Dem: Senate thinks it's 'House of Lords' (Clyburn's losing it)

The Hill ^ | 01/25/10 | Jordan Fabian

[Ditto]

The 17th Amendment changed the senate to being another national elective body at the whim of the tyranny of the majority.

I agree that the 17th changed the nature of the government by making the Senate the 'better job" for the professional politician. The point is that by giving the Senate 6 year terms vs two years for the house, was to insulate them from the 'passions of the moment' and to make them more deliberate.

What the framers didn't envision was the concept of a professional politician. They never thought that government 'service' could be so profitable that people would be willing to do anything to gain and retain an office which they didn't conceive could ever be anything but a part time job.