> the electoral college was touted as the best thing since sliced bread prior to the 2016 election by Democrats because they were confident in the "blue wall" of the rust belt.

In the time that I've been eligible to vote for president, the Democrats have won the popular vote 80% of the time, yet won the Presidency 40% of the time. And the Presidents we've gotten that didn't win the popular vote: they've been terrible, bottom of the barrel presidents. So it's not just the disparity in voting vs. outcome, it's the garbage that we've ended up with in the White House as a result.