Should state legislature choose Senate candidates?

[Matt Collins]

What do you think about this bill?


This bill as introduced would allow the TN Legislature to choose the nominees for US Senate that could be on the ballot:

http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=SB0471&GA=108

[mad cow]

Yes,but can they do that without an amendment nullifying the 17th?

Nevermind,posted without reading the article again. :p

[sailingaway]

Are the state legislatures that much less corrupt than fed by this point?

That is my concern.. I sure wouldn't want CA's state legislature picking our federal senators (not that what we have now is even tolerable) but maybe it would be made up for by better states? I would like states to be more jealous of the rights they are supposed to be protecting for the people, vs the federal government.

[Confederate]

Yes,but can they do that without an amendment nullifying the 17th?

the 17th amendment doesn't say anything about how candidates on the ballot are chosen.

[sailingaway]

the 17th amendment doesn't say anything about how candidates on the ballot are chosen.

but that is the worst of all worlds, it would just limit candidates to establishment candidates, in almost all situations.

[RonPaulFanInGA]

If not for the Seventeenth Amendment, Trey Grayson or Conway/Mongiardo would be in the U.S. Senate today.

[ClydeCoulter]

Well, let's see:

The R's in the legislature choose their cadidate, and the D's theirs, then the people choose from that. What about other parties (didn't see reference to that)?

That's about as close as you can get to the original intent (without constitutional change) (and reduce the money being spent on primaries, perhaps). I would like to see how that works out, interesting. With the push for nullification, 2nd Amendment rights, etc... going on in a lot of the states, this might be better than what we have today.

[ClydeCoulter]

Are the state legislatures that much less corrupt than fed by this point?

That is my concern.. I sure wouldn't want CA's state legislature picking our federal senators (not that what we have now is even tolerable) but maybe it would be made up for by better states? I would like states to be more jealous of the rights they are supposed to be protecting for the people, vs the federal government.

At least CA doesn't have any more representation in the Senate than any other state.

edit: And I would hope that this would allow states to help prevent the fed from blackmailing the states.

[Confederate]

At least CA doesn't have any more representation in the Senate than any other state..

According to one of my political science textbooks that's "outdated and needs to be changed"

[ClydeCoulter]

According to one of my political science textbooks that's "outdated and needs to be changed"

What does that textbook think that the house is for?

[ClydeCoulter]

I see the House as the peoples representatives, the Senate as the States representatives. States are equal and have interests based not on size but stature, and the people are given reps proportional to their number.

edit: But it doesn't work that way with the Senate being elected by the people now.

[anaconda]

Are the state legislatures that much less corrupt than fed by this point?

That is my concern.. I sure wouldn't want CA's state legislature picking our federal senators (not that what we have now is even tolerable) but maybe it would be made up for by better states? I would like states to be more jealous of the rights they are supposed to be protecting for the people, vs the federal government.

Might be a good start. In a perfect world, everyone's interest in politics would be at the state and local level. There would be very little action at the federal level.

[Matt Collins]

If not for the Seventeenth Amendment, Trey Grayson or Conway/Mongiardo would be in the U.S. Senate today.
yes but the federal govt would likley not be as big either because the state governments would have a say in things.

[Uriah]

but that is the worst of all worlds, it would just limit candidates to establishment candidates, in almost all situations.

If this passed, one could focus more resources on local elections. Ideally, electing more liberty oriented candidates to local and state office. This is a federal republic. The US legislature is a bicameral branch of government. One chamber represents the people and the other represents the states.

Right now, so much money is spent on state wide races it is obscene. This could limit the money spent and increase the connections state legislators have with their constituents. I for one would be pressing my reps to ask the right questions and and vote for someone that would take their oath of office seriously. If they didn't then they would not have my vote.

I lean towards favoring this, although, hesitantly. This limits the ballot to only two candidates. No third parties or independents could run for US senate.

[LibertyEagle]

Should state legislature choose Senate candidates?

Yes.

Then, the people would hopefully pay more attention to who is getting elected to their state government. Now, most have no clue who is even their state rep.

It seems to me that something like this would be very important for people who believe in states' rights.

[oyarde]

Here is the deal Collins . Yes . Do I like being able to vote for a Senator? Yes. Do I trust 80 % of the rest of the population of 40 some states to do so ? No. Does it present some limited oppurtunity ? Maybe . Does it present obstacles ? Yes. Would Rand have got elected ? No, maybe not , If this was in place everywhere, right now , would the Senate probably be slightly better than it is now , the worst Senate in the History of America for the past five years ? One would hope so. You still have the parties with too much power to threaten & conjole, but you remove the power of a six year incumbent's war chest to obliterate the competition with tv ads directed at the majority of ignorance. I guess ....

[Matt Collins]

Here is an update:

www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/mar/26/bill-stripping-primary-voters-ability-select-us-se/

[TaftFan]

I think there should be a middle ground.

1 Senator by popular vote, 1 selected by state legislature.

[erowe1]

State governments should have no role whatsoever in the primary process. They should not provide any funding or polling locations or party registrations or party labels on ballots or any of those things. All those should be entirely up to the parties as private organizations.