They do work for the federal government, in a literal sense. And they always have. But that’s neither here nor there.
More importantly NO DEMOCRAT OR RINO IS AGAINST A POWER HUNGRY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. Do you understand? A Senator’s liberalism is NOT DETERMINED BY THEIR METHOD OF ELECTION. RINOS and democrats in state legislatures ARE NOT AGAINST FEDERAL POWER. How can you people not grasp that? Are you daft? You know what they really love? Federal funding for their pet projects.
For cripes sake the state legislatures ratified the 16th amendment!! They approved the federal income tax! They also banned booze due to popular fervor over the issue, and none of them stopped drinking. BTW they ratified the 17th as well.
We don’t have a problem with the federal government in this country we have a problem with all government in this country. Federal, state and local.
State governments like all government SUCK because they are controlled by politicians. Allowing a group of politicians to elect the Senate is absolutely certain to result in worse class of Senators. Even if it would give the GOP the majority at moment (the democrats would have had a large majority for 50 years straight until the GOP started taking over state houses in the 90’s so maybe kiss the Reagan tax cut goodbye) fewer of them would be conservative. Texas and Utah 2 of our best states are infested with RINO state legislators for Christ’s sake. They are no different from congressional Republicans. Say goodbye to Ted Cruz and Mike Lee and say hello to David Dewhurst and welcome back Bob Bennett. Sure as hell won’t be many “tea party” Senators.
I urge you to get away from fantasies that sound good in your head and make you feel smart and get familiar with reality.
P-Marlowe, I don’t need Mark Levin to tell me what to think and you dropping his name isn’t an argument. When did he become God? Is that why you’re for this? Cause a few talking heads you like are for it? I wish I knew the origins of this nonsense. The first person I remember hearing spout it was Zell Miller but I’m certain it predates that. Bad ideas have a way of spreading in intellectual circles. I get the appeal, return to way it was done in the past and everything will be better.
Well no it won’t, that’s a paleocon fantasy just like hiking tariffs (another paleocon pet issue). Why do you think this amendment was passed? People were fed up with the corruption and deadlocks when the legislatures failed to elect.
By the way, this scheme
1)Will never happen
2)Would be disastrous at the polls in the we actually ran on it, associating ourselves with it undermines the conservative cause
That's another bizarro aspect of this. The anti-17th crowd seems to also adore Zig Zag Zell, and heap praise on him as some kind of heroic conservative savior. Of course Zig Zag Zell (a lifelong Democrat, as he frequently reminded us) favored politicians appointing Senators. He wouldn't have gotten a Senate career without it.
If Zig Zag Zell had replaced an Al Franken-type commie RAT, then sure, we'd have to admit that his appointment to the Senate was an improvement. However, Zig Zag Zell fans seem to have amnesia and don't remember that Zig Zag Zell was appointed to replace a rock solid conservative Republican who died. His predecessor Paul Coverdell had a 100% ACU rating. Zell's appointment by evil DemonRat Roy Barnes moved the Senate to the LEFT, and allowed the Dems to take control of the Senate when Jeffords defected and so-called "conservative" Zig Zag voted with his party to put Daschle in power.
You could make a good case that Zig Zag Zell was "the best we could get" under the circumstances, given that the person who appointed him was a scumbag liberal Democrat, and that Zig Zag turned out to be far more conservative than anyone expected, but NOT that Zig Zag moved the Senate to the right or voted with the GOP when it counted.
So basically, a state politician overrides the wishes of the voters who elected a Republican in that seat, appointing a Dem who makes the Senate more liberal. Some "conservatives" here applaud that, and applaud Zig Zag for pushing for it to happen in EVERY senate seat. I swear, some conservatives are their own worst enemy.