Not that it would change anybody's mind, I would note that if the game were to win the popular vote, the campaigns would have operated very differently. First, Trump might have toned down the Hispanic bashing, and second, he would probably have spent a heck of a lot more time in CA, and other vote rich places. He also might have been more careful not to annoy the moderate to moderate conservative more educated voters in major metro area suburbs. So in that sense, I think it wrong to delegitimize the election result based on the popular vote totals. Just a thought.
The real point perhaps, is that at present the electoral college affects the actual policy emphasis and campaign strategy of the candidates. One can argue that that is the major problem at present with the electoral college. It affects actual policy in a way that a majority of the country dislikes.
Let me go ahead and call bullcrap on this meme.
Trump's outrageous message had nothing to do with some mastermind's strategy to win WWC in MI+WI+PA, and everything to do with getting media attention and saying what R primary voters wanted to hear, so that his poll numbers would shoot up, he could get leverage over NBC to renegotiate his contract, and worst comes to worst, capitalize on a strong 2nd place showing in the R primary.
Sure, much, much later, in the ge campaign, when conway etc, was put in charge, she instructed trump and pence to go mostly to states that were logical according to EC math (despite detours into the deep south and DC for his hotel grand opening and a lack of serious belief by trump that he'd win). But bottom line Trump didn't "tailor his message" in some sort of grand EC strategy.
Agree that EC generally speaking warps the policy emphasis stupidly toward the minority of the country that is northern white rural voters.
