nets Pennsylvania's 20 Electoral Votes For President
HARRISBURG, Pa. (KDKA) -- The whole proceeding in the state capital took about 72-minutes, but the outcome was known weeks ago.
"The vote for president of the United States was 20 votes for Donald J. Trump and the vote for vice president of the United States was 20 votes for Michael R. Pence," intoned Rob Gleason, the state Republican chairman who was elected president of Pennsylvania's Electoral College.
All 20 Pennsylvania electors voted for the Trump-Pence ticket, after the state had earlier certified that Trump won Pennsylvania by 44,292 votes out of 6 million votes cast.
That didn't stop protesters from objecting with a chorus of "shame on you" heard by the electors inside the capital building.
"Shame on you. Shame on you. Shame on you."
In the rotunda, protesters sang their own version of the Twelve Days of Christmas.
"The fourth reason why Trump should not be president -- he wants a Muslim registry, he denies climate change, got help from Russian hackers, and he didn't win the popular vote."
It's true Hillary Clinton won the popular vote nationwide by nearly three million votes, but in the Electoral College it's winning states that count more.
And as Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat who supported Clinton, told the Republican electors, "Election Day places power in those in this room, and that's you. Today, you will officially select the next president of the United States. You will follow the will of the people of Pennsylvania."
And that will was clear, Gleason reminded electors.
"Now we sit in this magnificent, majestic House chamber, as the first Republican electors in Pennsylvania since 1988."
No defections -- no unfaithful electors -- no surprises.
Why?
Because all 20 electors were hand-picked by the Trump campaign for their loyalty.
There were no electors from Pittsburgh, the closest being Republican National Committeewoman Christine Toretti from Indiana County and Gleason and his son Chris from Johnstown.
"I know that Donald Trump and Mike Pence will be working to make America great again," Gleason told the electors.
Trump will become the fifth president to lose the popular vote but still become president, following in the footsteps of John Quincy Adams, Rutherford B. Hayes, Benjamin Harrison, and George W. Bush.
A McClatchy-Marist poll just released found that 52 percent of Americans want to abolish the Electoral College as undemocratic and unfair, while 45 percent do not.
But there's a clear party split with 78 percent of Democrats wanting to abolish the College while 67 percent of Republicans are happy to keep it.
Nothing is likely to change.
"Today's proceedings remain consistent with the procedures followed when the first Electoral College convened in Pennsylvania 227 years ago," reminded Pennsylvania Secretary of State Pedro Cortes.
And with Pennsylvania electors casting their ballots for president in the historic manner of winner-take-all, Trump won every vote.
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