Juan Cole on the Nuclear Option

Juan Cole has written an excellent piece on the Nuclear Option which may become a reality as soon as this week. He points out that an up or down vote in the Senate does not carry equal weighting over our countries population, due to the non-proportional representation in the senate. Interesting. I hadn't considered this.

From juancole.com:

When 54 senators impose a federal judge on 46 other senators by an "up and down vote," in a wholly partisan fashion, it is actually 27 states imposing their will on 23 other states. Because Madison lost the fight for proportional representation in the senate, moreover, it is even possible for the 27 states to have less population in total than the 23 states do. In fact, that is presently the case.

So when Bush says the president's nominees deserve an up and down vote, and given the tyranny in the senate of the Republican majority [which is a minority population-wise], what he is really arguing for is an American monarchy, backed by a King's Party. King George's appointees deserve to be appointed because the King appointed them, and the Royal Will must not be subverted. The senators do not have the right to advise or refuse to give consent, in King George's reading of the constitution.