Posted on 09/27/2017 6:17:05 AM PDT by Hostage
In light of Hillary Clinton’s vocal opposition to the Convention of States Project of Article V processes, please ping the list for discussion.
Repeal the 17th Amendment and Luther Strange gets a full term as Senator.
At least put it on general chat
To blame every thing that is wrong on passage of the seventeenth amendment is shallow reasoning at best
‘The Left loves the 17th Amendment because it allows all power to be shifted to one central government.’
Correct. Senators as state appointees ensured that the supreme sandwich court would never centralize power.
But it’s hard to take something away once it is given. Voters consider it their right to vote for power — it makes them feel enpowered, just as gun rights do.
I’m not talking about common sense but rather about human nature.
So that is why senate term limits and judicial term limits are growing more popular.
Here’s another idea: mandating fair debate. With skype it’s cheap and easy to host debates. So long as the only moderator is a timer, the debate is fair. No tyrant wants to subject himself to an annual bombardment of fair debates. If the debate is boring, no one watches. But when a tyrant or creep is ‘outed’, then it goes viral, especially at the state level.
No, he gets recalled. In fact, he gets hounded by a recall effort along with his dem opponent before a general election is held.
John McCain stopped Obamacare repeal.
And you’re criticizing those that lay blame on the 17th Amendment?
> “Voters consider it their right to vote for power — it makes them feel enpowered”
You are absolutely correct and that is precisely why the above amendment included voters to have the power to recall their US Senator outside the reach of even their state legislature.
The deal is for voters to TRADE THEIR RIGHT TO HIRE FOR A RIGHT TO FIRE.
This right to fire allows state legislatures to get back in the game and we know state legislators are our next door neighbors, really in many cases that is true.
Ah, well, yeah, making recall votes easier is a good idea and a matter of state legislation.
Where does this here “TWELVE TO EIGHTEEN years” thingy come from?
What’s wrong with the standard SIX?
It’s enough bullets for my S&W, and it’s enough years for ANY senator without re-election/confirmation.
Up to me—it would be FOUR, and the senator would end up running a state’s office in DC.
A six year term limit?
Hm. Six, certainly, for House members.
It would be kind of nice if a senator were up for re-election once I think.
Of course, we would probably have an easier time grandfathering current incumbents to ease this in.
I wouldn’t be opposed to a four year double term for the senate, or a ‘first term’ of four years followed by a final term of two years.
The thing is this — voters could hold a cudgel over the senator’s head. It would be a disgrace to not get re-elected.
12, 18 correspond to two and three terms. Some states want a two-term limit, others willing to grant a three-term limit.
That section allows states to choose.
A one-term limit is viewed as too harsh and stops voters from having an ability to reelect a popular Senator. More than three terms is viewed as too long, creating suspicion that the Senator is bought off.
Shortly before he died, I attended a lecture by Justice Scalia. He clearly said he believed that the 17th amendment was responsible for what is wrong with Washington DC swamp.
Good for him
I don’t agree.
There are lots of reasons D.C. and politics are the way they are
>”There are lots of reasons D.C. and politics are the way they are”
Feel free to list as many as you can.
bkmk
Correct Justice Scalia advocated two things: Repeal of the 17th and filing as many law suits as the ACLU has done for the 1st Amendment, but for the Second Amendment. He was baffled why an organization does not “cluster bomb” lawsuits on all levels of Government for the 2nd Amendment... He was a great American and very missed.
To Nifster, I don't blame all, but I do blame most bad things at the national level on the 17A.
If you are interested:
The Bitter Harvest of the 17th Amendment.
Direct Election of Senators and the Silent Artillery of Time: "So well-designed was the Framers’ structure, that America had forgotten the problematic nature of purely popular government which plagued and eventually destroyed overly democratic societies since the ancient Greek city-states."
Article V ping to a powerful vanity by Hostage!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.