How the next President will be elected (Hint: the voters don't elect the President)

This year's Presidential primary elections are riveting weekly entertainment, much like American Idol.

Unfortunately when the voting is done there are two winners who will face off against each other in another election that is much like a boxing match.  Following all the trading of punches and cheering by the avid fans, the results will be determined by a group of "judges" not the fans.

As was discovered in 2000 by the uninformed American, the voters of the United States don't elect the President. Let me say that again. The voters of the United States do not elect the President. Instead, pursuant to the Constitution which was handed down to the Founding Fathers by God (well, it might as well as have been that way since we nearly worship the document), the President is selected by the members of the Electoral College.

Pursuant to the Constitution, delegations of members of the Electoral College from each state "come together" in their state to cast their "preference" for President based upon the majority of votes cast for President in their respective states. The candidate that gets 270 or more Electoral College votes becomes President. (In the unlikely case there is no winner in the Electoral College, the Republican House of Representatives will appoint the President. The House of Representatives is Republican because grass roots Republicans think it is really important to work hard to control the House of Representatives.)

Let me now qualify what I am about to say. If the candidates end up being Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders, history offers little help in predicting who will win. Otherwise....

History assures us that the 148 electors from following states will vote for the Democratic candidate: California, Connecticut, Delaware, D.C., Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

History assures us that the 144 electors from following states will vote for the Republican candidate: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.

History indicates that the 94 electors from the following states are available to the Democrats to give away: Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. In other words, these states are likely to vote for the Democratic Party electors unless the Democratic candidate becomes unacceptable to Independents and some Democrats. If the Democrats win these electors, than they need to win "only" 28 more.

History indicates that the 14 electors from the following states are available to the Republicans to give away: Indiana and Montana. In other words, these states are likely to vote for the Republican Party electors unless the Republican candidate becomes unacceptable to Independents and/or some Republicans. If the Republicans win these electors, than they need to win "a whopping" 112 more.

The "more" electors will come from these states (the number of electors in each state is indicated): Arkansas 6, Colorado 9, Florida 29, Iowa 6, Kentucky 8, Louisiana 8, Missouri 10, Nevada 6, New Hampshire 4, New Mexico 5, Ohio 18, Tennessee 11, Virginia 13, West Virginia 5, and Wyoming 3.

Winning the Presidency isn't critical to the Republican agenda. Seventy percent of state legislatures, more than 60 percent of governorships, 55 percent of attorneys general and secretaries of state are all under Republican control. Republicans control 247 seats in the House of Representatives compared to 188 Democratic seats. Republicans control 54 seats in the U.S. Senate compared to 46 Democratic seats. So winning the Presidency isn't critical to the Republican agenda.

Nonetheless, the Republicans should be voting for the candidate who will not end up turning off some Republican voters and independent voters in Indiana and Montana. And for Republicans it is imperative that their candidate appeal to all Republican voters plus independent voters in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and/or Wyoming.

The Republicans should nominate Florida Senator Marco Rubio to try to block the Democrats from winning Florida. That would leave the Democratic candidate having to fight for votes in Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and/or Wyoming.

The next President will get to appoint one or more Supreme Court Justices. This is critical to the liberal/progressive policies and programs of the Democrats. Further, if the Democratic candidate doesn't win, the Republican President will have a Republican Senate and House. At this time, the Republicans are formulating a plan to undo most liberal/progressive policies and programs should the Democrats give away the Presidency, the only branch of the United States government they control. Winning the Presidency is a do or die matter for the Democrats.

So all the primary BS notwithstanding, in the primaries the Democrats (and other liberals, progressives, or populists) should be voting for the candidate who they are sure will not end up in the general election turning off many regular Democratic voters and a lot of independent voters in downstate Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Further, in the primaries the Democrats should be voting for the candidate who could appeal to all Democratic voters plus independent voters in the general election in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and/or Wyoming.

 One thing is for certain. To win the Presidency, it doesn't matter how popular a candidate is with the "base" or "core" of the party during the American Idol phase (the primaries). In the November general election he or she must be acceptable to a broad range of voters.

Or maybe it will be Trump v Sanders. In that case it will be interesting to see what the regular voters who don't succumb to the American Idol approach will do with two candidates whose music isn't at all familiar nor comfortable and whose image is unappealing. In that situation they will be the voters who will determine who gets to be the next President.