Abolish The Senate

[justfollowingtheelections]

I like the Senate. I don't think American democracy should be a fully and wholly Greek style democracy. The Senate is a good check on the popular will and channels it constructively.

I would favor repeal of the 17th Amendment, anyway.

Of course you do.  It's a republican gerrymander where Wyoming's voice (no offense to Wyoming) has the same weight as California's voice.

What we need is one legislative body (call it a House if you like) where the representatives are elected via a proportional representation system (no more gerrymandering).  In order to not deprive small states of a voice, it would be ideal if each state had the same number of representatives as electoral college votes.  So Wyoming would have 1+2=3 reps, California would have 53+2=55 reps etc.

Enough of this senate nonsense.  The only idea it existed in the first place was to give the aristocracy power.  In 2014, the whole idea of having a senate is absurd.

[justfollowingtheelections]

Why is it that every time the left loses a big one, the proposals about how the nature of American Democracy need to change come out of the woodwork?

Bulls**t.  I know many left-wing voters who want to abolish the electoral college even though it favors Democrats.

[justfollowingtheelections]

Why is it that every time the left loses a big one, the proposals about how the nature of American Democracy need to change come out of the woodwork?

Are you unaware of the proposals by Republican legislatures to hand electoral votes to the Republican nominee based on gerrymandered districts?

Most countries get by with one chamber just fine, so there is no reason for this country to have two.

No different from the Democrats coming up with the national popular vote compact after 2000. There's quite a bit of daylight between that and abolishing 1/2 of a branch of government.

Not that going to the House alone would help the Dems much.

The popular vote compact isn't an attempt at gaming the system, but trying use heavily gerrymandered districts to guarantee your party the presidency is.

One house drawn fairly by a federal, independent commission would do just fine.

Or better yet, get rid of districts and use proportional representation.

[justfollowingtheelections]

Can anyone imagine Cook county or Los Angeles county having the same number of state senators as some county with a population of less than 1,000?  Well that's the U.S. Senate.

[justfollowingtheelections]

blackraisin, no one is hating Wyoming.  It just happens to be the smallest state.  And yes it may a state, but most states (with the exception of the 13 former british colonies and a few others) are arbitrary creations unlike countries which in most cases are very different from each other.  Sure Lithuania may only have 3 m. but they speak a different language than, say, Latvia.  Also the UN do not have the same power as the U.S. Senate.

[justfollowingtheelections]

Virginia and Hawaii I can see it, but not North Dakota and South Dakota