If the election was decided by popular vote instead of electoral college, the voter turnout would have been different so winning the popular vote now is meaningless. For example, currently people who would vote republican in hardcore blue states like CA and NY may not even go to vote, since there has always been a 0% chance for the state to go red. A popular vote election would draw all those voters out.
I think we've nearly passed the worst of it honestly. The general population is starting to catch on to the bullshit. The many front page anti-feminist memes in /r/adviceanimals lately is an example of this.
