The 17th

The Last Refuge ^ | August 9th, 2024 | sundance

[MileHi]

Thanks

[Repealthe17thAmendment]

This was my opinion too, hence my screen name. But I now believe that even if we had kept the original selection process for Senators, we would have many of the same problems. That's because the two political parties control just about every elective office from State Rep to US president. As it is, the parties pretty much select the nominees for Senator by the way they finance their preferred candidates. Every now and then, a guy like Rand Paul sneaks through and defeats the party in the primary, but it's rare.

Our real problem is the political parties, just as Washington warned us a couple hundred years ago.

[Political Junkie Too]

the parties pretty much select the nominees for Senator by the way they finance their preferred candidates.

The difference would have been that we would have never opened up the spigot of money needed to fund 33 of the most expensive elections that occur every two years.

Sure, money would have flowed elsewhere, but I still believe that it was the Senate elections that caused our parties to finally entrench themselves so deeply within government. Remember that throughout American history, political parties came and went, with the Republican Party to be the last major party to be formed in 1854 (the Democratic Party was founded in 1828).

It's my belief that the national bloc politics that cripples the federal government today is due to the need for Senators to have to fund their statewide elections. Senators become beholden to their party's fundraising apparatus, owing their fealty to the party, not the state.

People who harken back to the days of the Lincoln-Douglas debates forget that those debates were for the Illinois Senate seat that Douglas had already held for two terms. Lincoln began following Douglas around the state, speaking wherever Douglas had previously spoken. Douglas finally agreed to debate Lincoln in formal settings in seven locations around the state. These debates eventually became almost a popularity show, with each candidate intimately familiar with the other's speeches and manner of presentation.

The purpose of the debates was to influence the citizens of Illinois to elect Republicans to the Illinois legislature, which the Democrats won 54-46. The Democrat majority sent Douglas back to the Senate, which is how it should be done.

I think people under-estimate the power of moving the selection of Senators back to the states. Detractors would say that the money would just move there, that the corruption wouldn't change, that the roots of collusion run deep, etc. I still believe that the people will surprise the politicians and take back control of their states, and through their state legislatures, take back control of the Senate.

-PJ

[Repealthe17thAmendment]

Indeed, we certainly have a problem, and any solution would be welcome. My opinion is that there is no real interest in changing anything.

[Political Junkie Too]

Of course not. That's why repealing the 17th amendment was a bedrock issue of the Convention of States for the purpose of proposing amendments to the Constitution.

-PJ

[reed13k]

I’m glad you mentioned the prior influence issues with the Senate at the State level. I think the 17th needs rewritten to a) Still elect senators by popular vote within a state, but b) allow for either Governor or State Legislator Recalls (similar to an ambassadorial recall) and recall from office when the Senator does not comply with the State and c) allow for popular vote recall from Congressional Session should the Governor and/or State Legislator fail to act when a Senator does not comply with the People.

While their at it - add term limits and the right of a House rep to be recalled by the people in their congressional district.

Recalls from office will need a decent hurdle to ensure they aren’t abused, but Governor/Legislature recalls from session would require less such but could be for the remainder of their term.

[I_be_tc]

Later. Thanks

[Loud Mime]

What point of mine was wrong?

I fully understand the problems and cancer put upon our nation by the 17th. My point is that the entire electorate has been poisoned by the culture big government has created.

This is addressed in my book.

[central_va]

F your book and F the 17th amandment.

[Loud Mime]

My, aren’t you a charming person.

[central_va]

My aren't you someone that SHOULDN'T be posting to a site call Free Republic.

[MinorityRepublican]

Because democracy ALWAYS devolves into ochlocracy, which the founders knew with certitude would destroy the republic.

People demanded "democracy" so not much we could do to stop the 17th Amendment and the 19th Amendment from becoming law.

[Manic_Episode]

It would seem theoretically possible for the power of the purse to correct ALL problems in this federal perversion of justice IF someone had the political balls to wield it with effect.

Alas that spot is tightly controlled thru willing coercion.

[Loud Mime]

You have taken Free in Free Republic literally. Become a donor before you criticize others.