I genearlly agree with your commentary all around, though I still have some input.
You mentioned that Obama could have won the electoral college without the popular vote, but I have my suspicion that the PV favors Democrats due to their strength in urban areas which have more voters. FairVote, a supporter of the National Popular Vote as a full replacement for the electoral college, admits that
Democrats are modestly favored in MSAs. OP, I don't have a strong opinion on this, but I would appreciate a little more explanation of how Obama wins the electoral vote and loses the popular vote.
