Replies

Electing senators by State legislators will simply make the senate more unaccountable, elitist and unaccountable.

I don't know about "elitist", but I disagree with the presumption that having senators actually picked by state legislators (as the founders wrote) would reduce accountability.

Seems to me it would make senators 1000 times MORE accountable. Could you explain your reasoning?

rcocean's reasoning is simple (pardon me for stepping in), and on reflection, you'll agree. Right now, YOU can call your Senator, and your Senator is apt to listen, because you vote directly for the office. If the state legilature chose the Senator, you'd be looking at your state reps, not so much directly at the Senator. You'd still have influence, it would be less direct. See, e.g., judges, which you don't elect, but have to rely on the good judgement of an executive and Senate for selecting. The system created by the founders is awesome!

Sorry, I should have written "accountable to the people". For instance, right now I can vote against Senator Boxer in the next election. And I can also vote for a conservative in the primary to run against her. The people (i.e. me) can hold her accountable.

If she was elected by the state legislature, how could I vote her out? How could I make sure conservatives were elected?

I could vote for a republican state house and senate, but what if the state legislature is gerrymandered? What if 50.1% want a democratic legislator based on local state issues? What if people don't understand the relationship between the state legislature and the senate? They may dislike the senator Boxer but like their local democratic legislature.

And even if we get a republican house and senate in Calf, what if the RINO’s grab hold of the process (or cut a deal) and put a RINO in office?

The problem NOW is that a lot of senators and federal judges are not accountable. This may be what the founders wanted for the senate, but they did not intend for federal judges to become kings who overrule the legislatures at will. IMO, this powergrab by the judges in past 50 years is unconstitutional. They have again and again ignored the plainly written laws and constitutional rights. And they have written in rights and laws that do not exist.

Why have hey have gotten away with? Not because of too much democracy but it because political elite supports them. Making the Senate less accountable to the average voter (who is conservative) will end up in a more elitist – socially liberal – senate.