Gaming the Numbers

   The candidate insists he will "absolutely" accept the results of the Presidential election Nov. 8 but only if he wins.
   But what if he doesn't, which seems more and more likely as the Big Day looms? What will it take to convince him that he did not win? How many votes would satisfy his need for an acceptable margin?
   The Constitution stipulates that a simple majority of electoral votes will determine the winner. That translates to half the total electors, plus one. Since there is a total of 538 electoral votes, half of that plus one means 270 votes will determine the winner.
   If there is a tie, the Constitution provides a backup vote, to be taken in the House of Representatives. And if the voting is close, as it was in 2000, a recount in a single state -- Florida -- determined the winner. As it happened, Republican George W. Bush got to the Oval Office with a margin of just five electoral votes over Democrat Al Gore -- 271 to 266.
   In other contests, the winner led by as many as several hundred votes. For example, Democrat Lyndon Johnson defeated Republican Barry Goldwater by an electoral count of 486 to 52. Republican Richard Nixon turned back Democrat George McGovern by a tally of 520 to 17. And Republican Ronald Reagan trounced Democrat Walter Mondale by 526 to 13.
   But by far the greatest victory was when Franklin D. Roosevelt left Alf Landon with only 8 electoral votes.
   And besides the narrrowest of victories in 2000, Bush took a second term in the election of 2004 by a margin of 35 electoral votes over John Kerry -- 286 to 251.
   Other than the recount issue in Florida after the election in 2000, the results were accepted early on, the defeated candidate conceded, and the nation moved on.
   So what result of the electoral vote count will satisfy the already disgruntled GOP candidate, Donald Trump, who began months ago to insist the system was "rigged" against him, to admit defeat?
   Analysis and predictions by political analysts in both parties as well as media pundits indicate that Trump will lose "bigly," as he might say.
   Then again, he might not. He may well look for some way to challenge not only the popular vote but also the electoral vote, which is the one that really selects a new President.
   Perhaps he will insist that he won the popular vote, but all the election officials nationwide, both Democrat and Republican, rigged the count so he would lose. Therefore, the story is, since he won the popular vote he should become President.
   Here's a reminder to those who may not have read the Constitution lately. The Presidency is the only federal office not elected by direct, or popular, vote. It's the electoral vote that determines the winner.

   Here's another reminder, to Donald Trump: If you haven't read the Constitution, Khizr Kahn will be happy to lend you his copy.