I don't believe that the creaky, antiquated creature that is the Electoral College is going to save us from the onrushing catastrophe. This is largely because it will take 37 brave souls to make a difference, and I don't know if there are 37 principled political actors left in American politics these days. (I refer anyone bothered by this assertion to Tomlin's Law: No matter how cynical you are, it's never enough to keep up.)

However, I believe this story entirely. From Salon:

"We have gotten reports from multiple people," the elector said, "that the Donald Trump campaign is putting pressure on Republican electors to vote for him based on . . . future political outcomes based on whether they vote for Donald Trump or not." The elector emphasized that these reports had come straight from the Republican electors themselves, with the threats steering clear of violence but instead focusing on "career pressure." "It's all political, basically," the elector said. "If Trump becomes the president, he's going to be able to put pressure on the state parties and they won't be involved anymore."

Given what we already know about the predilections of hackers from the land of the Rus, I'm wondering if there aren't other forms of pressure available to the Trump forces beyond the ability to disinvite people from the Mason County Republican Pig Roast next summer. At this point, nothing really would surprise me.

Also, Hamilton Electors? If you're looking around for a legitimately bipartisan replacement for El Caudillo del Mar-A-Lago, this isn't really the week to be pushing John Kasich, who is perfectly willing to "compromise" the privacy rights of 51 percent of the American people. First things first.

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Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.

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