Wow, Repugs really are tired of this direct democracy stuff, aren't they?

from HuffPost:



A Republican state senator in Tennessee is seeking a partial repeal of the direct election of U.S. senators in the state, but not before a fellow Republican's reelection campaign occurs.

Tennessee state Sen. Frank Niceley (R-Strawberry Plains) has introduced legislation that would end party primaries for U.S. Senate seats, and instead give state legislators the power to select the major party nominees for election, knoxnews.com reported. Niceley said that changing the system would allow for more qualified candidates, along with lessening the need for fundraising and the possibility of extreme candidates winning party primaries.

"We've tried it this way (contested primaries) for 100 years," Niceley told knoxnews.com. "It's time to try something different."

U.S. senators have been directly elected since the ratification of the 17th Amendment to the Constitution in 1913, following over a century of state legislatures picking senators directly. Under Niceley's bill, party nominees picked by legislators would still face general election voters in November. The nomination process would require party members in both the state House and state Senate to meet to vote on nominees. The bill does not specify how candidacies would take place and what types of campaigning candidates could engage in prior to legislative votes. ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/04/frank-niceley-tennessee_n_2616266.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009