February 05, 2010 09:42 PM UTC

Testing Tolerance

• 0 Comments
• by: JO

(Interesting discussion. There are several counties in Colorado with larger populations than the entire state of Wyoming. – promoted by Colorado Pols)

From the NYT:

The White House fired back this morning at a move by Senator Richard Shelby, Republican of Alabama, who placed a “blanket hold” on dozens of President Obama’s nominees awaiting confirmation before the Senate. https://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes…

Old topic, over and over. Nothing to do with “democracy.” Senators from teeny-tiny states, like Wyoming (or Alabama), thwart the votes and sentiments of millions of voters in states perhaps 60 times their size (California).

Why do we continue to tolerate this?

Addendum at 2016: Whew, glad that’s clear. Shelby was just intent on fighting terrorism.Is it any wonder public contempt for Congress is at all-time highs?

Why is this not at the top of voter demands of all Senatorial candidates, Republican and Democratic: “If elected, I will move to revamp the rules of the Senate, and specifically to remove the requirements for a ‘super-majority’ and the ability of Senators to place ‘holds’ on Executive appointments.”

These two changes to Senate rules–which are not, of course, “laws” in any normal sense of the term, i.e. have never been agreed by the House or by any President–would do a great deal to clear the legislative logjam that has for decades prevented Congress–and specifically, the Senate–from effectively addressing a host of problems that have grown to crisis proportions.

Alternative: Amendment 28: “The powers of the Senate shall be limited to delaying for a period not more than one year legislation passed by the House of Representatives, and to agreeing to treaties entered into by the President.”

Radical solution? Surely no more radical than the rules of the Senate.