Posted on 08/13/2004 11:22:59 AM PDT by Aquinasfan
SPRINGFIELD - If Illinois voters elect Alan Keyes to the U.S. Senate, he'd prefer they not get another chance.
Keyes, a Maryland Republican who just moved to Calumet City for the campaign, supports returning to a system abolished nearly a century ago of letting state legislators pick U.S. senators rather than voters.
In fact, he's dubbed the constitutional amendment that switched to public election of senators one of the country's greatest mistakes, vowing in past campaigns to re-examine it if voters ever sent him to Washington, D.C.
"He does still support repeal of the 17th Amendment," Keyes campaign adviser Dan Proft said Thursday, but added it is "not near the top of his agenda."
"This is not to be a centerpiece item of his legislative agenda should he be elected," Proft added. He described it as an issue befitting debate in "the hallowed halls of academia" or a "PBS special."
Obama contends the switch to voters was good for democracy.
"I certainly trust the people of Illinois and other states to choose who they want to represent them in the U.S. Senate. That is the very basis of our democracy," Obama said. "I would hope that Alan Keyes would trust those voters too."
Before approval of the 17th Amendment in 1913, state lawmakers picked their U.S. senators. The amendment moved that power to the people. Illinois supported the switch.
Although his aides say it is not a top issue now, Keyes highlighted the topic in the past. During a discussion with a caller on the Feb. 19, 1999, episode of Keyes' radio program, he said the change ignored the fundamental difference the nation's founding fathers wanted between the U.S. House and Senate. Originally, the House represented the people, while the Senate was considered to represent state governments.
"And we changed that, disregarded that, and I think it's hurt us deeply," Keyes said, according to a program transcript.
The push in the late 1800s and early 1900s to publicly elect senators was provoked by lingering impasses at the state level to name senators and questionable appointments.
During one of his presidential bids, Keyes named the switch to public voting for senators as one of the federal government's biggest mistakes along with income taxes and the Federal Reserve Bank. A news account in the Riverside Press-Enterprise from a 1995 fund-raiser in California includes Keyes promising to re-examine those topics if elected.
Asked about the irony of the situation, Proft replied: "You run under the system that's in place."
Of course, if the old system was in place Keyes would be a political underdog. Democrats control the Illinois House and Senate.
It should be.
Acutally it was from the State Legislatures that were elected by the people.
Most people do not realize that the Constitution stated that the Senators should be elected this way. The Founders did not trust direct democracy which is why the direct election of Senators has become a dangerous thing. States like CA and NY have their Senators elected by the large urban areas only. This is why the original intent of the Founders was so brilliant. Senate seats are for 6 years therefore their elections should not be taken lightly.
REPEAL THE 17th!! That Amendment has been a failure. Do you think that Teddy Kennedy or Hillary would be there if we did not have the 17th?
How about this, we kick EVERYONE out of washington DC, walk up to teh average Joe on the street and ask him if he wants to represent his neighbors and fellow statesmen in DC, if he says no, send him because he's the guy you likely want to be there.
Sound like a plan?
So you don't vote for anyone unless they show you they can win?
I think I'll vote Libertarian or leave the Senate line blank.
How would you square that with a Libertarian vote?
Illogical.
Seconded!
Did you mean "Note that that change,..."?
In any event, the amount of blind tinkering that we've done with the system created for us is alarming. It's rather like continuously "remodeling" a house with complete indifference to the loads born by the various walls. Sooner or later you'll pull out one that happened to be critical to the structure, and...
Too quick on the trigger, ZD. The guy is with you on this issue. You misread...
The problem is that 70% of people, myself included, think popular senatorial election is fine.
The paper will be digging up nuggets like this to cast Keyes as a kook. meanwhile Keyes defense of the constitution, our national sovereignty and the unborn will be ignored unless it makes keyes look bad.
keyes has a long 'paper trail'.
The Founders vision of the House representing the Peoples' concern and the Senate the States' concern seems reasonable to me.
The citizens will have to be more vigilant on the local state government level. I'm sure Keyes has an educational response to the writer of why he believes it was the best system. I can't wait to hear it.
I don't know if I'd want the California legislature picking our senators. That would just assure that Leftists even more radical than Feinstein and Boxer would inflict their whackjob agenda on the rest of the nation.
I don't think you should place much weight on this "carpetbagging" issue. So long as he is an inhabitant of the state during the term of his service, the Founding Fathers won't be offended.
On way or the other, just judge him on the other issues. ;-)
Yeah, the situation is pretty bleak either way. It's probably one reason why this isn't high on his agenda.
I think Byrd is opposed to a couple of other amendments as well...
This is the best the Dems can come up with? Keyes supports a remote procedural change in governmental selection of representatives? As opposed to his opponent, who supports killing children outside the womb? It looks like Keyes scares them far more than anyone had suspected....
The media will report it like this: "this elitist Republican believes that politicians should choose your senator for you." It isn't hard to imagine.
They certainly won't present the history behind the issue, or the theory behind the issue.
Taking the side of our Founders rarely makes one look bad.
Federalism only works well when the States have the power to limit the central government.
Senators appointed by, and responsible to the State Governors and legislatures were the method our founders chose to do that.
The 17th amendment abolished that power of the states and established no replacement, and ever since the limited relatively weak Federal Government the founders envisioned has metastasized out of control.
So9
I doubt he's a libertarian. Probably a troll.
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