For Fienstein that seems accurate - people using her to retain what power they have inherited from operating her shell. McConnel goes in and out of lucidness though and with him it seems as just as likely that he is the one holding on.
What is so distasteful though is not just how much weight their votes carry in the senate, but that they are both in leadership positions that they are clearly incapable of carrying out at this point.
Even the Newsmax host thinks this guy is a grandstanding idiot.
Seems an artifact in the Senate, where dying in the chamber is not all that rare. Now it’s worse because of this 50/50 deal, but they should find a better way, I agree. That was ghastly today. Goodness.
Short of the people involved having enough self-respect, or enough respect for the position, to do the right thing themselves, I cannot think of any mechanism that could be employed to deal with this that wouldn’t immediately be used for nefarious purposes.
I don’t believe too much in arguments like Harry Reid shouldnt have done what he did with judicial appointments because it opened the door for McConnel to do what he did with the Supreme Court appointments, because if the opportunity was there McConnel was always going to use it if he had to. But I dont think we should create new levers that can pulled by bad actors in situations they weren’t intended to be user for.
Could you have something like a recall threshold and if it passes fill the vacancy with a closed primary from that person’s party? Not perfect, but it would theoretically minimize the prospect of one party using the lever in an attempt to flip a seat.
The other disquieting point is we may be about to re-elect a president who could well deteriorate in such a fashion. As you say, with McConnell the downward slide was quiet sudden. EDIT: Though, I guess in the case of the president they have one of the Amendments, which one slips my mind at the moment. The cabinet can basically declare him unfit.
Watch any season of 24. They’ll try to employ the relevant amendment twice.
Just fuck off, Mitch.
I don’t think he is catching Strom Thurmond’s record, that seems certain
I’d say the chances are looking good that both candidates on the ballot could deteriorate like that in office. I suspect Trump will become one of those angry dementia cases though. Mitch and Biden seem more of the drift-off types
Person, woman, man, camera, TV
Why would it not be possible to have a retirement age like in any other profession?
Surely 70, or most 75 would be reasonable. There’s no way anyone in their eighties should be doing such a job.
Here’s the top ten oldest ever. McConnell doesn’t even turn 82 until February. He’s wearing out early.
they write their own rules and if they were willing to relinquish their own power they wouldn’t need to write rules to enforce it
I think it is counter productive. The senate especially is complicated and takes time to learn how to be good at it. The Biden-Schumer partnership has been historically successful in terms of the amount and size of legislation they have passed given their slim margins, and most inside accounts attribute this to their extensive knowledge of how the process works.
maybe, that’s part of the problem? These old/white/right politicians are creating such a clusterfuck in the Senate that it has lost the ability to function effectively. They are the law of the land, and their mentality is having a detrimental effect on the function of the society it governs.
I don’t think thee is anyway around the reality that legislating is complicated and takes time to learn how to do it well.
There has to be a happy medium somewhere.
Many jobs take time to learn how to do them well, and there is a benefit with experience. But it doesn’t mean you should keep going into your 80s!
Since there is no honor in politics any more, a solution will have to be legislated, and that would be a shame, because two people of the same age e.g. 78 years old, might not have the same faculties, and one might still have something to offer, but the other not so much.
Still, it’s why we can’t have nice things!
My view would be one Senate term, which I think is six years, is the maximum you can serve beyond hitting the standard social security retirement age.
Edit
It gives plenty of time for planning, since such a premium is placed on keeping the seat and holding the majority, if you have it.
how much time, though? if you can get a degree to cutting someone open (Surgeon) within 16 yrs how much time does it really take to learn legislation? Law Degrees are only 7-8yrs??
No idea, but it is relevant that it was the experience and skill developed with that experience, of a 72 year old and 80 year old, that is largely attributed to the legislative success the Schumer/Biden tenure.
One of the big challenges is that the opportunity to do big legislation is rare, which is why its a skill that takes so long to craft.
but really, is it though? they’re elected officials…
Article I, Section 3, Clause 3:
No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.
I dont know what that response is supposed to mean