This just won’t die, will it? First, there was a “House popular vote,” and now there’s a “Senate popular vote,” and both of them somehow prove that the Constitution has to be rewritten to eliminate the Senate.
George Takei lives in California and, in an illuminating tweet, points out that his state only gets two senators even though it has a lot more people than small, rural, red states.
Red states with small, rural populations each get 2 senators in Congress:
WY: 573,000
ND: 755,000
SD: 869,000
ID: 1,717,000
NE: 1,930,000Now, my home state also gets 2 senators:
CA: 39,780,000
See why the GOP controls the Senate?
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) November 7, 2018
So the GOP controls the Senate because each state gets the same number of senators? So maybe we should just do away with the Senate so the GOP can’t control it. Or, we could have two legislative bodies, one of which allocates representatives by population.
What you're describing is the House of Representatives, and we already have one.
— Marcus AureliUS (@UnacceptableOne) November 7, 2018
That's literally the point of the Constitution and why the House of Representatives exists https://t.co/1iHLLjM40W
— Ben McDonald (@Bmac0507) November 7, 2018
"Why don't big states have more representation in the Senate" people who are constitutionally illiterate
— Ben McDonald (@Bmac0507) November 7, 2018
Now do the House of Representatives.
— Gerri Mander (@TRHLofficial) November 7, 2018
California has 53 United States Representatives, while these 5 states combined only have 8. It’s amazing that a state with so much representation is still the worst state in the union. https://t.co/AmKxQgReQ1
— chels (@thefunnymuggle) November 7, 2018
Maybe Takei should go check on how that $77 billion bullet train project is coming along; we’d heard it had been delayed … until 2033. But be careful not to step on any hypodermic needles or human feces on the way there. Oh, and could you please decide policy for every state in the nation?
If the Founders could see today’s America, they’d say, “Are we *sure* we can trust George Takei’s state with two senators?”
— Andrew S. (@shoutingboy) November 7, 2018
Yes George, we should make smaller states have 1/50th the say of what goes on in their country. Also keep in mind we have a house of reps and the dems didnt exactly win that in a landslide like they had hoped.
— Devin Elbers (@devin199722) November 7, 2018
Was originally set up as a compromise between the large and small states when the Founding Fathers were setting up this new nation. The Great Compormise—without it might not have come together to approve the Constitution.
— leslie hoyt (@lesliehoyt53) November 7, 2018
History teacher for the win.
— Leah Fliter (@leahfliter) November 7, 2018
How dare they create a system to mitigate mob rule!!
— Lets Go Preds (@semi_full) November 7, 2018
I’m so tired of teaching liberals civics on Twitter
— teachermama (@teachermama7) November 8, 2018
Please, PLEASE, go find a junior high school American history textbook and read the section on the Constitutional Convention. It will amaze you! You may even go, "Oh, my!"
— Shane Scott (@shanescott829) November 7, 2018
That’s called federalism and is meant so that neither party can monopolize the entirety of congress for long periods of time, while allowing the concerns of small states to matter as much as large states. Checks and Balances.
— jack lavely (@jeromeo_88) November 7, 2018
Please take civics course. It will help you understand why the government is set up this way. Please read each and every one of the Federalist Papers and look at them with unbiased eyes. You will gain a greater love of our country and for the dynamics of our government.
— Kyle Bielfeldt ?? (@KBielfeldt) November 7, 2018
It is done this way so your state of California can not dictate the rules for all America. It is checks and balances and it is brilliant.
— Jill DuPont (@MomTo3_Boys) November 7, 2018
That's a feature, not a bug, sir.
— Mortis (@WitchyDruss) November 7, 2018
Senate representation is one of the earliest examples of how the government is designed to protect the interests of smaller political entities from the whims of larger political entities. Protecting minorities, if you will.
— David Proctor (@freedomtrombone) November 7, 2018
A simple civics lesson clears this up. Read the Federalist Papers no. 62. The senate is meant to regulate the house by giving equal power to each state. We call it checks and balances.
— David Corey (@dcorey16) November 7, 2018
So let's get rid of the states then. Bring everything under the Federal government. To have a Republic (which is what this country is under the Constitution) those States have to have power. The Senate provides that. If you want to change that have a Constitutional convention.
— Dave West (@dwest3fold) November 7, 2018
Reading through the comments in this thread is making me lose faith in humanity people seriously can’t comprehend how our system works our education in this country is the true failure here
— Nananatylite (@Voyagerzz) November 7, 2018
How… I say How did the democrats manage to control the senate, many with with supermajorities for 62 out of the last 84 years George?
— Erik (@winefishdawg) November 7, 2018
Like we keep saying, the Electoral College and the Senate never seemed to bother anybody until Hillary lost and the blue wave didn’t happen.
George, I can't help but think if somehow your party were in power in the senate because of the way our government is set up you'd not be upset. It's not the principle it's the result that makes you unhappy.
— Josh Connelly (@ConnellyJosh) November 7, 2018
Related:
NBC News’ Ken Dilanian wonders how long the majority will let itself be ‘pushed around by a rural minority’ https://t.co/y6nkZwLaOQ
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) November 7, 2018
Join the conversation as a VIP Member