Translation: People are too dumb to understand what their betters do, so they shouldn't be able to decide on which of them are there. Please walk down my street, Sasse.
It's one of those things that becomes the thing people talk about in an argument because it's so weird, and distracts from the goal of the proposal. Tax payers should NOT be required to pay for the DC lodging for Senators or Congress members. They can buy their own damn homes, or sleep in their offices like some do. These wouldn't be college like dorms. It would end up looking like the 4 Seasons, and would cost the tax payers a fortune. I'm sure that's the one part that Trump would love, and that's probably why he threw it in there honestly.
100%. If he plans on staying past 2024, or just having a much easier system for holding onto power in one shape or form, the Senate & the Judiciary are where that is ironed out to give that legitimacy. If you think he's not thinking past 24, you are kidding yourselves. Ben Sasse is an unlikely character to be the lapdog for this type of destruction, but he's still a Trump supporting Republican who is someone they'll need on board to pull something like this off.
Trump just doesn't want people voting straight ticket Democrat. He wants butt kissing Senators appointed by him, and not the people.
I’m cool with the term limits and forcing them to hostel up in a common dorm. If it’s one or the other, then definitely the dorm. It would be like a Harry Potter/Big Brother mash up where we get to watch streams of the dorm all day and the viewers can award and deduct points from the congress people. You only get to play if you voted during the latest 2 elections and can award up to two points per day. You can also opt to trade your two points for a single deduction which must be used that day or you lose it. The party with the most points at the end of the term gets three immunity seats (immunity is awarded to top point getters) and then the winners get to tea bag the losers like in Halo.
Oh, I know this man wants to be just like his idol Putin. He wants to rule forever, hire everyone around him to make him invincible to the law, and ensure he can't be charged or convicted of his crimes.
“But Ben is right. So much easier to get things done when we don’t have to posture for cameras or spend time and money doing this election thing.” — Xi Jinping
Exactly. The "Dorm" throw in seems to be a ploy to keep Trump interested which tells you all you need to know about Sasse & likely McConnell's attempt here. However repealing an Amendment is no short task. 2/3 of the State Legislatures would have to call a Constitutional Amendment Proceeding. Can you imagine the chaos that would cause in Q4 of 2020? This is something they'd have to do next year, or the year after in a very calculating way. They also would need to have one hell of a 2020 election to get 2/3 of the States to come on board.
Sure...the 17th Amendment can be repealed...as long as an independent group is put in charge of drawing district lines for each state that would ensure that every vote is as close to equal as possible. No more gerrymandering...no more districts in West Texas that allow for each voter to be equal to 20 voters in Houston. Also, pass the Voting Rights Act that's in Congress right now and that should alleviate a lot of concerns about the 17th Amendment being abused. Finally, get rid of the Electoral College. Until those are passed and one party can't just focus on those living in rural areas in order to gain edges at their state capitol, this is probably a no-go. Abolishing Standing committees is a pretty stupid idea and something likely to cause more dysfunction. Instead of abolishing...change the rules to allow more movement or actually enforce rules on the books and have folks that are corrupted censured and impeached. Requiring Senators to show up for debates...this I can agree with. Why are they there if they aren't attending? 12-year term limits...eh...can go either way here...would help to get new blood in there from time to time, but that can also be done by voting. I've researched and heard both sides to this one and I haven't really made up my mind. Senators living in dorms? Nah...here's your salary and you can go find your own housing, etc. You don't need a luxury condo paid for by the taxpayers. Cameras in the Senate...Senators have been grandstanding long before video cameras were even invented...it ain't going to stop even if the cameras are turned off
Unfortunately I wouldn't bet against Trump fighting America all the way to the grave. The truly terrible ones never go quietly. This is a man who believes ... quite literally.... that he is superhuman. He also has a Monarchy to setup behind him. I don't think he can allow himself to not be obsessed with his name becoming royalty after he dies.
I somewhat agree with Sasse. Keep in mind that this wouldn't mean a Senate selected by the President but would just go back to the State Legislatures selecting Senators. It would greatly increase the importance of state races which I think people tend not to pay enough attention too. I also agree there is too much grandstanding and USSC confirmation hearings are the worst. Taking away cameras might change things and from what I've heard the closed sessions are very different than the open sessions. There is something to be said for transparency. This is still very unlikely to happen and I think Sasse is well aware of that but this is more him musing than a realistic proposal.
Doesn't sound so bad to me. First of all, the Senate's performance now is not so impressive. Congress' approval rating is 25%. The bar is not high at all. Second, they say Washington is Hollywood for ugly people, and I believe it. This would remove the publicity seeking from the Senate. We vote directly for the members of the Senate and the House now, and the two bodies' functions are not radically different in this sense. But it's a little weird. . . . We all know why the senate has 100 members. But that means one person's vote for senator in Wyoming has sixty times the value (1/578,000) of one person's vote in California (1/39,512,000). This amplifies the voice of the individual in Wyoming (and quiets the voice in California). Great. But it doesn't automatically make sense. On the other hand, our current way is indeed troubled by all the political posturing for voters, the motivation for pork barrel projects to please voters. . . . Dorms would keep senators in town when they need to be. You want to be a senator: you can do it. Not worth living in a dorm in DC? Do a different job. Twelve-year term limits? Great.
