well, that would be the forefathers who had the wisdom to implement the EC. they obviously saw a situation where the tyranny of the majority could rule the nation and that is what they railed against.
the system has served us well for over 200 years. it is not outdated as some might like to posit.
so again, what is wrong with the current design then? where does it fail other than the all or nothing for a state as you say?
the all or nothing prevents the tyranny of the majority. do not forget, we are a republic, not a democracy.
it was designed with a certain purpose in mind. it works as intended and i would rather trust the forethought of our fore fathers than the johnny come lately approach because it didn't give them what they feel they should get.