Tell Senate Democrats: End the seniority system for committee chairsThis was posted by the CREDO Action progressive blog. Note the difference in current Senate rules for leadership (Committee Chairs).
At the beginning of the next Congress, Democrats need to be more like Republicans--at least in one specific way.
The Republican Party term limits its committee chairs in Congress, whereas Democrats award chairmanships based on seniority.
No wonder that Democrats are stuck with Senator Max Baucus as Chair of the pivotal Finance Committee and Joe Lieberman as Chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (to name two infuriating obstructionists).
The health care reform process shows why the seniority system is problematic and how it gives power to senators who are unaccountable to the rest of their caucus.
Baucus has been in the Senate since 1978, representing a state with a tiny share of the U.S. population. Not surprisingly, the drug and insurance industries are huge contributors.
And the result? Sen. Baucus, used his chairmanship to put the brakes on health care reform, with all sorts of nasty consequences.
And of course Joe Lieberman is notorious for grandstanding and using his position to undermine the rest of the Democratic caucus. He single-handedly blocked a Medicare buy-in provision in the health reform bill after agreeing to it in private negotiations with Majority Leader Harry Reid.
And Lieberman was able to do so with impunity because he doesn't need to worry about what the members of the Democratic caucus think about him. If his coveted position were subject to a secret vote, he'd have some motivation to avoid overtly antagonizing the Democrats.
Some members of the Democratic caucus have reportedly discussed putting chairmanships to a secret ballot vote every two years--that is to say, every two years, all the Democrats of the Senate would get to vote on whether committee chairs get to keep their seats. We think this is an excellent idea.
To sign their petition go to:
http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/end_seniority_system/
3 comments:
Agreed.
One of the most common and historic problems with the U.S. government, both systematically and habitually, is that often times it's hard to get anything done. It is true that the Framers designed the constitution, the basis of American government, in order to limit the power of government, and to slow down the process of governing, mostly in order to avoid problems, corruption, radicalism, etc.
Sometimes it is necessary for rapid change. We've had a rather unprecedented period of change already, and now policies and methods must adapt, change, to fit the current needs, the current situation.
This cannot happen with a lame-duck congress, or with the presence of obstructionists.
I have to agree with setting term limits for committee chairs, if not abolishing seniority altogether. It makes sense to give chair positions to Congressmen who have served for a long time and deserve perks. But at some point, you have to limit that because it encourages some degree of apathy. When senior members know they can't be booted out of their chair position, they are likely to be selfish and obstinate when passing legislation. As incumbents, they face little danger of not getting reelected, so they have almost nothing keeping them from acting in an immature, stubborn, and partisan fashion. Maybe there should be some sort of senior members bonus check or something, but assuring senior members committee chairs is foolish because it makes worse the absurd gridlock in Congress that currently exists.
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