Dem Senators represent 30 more million people than Rs.

[Zan_of_Texas]

Think a filibuster is anti-democratic? Think it thwarts the will of the majority?

Well, take a look at the numbers of PEOPLE represented by the Senators.

Here is an excerpt from the New Yorker Magazine that spells it out:

The filibuster allows a minority within a legislative body to thwart the will of a majority. But that is hardly the worst of the Senate’s democratic imperfections, most of which spring from the arithmetical disparity among state populations.

Fifty-one senators-a majority-can represent states with as little as seventeen per cent of the American people. Sixty senators--enough to stop a filibuster--can represent as little as twenty-four per cent. That’s theory. What about reality?

Well, if each of every state’s two senators is taken to represent half that state’s population, then the Senate’s fifty-five Republicans represent 131 million people, while its forty-four Democrats represent 161 million.

Looked at another way, the present Senate is the product of three elections, those of 2000, 2002, and 2004. In those elections, the total vote for Democratic senatorial candidates, winning and losing, was 99.7 million; for Republicans it was 97.3 million.

The forty-four-person Senate Democratic minority, therefore, represents a two-million-plus popular majority--a circumstance that, unless acres trump people, is at variance with common-sense notions of democracy. So Democrats, as democrats, need not feel too terribly guilty about engaging in a spot of filibustering from time to time.

This is a portion of a longer, thorough Talk of the Town piece by Hendrik Hertzberg from last March.
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/index.ssf?050314ta_talk_hertzberg


Anybody want to start faxing THIS to the Dem Senators who are reluctant to filibuster?

[Erika]

1. Excellent post

The democrats who refuse to filibuster may need to think where their contributions originate. They refuse to represent us and we don't write checks.

[Zan_of_Texas]

2. I would hate to get in a contribution match with the Rs though.

They are sloshing money around in an obscene way, some of it recirculated government funds (ask Noe or Abramoff).

I think our argument is stronger talking about what's right, rather than who has money to give them.

[Erika]

3. The rich want to keep on being the rich

they simply don't care if it's taxpayer's money paid by hard working Americans.

[leftstreet]

5. Yes. They need more tax "relief."

:eyes:

[EST]

8. Both parties are overwhelmingly supported by

corporations and large organizations. The "grassroots" money, though significant, is but a small part of the "checks." In a money fight, we haven't a prayer.
After the revolution, if it ever ends and there are any people still alive, there has to be some way to prevent corporations from ever, EVER being granted even limited citizenship or personhood, again.

[radio4progressives]

4. K&R

:kick:

[Zan_of_Texas]

9. Fax nos. recommended for this one

You can fax the above analysis to:

John Kerry - 202-224-248525

Ted Kennedy - 202-224-2417

Barack Obama - 202-228-4260

Chris Dodd - 202-224-1083

Joe Lieberman - 202-224-9750

Dick Durbin - 202-228-0400

Joe Biden - 202-224-0139

Evan Bayh - 202-228-1377

Olympia Snowe - 202-224-1946

Harry Reid - 202-224-7327

Chuck Schumer - 202-228-3027

Hillary Clinton - 202-228-0282

Russ Feingold - 202-224-2725

Susan Collins - 202-224-2693

Barbara Mikulski - 202-224-8858

Patrick Leahy - 202-224-3479

Dianne Feinstein - 202-228-3954

Lincoln Chafee - 202-228-2853

Daniel Inouye - 202-224-6747

Ken Salazar - 202-228-5036

Tim Johnson - 202-228-0368

Lisa Murkowski 202-224-5301



Don't have a fax machine? You can fax messages through People for the American Way and their Save the Court.org site -- there's a fax option from there:
http://www.savethecourt.org/site/c.mwK0JbNTJrF/b.849267/k.CC39/Home.htm

Just replace their fax text with yours.

[hughee99]

6. Isn't the senate specifically designed this way?

"a circumstance that, unless acres trump people, is at variance with common-sense notions of democracy"

Senate representation is by state rather than by population, so wouldn't the design of the Senate itself be at variance with our common-sense notions of democracy, regardless of the political breakdown of it? Not that I don't support the filibuster, I'm just asking.

[Trevelyan]

7. Sen. Lautenberg had a chart with these figures showing the "minority" Dems

really represent several million more AMERICAN CITIZENS than the Repukes and he has a video on his Senate website defending the Filibuster and it is magnificent. Highly recommended.:patriot:

[emlev]

10. kick!

[Sammy Pepys]

11. Eh...the bolded one is kinda weak

It's a nice thought, but I think the theory is a little weak.

1) What about states with two Senators of the same party? If each Senator represents one half of the population, than that means the entire population of places like New York, Connecticut and Hawaii is counted as Dem and other places like Arizona, Georgia and Alaska are completely Rep. We know that's not true.

2) States where there are one R and one D Senator have often won their races by different margins. For instance, in Iowa, Grassley won his race with 70%, while Harkin won his with 54%. There are states where a 50/50 split are pretty close (Minnesota and South Dakota), but those seem fewer in number than ones with a greater gap.

[bvar22]

12. "Thwarting the will of the majority"???

"The filibuster allows a minority within a legislative body to thwart the will of a majority. But that is hardly the worst of the Senate’s democratic imperfections,

The whole point of the way our forefathers set up our Democratic Republic was to protect the rights and voice of the minority. Our Constitution and our system of government has been set up to prevent the majority from running roughshod over the minority.
IMHO, that is the foundation of what makes America great!

Instead of "the worst of the Senate’s democratic imperfections,", this is the Senate's greatest saving Grace!

The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those
who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR.

[Zan_of_Texas]

14. I'm trying to give the Senators an idea to use when Fox attacks them.

Murkans are so, "Okay, let's rumble -- may the best man win!"

The idea is that even if you, the right-wing media or Nascar Dad, subscribe to WINNER TAKE ALL and don't carry about protecting the rights of minorities, if you look at the PEOPLE represented by Senators, it's not an abridgement of the US population's politics if the Dems filibuster. They represent the majority of the people.

[donheld]

13. Why do so few american's realize this?

why do so few care?

[Armstead]

15. kick

[Zan_of_Texas]

19. kick.

[Straight Shooter]

16. And half a million more of them voted for Gore.

Did the Dems fight? Hell, no. Look where we are. Do we want a repeat? Hell, no!!

We have nothing to lose by a filibuster. Nothing. Americans love a good fight. Let's give it to them. Let the cameras focus on the filibuster, let the American people hear what we have to say about Alito, how we want to protect the powerless from the powerful, that to suppress the few when multiplied many times over is the suppression of the many.

Fight, Dems! Fight!

[Perky]

17. No No No....NOT a Good post.

The Senate if you look at the framers intent was to moderate the popular will as expessed in the House: THis is underscored in the Federalist papers....particularly #10 whih is about the power of faction.

That is why they have longer terms and that is why there are two from every state.

That is why is is a far more deliberative body and that is why they have been given the responisbility of advice and consent.


Maybe it is undemocratic in terms of representation,m but the Senat is not popular boice yet.


Although.. that might be a good covering argument for those not committed to voting no on cloture yet and perhaps even more importantly are argument for a super majority in any confirmation.

[Rebel_with_a_cause]

18. excellent observation

Blue districts are where the universities, and multitudes of voters, are.