To be clear, I am not American, and while I wouldn't have voted for Bush/Trump, I have no opinion on the validity of their elections. I live in and navigate reality as it exists, not how I wish it to be, and of course ponder in my own small ways steer it in measured terms based on my perspectives. My point was simply to provide facts - Gore won the popular vote (as did Hillary) and Bush and Trump won the actual presidential election via electoral college votes.
I generally have very little interest discussing global politics outside of business strategy discussions with business leaders, lobbyists, politcians or legislators .. But your response leads to an area of particular interest for me.. Which is the "History of Politics" !
The roots of the electoral college are fascinating, the framers being the only folk that can reliably state the rationale why, there's rampant speculation, from disenfranchising the common man to avoid a tyranny of the masses, to simply managing the logistics of a world with limited means of communication and dissemination of information. What you called "an earlier form" of the electoral college mechanism was produced by these same lauded framers as is (partially) the subsequent change and clarification, in the 1800's being the 12th amendment.
Now, part of the controversy here, is proportional vs. negotiated representation in national politics. You can see a similar issue at work here related to representation due to population which in a North vs. South context resulted in the 3/5ths compromise which wasn't revisited until the 1850's
So, yes, no doubt Bush won the election based on the rules established. Trump has won as well under the same/similar rules. I have no opinion on whether the rules will or should be changed - that's up to the various States and the U.S. Government itself. That these rules exist, however, is a fascinating quirk that should give us insight into the long history of the country and where it has changed, and could be headed, for decades to come. Thinking in 10, 20, 50 or 100 year spans though is where it all really takes on relevance. Never forget that at one point "The Sun Never Set on the British Empire"
