[BillyBoy]

That article is an oxymoron. Everett Dirksen would have NEVER become U.S. Senator from Illinois if the 17th amendment had been repealed. The article takes the ridiculous position that if we could give the gerrymandered Chicago-controlled state legislature total control of our FEDERAL legislators, like it now has on the state level, Chicago would cease controlling Illinois at the state level. And how exactly do you anti-17thers think the gerrymandered map that ENSURES Chicago automatically controls a majority of state house seats would go away?

[Jacquerie]

You didn’t read the article. I didn’t actually expect you to.

[scrabblehack]

Dirksen also opposed the court decision that required states to apportion both houses on the basis of population.

However it looks like Republicans controlled the State Senate from 1951 (possibly earlier) to 1969; they controlled the State House from 1951-59; 1961-65; and 1967-73.

I would agree that today Dirksen could not win U.S. Senate in Illinois by any method.

“There are times when we need to rise above principle.” - Everett McKinley Dirksen.