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Another musing: Senate more representatve than the house?!?

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greekspeak Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-24-05 08:15 AM
Original message
Another musing: Senate more representatve than the house?!?
Why?

State senatorial numbers cannot be "DeLay-ed" like Texas was. Thus, while house districts can be Gerrymandered, senators have to have the confidence of the entire state! Thus, states that seem to be super-Repuke stong holds often have mixed senatorial delegations. Even now, one party does not have a complete death grip on the Senate. The minority party can wield a little muscle now and then. The senate is often called "aristocratic," but these days, it seems to me to be far more representative than the House.

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whistle Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-24-05 08:22 AM
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1. Correct, every republican is in the house because of Gerrymandered
...Districts
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Telly Savalas Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-24-05 09:06 AM
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7. Including states where every House member is a Republican?
Or were you just being sarcastic? Sorry, but sometimes it's hard to tell in GD.
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LincolnMcGrath Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-24-05 08:23 AM
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2. A Senator represents a State not the people in them.
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greekspeak Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-24-05 08:37 AM
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3. But what is a state, except the sum total of its people?
Sure, within the boundaries of Florida, there are cars, birds, bricks, kitties, playing cards, etc. But none of these things make the "state" of Florida. "Florida" as a STATE is a collection of people. These people vote for senators. Sometimes their votes count. But voting people from Panama City to Miami and Jacksonville to Key West votes for them. But for instance, a house district might include a tip of county A, all of counties B,C,D, and E, and another crust of county f. Next time, county F might be all in another district, while its old district might include a full half of county G. All of this, of course, being up to the whims of the party in control of the state legislature. Senate somehow sounds more representative.
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swimboy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-24-05 08:47 AM
Response to Reply #3
4. Senate Representation
The Senators from a state represent the political leaning in the state, but the total Senate does not necessarily reflect the political attitude of the United States. For instance, if every one who would vote Democratic moved to New York and California, the U.S. population would still be roughly 50% Republican and 50% Democratic but there would be only 4 Democratic Senators.

That's why it is so important for the Senate rules to continue to enforce collegiality and compromise, because the Senators do not mathematically represent the people.
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greekspeak Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-24-05 08:50 AM
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5. Senators quite often do not represent the state's political leanings.
Often they do, but then again often they do not. Look at Maine. Rhode Island. North Dakota. Arkansas.
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Name removed Donating Member (0 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-24-05 08:52 AM
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