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Originally Posted by FireGilbert
The American Triple E senate does have the benefit of providing a voice to smaller states and prevents a tyranny of the majority. The problem in the American system is the president is also not elected by direct representation and the senate and president choose the Supreme Court. This means you end up with 2.5 of your 3 seperate levels of government not always following the will of the voters.
The fix is to make the presidency popular vote only or have justices confirmed by the house instead of the senate.
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That flies in the face of the constitution and the way the system was set up. The senate was originally appointed by the states to act as representatives of the state's government. Remember, the United States was founded as a republic of states, not one monolithic body with political divisions of states/provinces. The constitution limits the power of the federal government and explicitly says how government should function. The senate was established so states with small populations (the southern states at the time) had equal influence in the governance process, hence the state appointment/representation system. The idea of the popular vote electing senators was an after effect of politics and the people's desires to control who their representatives were. A minor but important change to the process, but completely allowable as the states had to approve such change.
I like what you are suggesting, but it would require a constitutional change to happen. The senate was there to act a counter weight to the vote of the large states. That counter weight has been misplaced and the power of the senate perverted. Both bodies should provide oversight over each other IMO, and your idea fits that role. The senate should maintain the ability to run the confirmation process, but once that process is completed the nominee should have to go before the house for a secondary vote, allowing the people to weigh in and have their say. The states get their say through the senator, then the people have their say through the house or representatives. Once a candidate passes both bodies they are considered confirmed. That actually makes the most sense.
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Originally Posted by GirlySports
I dont like by popular vote, maybe increase the EC ratios a bit?
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And Americans hate the electoral college because it is not representative. The American people want a democracy instead of a republic. That is the change that has to be made. The system works if the rules are followed, the problem is that the rules are perverted for the sake of maintenance of power. The government is there to govern, for all people, not just the corporations who paid for your campaign. That's the problem.