rssGOP Rep: Voters Shouldn’t Be Able to Elect Senators
Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 1:53 pm
- 123 Comments
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) — a judge in his prior career — comes out for repealing the 17th Amendment, to “restore the balance” between the federal government and the states by giving the right to appoint senators back to state legislatures.
Ever since the safeguard of State legislatures electing U.S. Senators was removed by the 17th Amendment in 1913, there has been no check or balance on the Federal power grab for the last 97 years. Article V requires a minimum of 34 states to request a Convention which in this case, would be an Amendment Convention for only ONE amendment.
For what it’s worth, Democrats currently control 27 state legislatures, so this would be a pretty bad deal for them at present, sending them back to 54 senators. Media Matters Action has video and points out how this conflicts with the “Massachusetts elected Scott Brown, thus health care reform should die” argument of a week ago.
Gohmert’s “39 states that are angry about this” comment is a bit of a fib — that many states have repeal bills somewhere in their legislature, but few have passed them.
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123 Comments
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Comment posted March 23, 2010 @ 6:39 pm
Yet another argument in favor… of eliminating the Senate.
Comment posted March 23, 2010 @ 7:08 pm
The only people who tend to argue for this are Birchers, so you can draw your own conclusion.
Comment posted March 23, 2010 @ 7:44 pm
This guy absolutely deserves to be the GOP presidential candidate in 2012. We need a tough-talking, common sense candidate. C'mon people, LET'S DO IT!
Pingback posted March 23, 2010 @ 9:13 pm
[...] part of this clip is the lil’ shimmy he does at :08, to pump some mojo into his argument.) [Washington Independent via [...]
Comment posted March 23, 2010 @ 8:23 pm
Except that he's nuts. But, that seems more “not a bug, it's a feature,” in GOP politics lately.
Comment posted March 23, 2010 @ 8:46 pm
To tweak a phrase from a favorite comedian: I just hate stupid people. They should have to wear signs that just say “I'm a Congressman, therefore I am stupid.”
Comment posted March 23, 2010 @ 10:47 pm
Well, if “common sense” means “proposing to repeal Constitutional Amendments for temporary political advantage” to you, then there's not much hope for you anyway…
Pingback posted March 24, 2010 @ 2:57 am
[...] GOP Rep: Voters Shouldn’t Be Able to Elect Senators « The Washington Independent [...]
Comment posted March 24, 2010 @ 2:37 am
Quothe Mark Twain – Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.
Comment posted March 24, 2010 @ 3:12 am
Daddy, why are Republicans always so mean and rude and angry and yell and spit on people? And why do the they hate the American public and our democracy so much?
Comment posted March 24, 2010 @ 4:00 am
i wonder if this would keep the same dunderheads from getting in over and over and over again?
Pingback posted March 24, 2010 @ 12:53 pm
[...] Dave Weigel points out, this setup would result in Democrats losing a few Senate seats under the current [...]
Comment posted March 24, 2010 @ 1:14 pm
Not that Gohmert cares about evidence or anything, but it's just not true that there are no checks and balances on the federal government. State officials have multiple forms of “pushback” and they use them. See http://tinyurl.com/dg5ju2
Comment posted March 24, 2010 @ 8:34 pm
Daddy, why do Democrats that don't get tenure shoot their colleagues?
Comment posted March 25, 2010 @ 7:21 am
I couldn't disagree more with the title. You obviously know nothing of which you speak. If you have even the slightest understanding of this man then you will know he is one of the most honorable and intelligent politicians in Congress. I have heard him speak on multiple occasions. I have heard him talk to locals in my community, as well as to the Speaker of the House. Each and every time I am impressed by his breadth of understanding, but also his desire to explain the history and the intricacies of various issues. He is a great man and a great leader.
By the way, we are NOT a democracy. I will keep saying it until I stop hearing people characterize our government that way. WE ARE NOT A DEMOCRACY. The city states of Greece were democracies and they were in a perpetual state of confusion and war. We are Republic. If you doubt me, go see what Ben Franklin said when he came out of the constitutional congress. We elect officials to make decisions for us. And we would be more of a Republic if we got rid of the 17th amendment. The current situation weakens our representative government and the states.
Pingback posted March 26, 2010 @ 10:21 am
[...] once again, the mainstream miscalculates how many Senators would be indirectly elected. Dan Weigel incorrectly reports: For what it’s worth, Democrats currently control 27 state legislatures, so [...]
Comment posted March 29, 2010 @ 2:58 am
Daddy, why are you bringing up something irrelevant to politics?
Comment posted March 29, 2010 @ 3:00 am
Electing Senators weakens our REPRESENTATIVE government how? By allowing the citizens instead of the politicians to choose their senators? Are you insane?
Comment posted March 29, 2010 @ 5:44 pm
Be “representative” could mean representing the people, or it could mean representing the states. Without state representation in the Senate, there is no “federal” system, only unchecked mob rule (one herd in two pens).
http://www.restorefederalism.org
Comment posted March 29, 2010 @ 7:10 pm
Amen! Repeal the 17th Amendment. It is one of the key squelching of state sovereignty that has led to the destruction of this nation and to the innumerable powers of the federal government. It has led to the rape of the public on a massive scale and unaccountability by incumbent Senators whose chances of being unseated are astronomical.
Comment posted April 26, 2010 @ 5:22 am
It is amazing to me that any state legislator, regardless of party affiliation would not be in favor of the state legislatures being able to stop the Federal governments power grab and their un-funded mandates upon the states.
Before 1913 these problems did not exist as the state legislators appointed the US Senate and thus they answered to the state legislatures instead of dictating to them.
Article five of the constitution grants the state legislatures the power to repeal amendments and certainly they should use this power to repeal the 17th amendment, which would reinstate the 10th amendment, restore their states powers and sovereignty.
This action would be more effective and have a longer lasting effect in controlling the Federal Governments invasion of states rights and powers than any of the law suits many of the states are considering now.
Comment posted June 7, 2010 @ 6:25 pm
It is important for taxpayers to understand the following. As evidenced by the limited powers delegated to Congress in Section 8 of Article I, not only did the Founder's make the 10th A. to reserve the lion's share of government power to serve the people to the states, not the Oval Office and Congress, but consider this. Given the greater power of the states to serve the people, Chief Justice Marshall had appropriately established the case precedent, now wrongly ignore by federal and state lawmakers, that Congress cannot lay taxes in the name of state power ississues. “Congress is not empowered to tax for those purposes which are within the exclusive province of the States.” –Chief Justice Marshall, GIBBONS V. OGDEN, 1824. http://supreme.justia.com/us/22/1/case.html. So if the 17th Amendment had not been ratified, federal Senators answering to state legislators would have probably killed constitutionally indefensible legislation inspired by both FDR and Obama which not only wrongly usurped state powers, but also usurped unique state power to tax associated with those powers. But since state lawmakers no longer have a voice in Congress, the lawmakers that voters are electing to the Senate are making the people slaves to illegal federal taxes, taxpayer dollars that should never have left the states. (Are you listening bankrupt California?)
Comment posted August 29, 2010 @ 11:21 am
It is one of the key squelching of state sovereignty that has led to the destruction of this nation and to the innumerable powers of the federal government. It has led to the rape of the public on a massive scale and unaccountability by incumbent Senators whose chances of being unseated are astronomical.
Comment posted August 29, 2010 @ 11:39 am
the lawmakers that voters are electing to the Senate are making the people slaves to illegal federal taxes, taxpayer dollars that should never have left the states. (Are you listening bankrupt California?)
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