--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think the Electoral College is an…" description: "\"I think the Electoral College is an absurd 18th-century construct. But that is the law.\" — David Remnick" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/david-remnick-4397_18th-century_i-think-the-electoral-college-is-an-absu_1953065.jpg" --- # I think the Electoral College is an absurd 18th-century… ![“I think the Electoral College is an absurd 18th-century construct. But that is the law.” quote by David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/david-remnick-4397_18th-century_i-think-the-electoral-college-is-an-absu_1953065.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/david-remnick-4397_18th-century_i-think-the-electoral-college-is-an-absu_1953065.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/david-remnick-4397_18th-century_i-think-the-electoral-college-is-an-absu_1953065.jpg) > “I think the Electoral College is an absurd 18th-century construct. But that is the law.” [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Electoral College is outdated but legally entrenched, creating tension between democratic ideals and constitutional mechanisms. **In simple terms:** Outdated system, still law. Key Takeaway Consider reforms or advocacy. Themes democracy law political systems Mood critical reflective Type political commentary When to use this quote - voter education - policy debate - civic engagement Key Concepts constitutional law electoral legitimacy Questions to Reflect On - How can citizens influence entrenched institutions? - What alternatives preserve stability? A Different Perspective Legal change is difficult and slow. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [18th century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/18th-century/) [Absurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd/) [Absurd 18Th](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd-18th-3181569/) [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Constructs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constructs/) [Electoral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electoral/) [Electoral college](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electoral-college/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Think Electoral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-electoral-657192/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I think that some of it is electoral - helping candidates that are willing to take dramatic actions, not just to say a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/i-think-that-some-of-it-is-electoral-helping-candidates-that-are/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [If I had lost the popular vote but won the electoral college and in my first day as president the intelligence community came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/if-i-had-lost-the-popular-vote-but-won-the-electoral-college-and-in/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [What is the purpose of the electoral college? It has a few purposes. One, it's to restrain pure democracy. Very good, very important, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-knowles/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-electoral-college-it-has-a-few-purposes/) [Michael J. Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-knowles/) > [Time and again a close election leads to hand-wringing about the need for Electoral College reform; time and again, politicians and parties respond to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/time-and-again-a-close-election-leads-to-hand-wringing-about-the-need/) [Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/) > [Most people don't understand the Electoral College; they don't know why it exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-golisano/most-people-don-t-understand-the-electoral-college-they-don-t-know/) [Tom Golisano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-golisano/) > [I never stop running. I'm not one of the weenies who drop out just because the electoral college votes. I'm still in the race.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/i-never-stop-running-i-m-not-one-of-the-weenies-who-drop-out-just/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [The Democrat Party, particularly with demographic shifts taking, would love to get rid of the Electoral College.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-democrat-party-particularly-with-demographic-shifts-taking-would/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Shouldn't Obama take some of the electoral college votes he worked hard for and hand them out to the other candidates?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/shouldn-t-obama-take-some-of-the-electoral-college-votes-he-worked/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Electoral College has been with us since the first days of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-electoral-college-has-been-with-us-since-the-first-days-of-america/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Electoral College; Making nobody's vote count for 200 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/electoral-college-making-nobody-s-vote-count-for-200-years/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No one likes the Electoral College, expect perhaps those who were elected because of it. No one likes gerrymandering, except those doing the gerrymandering.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bleyer/no-one-likes-the-electoral-college-expect-perhaps-those-who-were/) [Kevin Bleyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bleyer/) > [While imperfect, the electoral college has generally served the republic well. It forces candidates to campaign in a variety of closely contested races, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-m-daley/while-imperfect-the-electoral-college-has-generally-served-the/) [William M. Daley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-m-daley/) > [America voted Romney. Electoral college voted Obama. Stop being ignorant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/america-voted-romney-electoral-college-voted-obama-stop-being-ignorant/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I ran for the electoral college. I didn't run for the popular vote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-ran-for-the-electoral-college-i-didn-t-run-for-the-popular-vote/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The electoral college is a disaster for a democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-electoral-college-is-a-disaster-for-a-democracy/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) ## More by David Remnick > [The internet is very democratizing in some ways, but it also has other effects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/the-internet-is-very-democratizing-in-some-ways-but-it-also-has-other/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [We can hope that the responsibilities and realities will weigh on Donald Trump and he will not be the president we fear, but rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/we-can-hope-that-the-responsibilities-and-realities-will-weigh-on/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [The future is itself a story, and predictions are stories we tell to amaze ourselves, to give hope to the desperate, to jolt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/the-future-is-itself-a-story-and-predictions-are-stories-we-tell-to/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [Russian is such a tough and complex language that I am happy enough to understand everything and read most things pretty well, but, without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/russian-is-such-a-tough-and-complex-language-that-i-am-happy-enough/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [You are losing because of Jewish bankers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/you-are-losing-because-of-jewish-bankers/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [“One cannot exclude the possibility of a fascist