The headline kind of threw me. I thought the Senate not caring for change was a reference to the difficulty in getting the Senate to pass any legislation. But, once I read the article, I realized that the change the Senate doesn’t like is change in personnel. They don’t like to see old senators go and new senators arrive. That must be because they are all such great friends and enjoy each other’s company so much. I swear these people just don’t get it. The Senate is an elitist institution by design. It was supposed to be even more elitist than it is now that the senators are directly elected. They’re supposed to be grown-ups. They’re supposed to leave the political bickering to the House. They’re supposed to be above talking-points and the news cycle. But they’re not living up to their mission.
Having our own House of Lords without the titles was always a dubious idea. Most people think we live in a democracy, and most of those who don’t, think we should. Some people see the virtue in having 100 elites who can thwart the will of the electorate in their greater wisdom, but I don’t know anyone who thinks our current Senate is any wiser than the House. It’s just less representative and operates under bizarre rules than allow the minority to have veto power over procedure. The institution stinks and it’s getting in the way of progress.
The fact that it can’t be fixed is one of the most frustrating things in our political culture. To see all these senators whining about their lack of job security is galling. Try making it a place worth serving. How would that be?
