Illinois Scandal Spawns A Debate

[cal04]

Amendment Would End Appointments
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/11/AR2009031103867.html?wprss=rss_politics/congress

After a presidential election that helped spark the appointment of four senators and a burst of related controversy, key lawmakers met yesterday to mull whether the Constitution should be amended to prevent history from repeating itself.

A pair of House and Senate Judiciary subcommittees debated a proposed constitutional amendment that would end the practice of allowing governors to make interim appointments to fill vacant Senate seats, instead requiring that all such openings be filled via election.

Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.), the original sponsor of the amendment, said the change was necessary to fix "a constitutional anachronism."

"I believe that those who want to be a U.S. senator should have to make their case to the people whom they want to represent, not just the occupant of the governor's mansion," Feingold said.

[RB TexLa]

1. There is too much constituency service provided by senators to risk a state

having to wait for a statewide election to have two senators.