Hoekstra advocates for the repeal of the 17th Amendment, suggesting that Washington insiders and special interests could do a better job of picking our senators

Our favorite race-baiting candidate for Senate, Pete Hoekstra, is in the national spotlight again. This time it’s for comments he made concerning the Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution, which, as you may remember from sixth-grade history class, passed in 1913, allowing American citizens the opportunity to directly elect their Senators by popular vote. (Prior to that, Senators were elected by state legislatures.) Hoekstra, who apparently thinks it would better of we had our elected officials in Lansing choose our senators for us, says that the repeal of the 17th Amendment, “would be a positive thing.” Earlier this week, Hoekstra, who was a guest on a conservative radio program by the name of Clarkcast, said, “The direct election of U.S. Senators made the U.S. Senate act and behave like the House of Representatives.” This was a problem, he said, because “The end result has led to an erosion of states’ rights.” (I’m sure it’s obvious, but could someone tell me how choosing Senators by way of direct election diminishes states’ rights? And, by “states’ rights” we do mean the ability of states to enact racist legislation, right?)

Among those in the national media to respond to Hoekstra was Stephen Colbert, who said, “In other words: Why should I have to vote for my Senator? I already voted for my State Senator. He knows what I like. Let him order for me. It makes me feel pampered.” Here’s the rest of the Colbert segment.

I’d like to think that this idiocy of Hoekstra’s would stay front and center for the next several days, but, given the loathsome, backward nature of the current Republican field, I think it’s likely that tomorrow another candidate for Senate will be something even more shockingly offensive. Who knows, Missouri’s Todd Akin could even make a comment about “legitimate rape.”

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5 Comments

  1. Edward
    Posted August 20, 2012 at 9:12 am | Permalink

    This is the natural progression of things, isn’t it?

  2. Knox
    Posted August 20, 2012 at 9:33 am | Permalink

    The Senate, as it was envisioned, was to be a more cool-headed, deliberative body, in contrast to the rabble of the House. Therefore, I can see why some might want to have the election of Senators somewhat removed from the common rabble. I don’t agree with it, but I can see the logic of it. I don’t understand, however, how the direct election of senators is an affront to states’ rights, as the individuals doing the voting are all citizens of the state.

  3. Knox
    Posted August 20, 2012 at 9:40 am | Permalink

    Furthermore, Hoekstra is a joke, and we need to help Stabenow fight him off, for the good of our state, and the nation. While she disappoints me greatly as a Senator, I don’t see as how we have a choice.

    Speaking of disappointments, she just recently voted against Bernie Sanders’ bill to label products with GMOs.

    http://votesmart.org/bill/15529/40795/515/requires-labels-on-foods-with-genetically-modified-ingredients

  4. Star Child
    Posted August 21, 2012 at 9:08 am | Permalink

    “The Senate, as it was envisioned, was to be a more cool-headed, deliberative body, in contrast to the rabble of the House.”

    Yes, but is that not why Senators are elected for 6 year terms and house members are elected for 2 year terms?

  5. Tanny
    Posted August 22, 2012 at 11:41 pm | Permalink

    You know, since you brought it up, I used to only have sex with “college girls” passed out at parties and old ladies who thought I was their dead husband.

    You know bitches who were begging for it. But I was always like “What if one of these bitches gets pregnant?!” And I’m like, “Fuck me if Obama is paying for my kids abortion.”

    It’s very good to know that if I don’t want to get a bitch knocked up, I just need to have sex with the ones that really, really doesn’t want to.

    Just like God planned. Todd Akin is right. God is smarter than us and built in something in women where we can have sex with them as long as they don’t want us to and everything will turn out fine!!!

    If a bitch is pregnant, it’s because she wanted to be. Take that shit to court!

    Lower taxes.

    Hard work.

    America!!!!

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