Besides the money the Federal Reserve prints from thin air, he has to realize the federal government gets its money from the states (and the people thereof). Far from fearing loss of power, liberals also point out, states favored the 17th Amendment to reduce the rampant corruption in state legislatures that accompanied selection of senators. This post is part of Mischiefs of Faction, an independent political science blog featuring reflections on the party system. The series is a boomer’s fantasy of a lazy millennial’s life. I completely reject the author’s notion that South Carolina has serious problems. Does McLaughlin understand how elections work? Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Through their influence over the appointment of senators, writes Charles Stewart, “The Gilded Age Senate became in part a college of state party bosses.”. Four amendments (income tax, direct election of senators, Prohibition, and women’s suffrage) were ratified between 1913 and 1920, making it the most amendment-friendly seven-year stretch since the 1790s. The anti-17th Amendment forces would need 38 states to ratify a repeal amendment, which is no small task, since two-thirds of Congress or the states would need to agree to offer one up for ratification votes. While I am not sure if McLaughlin is completely oblivious as to history, or being intentionally deceitful, I’m not going to speculate. At the same time, Sen. Byrd and the the Dodd family remain firmly entrenched despite popular voting laws through the 17th Amendment. that direct election of senators gives a democratic check on gerrymandering If he's offended that the socialist RAT runs criminals, then his beef is with the socialist RAT party voters and their nomination process, not the 17th amendment. much better off.

newsletter. The final paragraph of McLaughlin’s article discusses Sen. Sasse’s frustrations, “that he (Sasse) has to spend a lot of time catering both to the elite donors whose money is necessary to run campaigns and to voters who may be swept away in misguided populist enthusiasms.” While McLaughlin seemed to have made this a throwaway paragraph to wrap things up, (the cheesy final line “… nobody said governance and leadership were easy.” that seemed like it was from Schoolhouse Rock! He remembers when the amendment was so uncontroversial that, when he discussed it with his wife, she asked, “Who’s going to argue for the repeal of the 17th Amendment?” His reply: “Um, me.”. that this abstract argument has made it into one of McLaughlin’s main three … State legislators would love nothing more than to solve all their budgetary problems by taking handouts raised by the federal treasury … an indirectly elected Senate would be AFSCME’s dream.”. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), “Ben Sasse is Wrong: Keep the 17th Amendment”, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Landlords – Opting Out, Corruption Pervades More Than Just Police Departments, The Morality of Tax Avoidance – Misconceptions, Marshall Law and the Power of the Supreme Court, This Is What Happens When You Politicize an Illness, CNN Election Poll Excluded Millennials And Downplayed 3rd Party Votes, 82% Considering Voting For Libertarian Jo Jorgensen, According to MSNBC Poll.