The Decline and Fall of the US Senate

American Thinker ^ | January 25, 2025 | Ian MacConnell

[Twotone]

The time I’ve spent watching Democrat senators during the ongoing confirmation hearings for President Trump’s nominees has been beyond tiresome.

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So should we have term limits in the Senate? The Senate is clearly a mess, and it seems pretty much dysfunctional. But how did we arrive at this point? Was it caused by a defect in the Constitution? Not at all. The Founders intended that senators be appointed by their respective state legislatures. It was never intended that senators be politicians, elected by the voters. They weren’t until 1913, when the 17th Amendment was ratified. How has that change been harmful?

The House still operates in much the way it was expected to. The Founding Fathers anticipated that representatives would come from among the regular people, serving just two-year terms, probably affected by the prevailing tides of public passion, likely engaging in factious political conduct because of constant electioneering. The House would probably even produce some ill considered legislation on occasion.

The original purpose of the Senate was to create governmental stability in a way that a body like the House could not. The Founders thought it was important for the federal government to display a stable “national character” in the eyes of the world (Federalist 63, paragraph 1). Senators were originally chosen by, and accountable to, their state legislatures rather than elected by the people of the state. They had a six-year term rather than just two years to enhance that stability.

It was assumed that senators would be accomplished people, with proven talent and excellent character. They would represent the interests of their states in the federal government but would also understand and adhere to America’s founding principles (Federalist 64, paragraph 4).

[Twotone]

The Good Ol’ Boy system works well behind the scenes. I think selecting someone for such a position would be of public interest & likely get more public scrutiny. It would be hard to foist a corrupt individual off as senator on a public that’s watching.