2020年11月10日
Electoral College的設計是在人民和總統之間放着一班中介人:Electors!且聽Hamilton續說:「The choice of several to form an intermediate body of electors, will be much less apt to convulse the community, with any extraordinary or violent movements, than the choice of one who was himself to be the final object of the public wishes.」
我初讀有點不解,誤以為the choice of one指的是the choice of one Elector,呵呵,再反覆讀來,始曉得這裏的one必然是the President方才妥當,Hamilton的意思分明是人民直選總統極可能震撼社會,激得社會風雷動盪,不得了!為什麼?事關不是人民中的每一位也懂得掌握a judicious combination of all the reasons and inducements which were proper to govern their choice,居然是一派不信任人民!
其實再前一點,在The Federalist Paper No. 63裏,James Madison說得更露骨,指the American Governments(眾數,即分立的三權)實行的是the total exclusion of the people in their collective capacity而不是the total exclusion of representatives of the people from the administration。建國先賢並不信任人民,故只讓民意代表掌政。
那些年,Madison眼中的人民是「a people little blinded by prejudice, or corrupted by flattery」,毫無疑問,制度設計一定要是「a defence to the people against their own temporary errors and delusions」。
美國總統選舉一邊是大塊噫氣,開天闢地,既要人民背書但又雅不願人民直接選賢任能,故掀來了他們的Electoral College。
那今天呢?人民是否還是Madison眼中的須受保護動物?
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