Forget religious tests. We need literacy tests. For Senators.
by digby
The constitution expressly prohibits religious tests for office. But I don’t see anything that says we can’t require literacy tests. It’s obvious that we need to:
Republicans have never made it easy for President Barack Obama to confirm judges. But Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) came up with a new reason the Senate shouldn’t be filling empty court seats: It’s not our job.
Democrats including Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Mazie Hirono (Hawaii) made repeated requests Wednesday to confirm a batch of Obama’s judicial nominees who are ready for votes. Each time they tried, Tillis objected and suggested the Senate shouldn’t be spending time on judges.
“What we get are things that have nothing to do with doing our jobs,” he said. “I’m doing my job today and objecting to these measures so we can actually get back to pressing matters.”
It’s a weird thing to say since it is literally the Senate’s job to confirm judges, as spelled out in the Constitution.
WTH is happening here? Does he really not believe it’s his job to confirm judges? It’s his explicit job description!
Thinking about the literacy test, I’ve changed my mind. Let’s get to the nub of the problem: the Senate. It’s an undemocratic institution that really has no place in a modern democracy. It’s decided not to bother doing the few specific jobs it does as an individual body. Even with the loons running the House today the only legislative body this country would not be in any worse shape. So really, why are we paying for it at all? It’s useless.
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