For the underinformed or poorly educated the United States Senate does not represent “the people” per se. They are there to represent the state from which they were elected. Elementary school civics teaches you this. If you don’t know this and you were educated in the United States you were either successfully propagandized or you are purposely pushing misinformation.
The Senate, which gives the same two votes to Wyoming’s roughly 580,000 residents as it does to California’s nearly 40 million residents, is already structurally undemocratic. Allowing 41 senators from as few as 21 states to gum up the works of the nation insults the very principle of representative democracy and generally thwarts the legislative agendas of the parties that have won the approval of the voters.
Chicago Tribune
The House of Representatives is the democratic body that is supposed to represent the people directly in Congress. That’s why it has 435 members that are apportioned according to the population in each state. The Senate as originally designed was expressly not democratic. The senators were appointed by each state legislature because the senators are supposed to represent the interests of the entire state. That is why there are only 100. 2 from each of the 50 states.
The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote.
Article 1 U.S. Constitution Wikipedia
It’s a subtle distinction but a necessary one in order to have a slow deliberate body that makes laws. The interest of an entire state might be different than the interest of a single legislative district. For example, Chicago has vastly different interests than other areas of the state. If the majority of the state wants one thing but Chicago wants another, in Congress, the representatives can vote Chicago’s interests while the senators can vote the interests of the rest of the state (Obviously it doesn’t work this way in Illinois because Democrats control everything.)
When the way we elect senators changed to a direct vote by the people the role of senators changed from voting the interests of the state. It was a dangerous change then and it is showing now how dangerous it was. Ignorant or devious people are misinforming the public on the purpose of the Senate. They do this in the same way they promote employment policies by preying on the ignorance of the public that has never owned a business and have never had to make a payroll. The public education system in the United States does a piss poor job of educating students on the Constitution.
I believe Eric Zorn knows better and is purposely trying to mislead people. Forget about the filibuster argument. You can be for or against it. But if you don’t understand purpose of senate then you don’t have the right to discuss the filibuster.
