Labrador, Ward say end votes for U.S. senators

TREASURE VALLEY — Frontrunner Republican congressional candidates who want to take election of U.S. senators away from a public vote have surprised some political observers.

First Congressional District candidates Raul Labrador and Vaughn Ward both said they want to repeal the 17th Amendment of 1913. The amendment to the Constitution took elections of U.S. senators away from state legislatures and put them in the hands of the public.

Idaho Democratic Party Executive Director Jim Hansen calls Ward’s and Labrador’s position on the issue “bizarre” and “odd.”

But Ward and Labrador say it’s a state’s rights issue. The 17th Amendment has contributed to an erosion of state’s rights and to a too-powerful federal government, Ward said.

http://www.idahopress.com/news/article_bc420668-58d1-11df-beb8-001cc4c002e0.html

wasn't TOTALLY a House of Lords.

:nuke:

thereby giving the right of senatorial selection to other politicians in state capitals.

It seems to have come from the same place as the teabagger phenomenon.

There are currently slightly more Democratic than republican governors. According to Wikipedia, there are 26 Democrats, 23 republicans and 1 Independent governor nationwide.

If the governors chose the senators, we would dominate the Senate. I don't understand why they are pushing this thing. I hope this idea fades quickly. It makes no sense at all to mix state and federal politics this way, with a misguided notion of states' rights. Of course, the republicans usually do a lot of yelling about states' rights when the Democrats are in power.