period in Russia,” Staravoitova said on the radio station Echo of Moscow. “We can see too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/one-cannot-exclude-the-possibility-of-a-fascist-period-in-russia/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [I'm a civilian, a citizen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/i-m-a-civilian-a-citizen/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [I'm a journalist - I'm not Robert Caro. I have a day job, and a pretty consuming one - a joyfully consuming one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/i-m-a-journalist-i-m-not-robert-caro-i-have-a-day-job-and-a-pretty/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [My time as editor has been overlapped by a crisis - a prolonged, labyrinthine, tragic, seemingly non-ending crisis - that involves the prehistory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/my-time-as-editor-has-been-overlapped-by-a-crisis-a-prolonged/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [Democratic institutions, even in the oldest operating democracy in the world, are anything but perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/democratic-institutions-even-in-the-oldest-operating-democracy-in-the/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [Donald Trump seems to think it is within his rights to trample the First Amendment, to disdain the press, to punish protesters or flag-burners,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/donald-trump-seems-to-think-it-is-within-his-rights-to-trample-the/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [I understand the difference between journalism and scholarship that comes 20 years later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/i-understand-the-difference-between-journalism-and-scholarship-that/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [The Communist Party apparatus was the most gigantic mafia the world has ever known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/the-communist-party-apparatus-was-the-most-gigantic-mafia-the-world/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [The only reason the word "brand" gets a little tiresome is that something that is complex and wonderful and deep begins to sound like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/the-only-reason-the-word-brand-gets-a-little-tiresome-is-that/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [I got in journalism for any number of reasons, not least because it's so much fun. Journalism should be in the business of putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/i-got-in-journalism-for-any-number-of-reasons-not-least-because-it-s/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) [Explore all 111 David Remnick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) ## More 18th century quotes > [ “And the differences thence arising \[between the constitution of men and women\] are no ways sufficient to argue more natural strength in the one… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-sophia-fermor/and-the-differences-thence-arising-between-the-constitution-of-men/) [Lady Sophia Fermor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-sophia-fermor/) > [Look, science is hard, it has a reputation of being hard, and the facts are, it is hard, and that's the result of 400…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/look-science-is-hard-it-has-a-reputation-of-being-hard-and-the-facts/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [The lessons of the First Amendment are as urgent in the modern world as the 18th Century when it was written. One timeless lesson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-kennedy/the-lessons-of-the-first-amendment-are-as-urgent-in-the-modern-world/) [Anthony Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-kennedy/) > [ By 18th century standards, they \[Great Britain\] were the freest, most dynamic, most willing to challenge tradition and authority. They had the highest wages… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-morris/by-18th-century-standards-they-great-britain-were-the-freest-most/) [Charles R. Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-morris/) > [“If from immemorable time, the Men had been so little envious, and so very impartial, as to do justice to our talents, by admitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-sophia-fermor/if-from-immemorable-time-the-men-had-been-so-little-envious-and-so/) [Lady Sophia Fermor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-sophia-fermor/) > [Compare the scale and magnifcence of Versailles with St James's - the brick-built hovel in which the 18th-century kings of England lived. What was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-starkey/compare-the-scale-and-magnifcence-of-versailles-with-st-james-s-the/) [David Starkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-starkey/) > [Newt Gingrich wants to repeal child labor laws. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the man that we need to lead us into the 18th…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/newt-gingrich-wants-to-repeal-child-labor-laws-ladies-and-gentlemen/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [ “I shou'd not myself have thought \[Cato\] worth so much notice as I have here taken of him; but that the Men are weak… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-sophia-fermor/i-shou-d-not-myself-have-thought-cato-worth-so-much-notice-as-i-have/) [Lady Sophia Fermor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-sophia-fermor/) > [The theory of social contracts extends as far back as Plato. However, it was the great 18th century social philosophers John Locke, Thomas Hobbes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mainwaring/the-theory-of-social-contracts-extends-as-far-back-as-plato-however/) [Simon Mainwaring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mainwaring/) > [To my three sons, Peter, Scott, and Alexander who pulled me from the 18th Century and back into the present on a regular basis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/to-my-three-sons-peter-scott-and-alexander-who-pulled-me-from-the/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > ["The Constitution" has something called The Emoluments Clause. That's just a fancy, 18th century word for no foreign government payments. And Donald Trump is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-l-eisen/the-constitution-has-something-called-the-emoluments-clause-that-s/) [Norman L. Eisen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-l-eisen/) > [The word 'America' probably didn't appear in the Persian language until the end of the 18th century - but then with a documented past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/the-word-america-probably-didn-t-appear-in-the-persian-language-until/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [The United States may have retained more of the intellectual imprint of the British 18th century than Britain itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-rees-mogg/the-united-states-may-have-retained-more-of-the-intellectual-imprint/) [William Rees-Mogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-rees-mogg/) > [I think I'm from the 18th century, not even the 19th. I don't even use a typewriter. I prefer longhand, and that's how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruskin-bond/i-think-i-m-from-the-18th-century-not-even-the-19th-i-don-t-even-use/) [Ruskin Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruskin-bond/) > [You need some reason why Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn in the 18th century all flocked to Vienna. What was it about Vienna? They must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/you-need-some-reason-why-beethoven-mozart-and-haydn-in-the-18th/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) [Browse all 180 18th century quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/18th-century/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think the Electoral College is an absurd 18th-century construct. 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