> Destroying the Electoral College would be one more step in destroying the federal nature of the Unites States. Perhaps you think that's a good thing, but I think it's a terrible idea: I think that we should be more, not less, federal. What works for the people of Massachusetts is not what works for the people of California, or the people of Wyoming.The electoral college is a net-negative contribution to the federal nature of the US because it allows a tiny, extremely unrepresentative minority to decide for the whole country while eroding the legitimacy of the executive branch, a legitimacy that is a key component of our system. Californians deciding policy for MA or WY due to sheer size is bad but that's how democracies and republics are supposed to work. A single precinct deciding for the entire nation is a perversion of the process that does nothing but destroy faith in our electoral process.
Besides, the executive branch is largely irrelevant to American federalism. We can eliminate the top layer of the executive branch today and the US government would still be as federal as ever because that's how our state and national legislatures are structured. The president has little power over the day to day of the average citizen and all of the hierarchies that do have that power are headed by people confirmed by the Senate.
> Also, the Constitution states, 'No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.' Has Congress consented to this interstate compact?
This issue is actively being debated by constitutional scholars precisely because of the popular vote compact. The general consensus is that Congressional consent is needed only if the interstate agreement is "directed to the formation of any combination tending to the increase of political power in the States, which may encroach upon or interfere with the just supremacy of the United States" (emphasis mine), which was a precedent set by the Supreme Court in the early 1800s. That last part means that Congressional approval is only necessary if the agreement threatens the superiority of the federal government. Furthermore, a state's right to choose how its electoral votes are allocated is a right enumerated in the Constitution and the only power Congress has is to set how many electoral votes each state gets.
All of that is irrelevant anyway because there is no actual treaty or official agreement due to how the legislation is structured. Every state that has joined the compact has legislation to the effect of "All of the electoral votes for this state will go to the winner of the national popular vote if and only if similar legislation is active in enough states to tie 270 or more electoral votes to the national popular vote." No one from the federal government can stop them from doing this.
Edit: s/appointed/confirmed