XPost: or.politics, or.general, pdx.general   
   From: tedm@toybox.placo.com   
      
   "Louis"  wrote in message   
   news:bauerl-BAEBCC.07593804022007@sn-ip.vsrv-sjc.supernews.net...   
   > In article ,   
   >  "Ted Mittelstaedt"  wrote:   
   >   
   > > The smartest thing we can do as a state is to have 1 Democratic   
   > > senator, and 1 Republicsn senator   
   >   
   > > There are only 2 things that matter in the Senate - if your a member of   
   > > the ruling party or not, and how senior a member you are.   
   >   
   > Your statements are self contradictory.  Electing one from each party   
   > only indicates schizophrenia and dilutes the size of the "ruling" party.   
      
   No, not in the Senate.  If every state did this you would have a 50 50 split   
   in   
   the Senate and the swing votes would go to the vice president who is going   
   to (hopefully) be a Democrat.   
      
   The plum committee assignments are apportioned to members by party and   
   seniority.  The ruling party gets all of the chairmanships of all the   
   committees   
   which is why it was so critical for both houses to be voted into the same   
   party,   
   and why it means congress is doing a 180 degree shift right now.  The   
   committee chairs   
   basically control everything that goes through congress.   
      
   In years where the Democrats have control Smith is effectively nullified, in   
   years where Republicans are in control Wyden is effectively nullified.  If a   
   state splits it's senatorial representation between parties then it is   
   guarenteed   
   that every year to have 1 member that has a committee chairmanship that can   
   be used   
   to steal I mean apportion money to that state.  And the most lucrative   
   committees   
   like the appropriations committees, go to the most senior members because   
   that   
   is where you can steal I mean apportion the most money for your state.   
      
   I had though this was common political knowledge, it's a shame how piss poor   
   education has gotten.   
      
   Ted   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)