a big issue with the house dem caucus is you have all of these ancient creatures with so much seniority but relatively little time in the majority who are *desperate* to be chairs again or chairs for the first time and thus never know when to quit while they're ahead - ThreadSky

unavaleable.bsky.social • 2 days ago

a big issue with the house dem caucus is you have all of these ancient creatures with so much seniority but relatively little time in the majority who are *desperate* to be chairs again or chairs for the first time and thus never know when to quit while they're ahead

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thesinnamom.gay•2 days ago

The Dems have only held the House for what, 8 years in the last 30? On one hand I get it, especially when there's a very solid chance of retaking the House in less than two years.

On the other hand, this is not fuckin about y'all. Steel yourselves or step aside.

loudpenitent.bsky.social•2 days ago

Honestly you're not wrong. We're still seeing a lot of Dems reeling from the post-Reagan devastating defeats.

cwilhelm24.bsky.social•2 days ago

Yep. In their desiccated old hearts it will eternally be 1985. 🙄

lizamazel.bsky.social•2 days ago

I mean in a weird way it kind of IS. Or rather, Trumpism may be hearkening back to an earlier era when it comes to foreign policy, but "half demented old coot riding on his media background leads the rabid mutant spawn of Ayn Rand and other assorted freaks to take a hatchet to FDR's legacy"

lizamazel.bsky.social•2 days ago

like right now, wherever he is, Grover Norquist is having a fucking orgasm

sptmain.bsky.social•2 days ago

After all that fawning about Biden "putting country over party", you'd think these desiccated mummies might aspire to the ideal.

But no; they all know that little belly-scratch for Biden were treats for doing what they wanted, in the same way that they will mythologize the most mediocre among them

palmereldritch.bsky.social•2 days ago

Send them all to a nice farm upstate where they can run and play all day.

unavaleable.bsky.social•2 days ago

Seniority probably needs to be taken out behind the shed tbh

benhosp.bsky.social•1 day ago

The problem here is that due to various historical contingencies, this idea will be (and has been) easy to agitate against as an attack on the power of the Congressional Black Caucus, because it *will* functionally be an attack on the power of the CBC just as a result of median ages.

largesseadultson.bsky.social•2 days ago

Genuinely brain dead way to choose leaders, but what are you gonna do, *vote* for them?

unavaleable.bsky.social•2 days ago

honestly, the thing I had thought it might make sense for individual committee delegations to select their chair/ranking member (subject to veto by Policy/Steering with the Caucus as the final call)

unavaleable.bsky.social•2 days ago

you probably end up with something like seniority because the people in a committee caucus longer relationships with other members makes it easier to win their votes and you don't have *that* much turn-over

unavaleable.bsky.social•2 days ago

But! like everything in a legislature, by strengthening committees, you do weaken leadership which complicates the ability force a party-led bill to the floor

sanho.bsky.social•2 days ago

They should use secret ballots to protect people from reprisals. They’re already used in leadership elections within the caucus. Imagine if the Senate adopted secret ballots during Trump’s impeachment trials!

unavaleable.bsky.social•2 days ago

yeah for sure! makes sense since it would still be a caucus thing vs Legislative Procedural

eridyn.bsky.social•2 days ago

Having read the research on term limits and their negative impacts, I've come around to them as a means to stop the evils of sclerotic representation.

All positions limited at 18 yrs. Plenty of time to learn, develop relationships, get shit done, but also should prevent elected-as-memory care home.

dannyblinderman.bsky.social•1 day ago

Its such a cursed policy legacy. It started as a way to ensure that southern dems had outsize power in congress (because they never lost) then Dems kept it because it was a way to help black members from VRA districts (who also never lost) gain power through seniority. We need term limits likes Rs

dannyblinderman.bsky.social•1 day ago

and to be clear, helping newly elected black Ds acrue seniority was good! But now it just empowers the most wizened, useless D reps

scorp.bsky.social•2 days ago

Greed can be left in the trash imo

tektology-enjoyer.bsky.social•1 day ago

Sortition for committee chairs!

rohanthenahor.bsky.social•2 days ago

Never underestimate their ability to RPG their foot, they’re idiots

locomotion95.bsky.social•1 day ago

One of LBJ’s greatest feats was breaking the Senate’s seniority system in his first year as minority leader. Didn’t stick long term but it’s up there with passing a civil rights bill in difficulty. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XW6SNqzEpwc&pp=ygUVTWluZCBiZW5kaW5nIHN0cmF0ZWd5

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