Posted by
Always To The Right on Sunday, December 05, 2010 2:27:32 PM
The problem of federal overreach is real, but this looks like a poor
solution to it. Those who want to see government restrained by the
states would do better to repeal the 17th Amendment. Instead of
requiring popular votes for Senators, go back to the original purpose of
the Senate and let the states choose how to pick their Senators
instead. Some might keep the popular vote in place, but those states
concerned about federal encroachment on state sovereignty might return
to having appointments made by the state legislatures, or governors
confirmed by the legislatures. That would make the state itself the
constituent of each Senator, and they could overrule the populist
inclinations of the House by thwarting encroaching legislation.
That, too, has its drawbacks. Senators would be much less
accountable to voters, having won their position not by popular ballot
but through the favor of a governor or legislature. Party discipline
would evaporate, which has its good points as well; Senators would not
be accountable to a party, but to the interests of their state
governments. Factions would form on the basis of regional politics and
ideology rather than party, and the upper chamber would be much less
susceptible to popular movements. Consider that in this past election, a
Tea Party would have captured as many seats in the House as it did this
year, but the results in the Senate would be much different. One would
never see a Rand Paul, and possibly not a Marco Rubio, either, and Russ
Feingold would probably still have his seat. Ron Johnson, a political
outsider, would never have even been considered in Wisconsin for that
position.