(re-post of my old essay from T_D on Reddit)

Megacities and the urban sprawl which surrounds and connects them create zones of provincial sentiment, which is now revealed as a national sentiment. It really is a mind-set. At a certain point the city becomes the state (New York, California, Maryland) and views in opposition to those of the urban voting block go to margin.

The urban-rural schism is the most pervasive, but there are regional differences that also transcend party. Look at Colin Woodard's 11 Nation-States of America, which paints a few large swaths across the continent by county which represent waves of immigrant settlers, who seeded these geographic areas with attitudes that, just as with dialect, influence voters today. Even those who re-settle into those areas (and especially their children) adopt the flava. With whimsical names like Yankeedom, New Netherlands, Midlands and Tidewater one can almost imagine a Tolkienesque retelling of the American Tale, and I wish this concept may some day grow into an alternate-selection textbook of history that follows these waves without so much distracting clutter of place-names. On this map South Florida does not even make the list, it is a grey zone labelled 'Part of the Spanish Caribbean'. Hilarious!

Urbanites are more accepting of incremental erosion of personal liberty and a pattern of ever-increasing (but never abrupt) government involvement. I see this described in derogatory fashion as if they are simple sheeple or something, but I don't subscribe to such a vulgar character judgement. I think it may simply be that they are more often exposed to utopian ideals and idealists which say, we're this-close to solving this problem, all we need to do is this one more thing.

Urbanites see their government as a machine that just needs a little tuning here and there. And it is a machine of sorts, one that gathers distant water rights and political power. Eventually the political sway of populous megacities will be complete, but in the United States it is not happening fast enough for them. Which is why they are attacking the Constitution directly, seeking an end-run play to nullify the effect of the electoral college.

Introducing the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. By a state's own right to supply Presidential electors in any way it sees fit... some states dominated by Megacities have decided to pass legislation that would 'give' their electoral votes over to the winner of the national popular vote -- regardless of the state's actual popular result.

I see this is a deliberate self-castration of a state's right to choose a President. If there is a battle between the Cities and Not-the-Cities, this is the front line. Look at the green (passed) and yellow (pending) states on the map. The green are your cities vying for political domination. The yellow states are the 'front lines' where progressive legislatures are now trying to sleaze it through, while they hope their rural populations remain unaware of its ultimate effect. MegaCities know that their national voting bloc which increasingly includes non-citizens who intend to vote in Federal elections, is on the cusp of the majority. Which is why they are making their move. Megacities wish to ensure that an 'electoral upset' such as assured Trump's victory will never happen again.

The NPVIC was started by disenfranchised supporters of Al Gore who decided that if they lost it must mean that the system was broken.

No matter exactly what the framers intended, the Electoral College creates a swing zone within which the growing influence of urbanized areas may (yet) reach a balance point with the desires of the sparsely populated rural peoples. This balance point, in which everyone becomes aware that the popular and electoral results differ, should be a time of reflection and reconsideration of both sides. A time for great orators (and red-pillers, shitposters!) to step forth and do their best to convince half the country that that other half is not merely insane.

The Compact is designed as an immoral stealth weapon against ignorant people. It has no effect until its majority is complete... which means that state legislatures can pass legislation binding them to the Compact and bide their time. In the interim they need not face the controversy of their state helping to elect a President against its own popular vote. It is designed to keep knowledge of the Compact under the radar as it gains states.

Then the day it has gained enough electors, it pounces, everywhere. End of college.

We are presently within a swing-zone I describe, provided by the Constitution. We have a President who was elected by college despite a tiny popular vote margin. If we had all given in to the aims of the NPVIC we would ALREADY BE a nation governed by the cities, for the cities. Perhaps FOREVER.

The half way balance point is a most dangerous time in any Republic because the stupidest scandals, sneakiest false-flag subversion, distraction -- and 'fake news' -- could possibly swing the country, not by any well reasoned argument, merely by some ruthless play.