45 DEM Senators Represent 3.4 Million More than 55 Republicans

[maxrandb]

Here's some interesting info.

This is why 51 Senators should not be able to ram stuff through the Senate.

Here's my calculations based on state by state population. Source is http://www.census.gov/population/projections/state/stpjpop.txt

I made the following assumptions. If your state had 2 Republican Senators, then the entire population went into the Republican total. If your state had 2 Democratic Senators, then the entire population went into the Democrats total.

States represented by 1 Dem and 1 Repub would have the population divided evenly. These would be a wash, and are not included in my numbers.

U.S. Population Represented by Democratic Senators: 119,065,000
U.S. Population Represented by Republican Senators: 115,721,000

[LisaM]

1. I recently read that the Dems represent 161 million, the R's 131million

but I can't remember where I read that - the New Yorker, maybe? It certainly sounds as if, no matter how you calculate it, it's government by the minority.

[Pacifist Patriot]

3. Not quite.

More like tyranny by the minority.

[beyurslf]

10. I think that calculation takes split states and gives the total to both

the R and D columns rather than splitting the population half and half.

[Roland99]

2. Why Progressives Lose: Affirmative Action for Conservatives

http://www.fairvote.org/articles/progressivepopulis.htm

[Jacobin]

4. That's why they are called "Senators" and not "representatives"

Explain to me why there are so many more republican representatives when there are more democrats than republicans nationwide.

(okay, gerrymandering districts is one)

[question everything]

6. Has nothing to do with gerrymandering

While members of congress represent more or less equal number of people, each state will always have two senators. The sparsely populated states of the mountain regions have two senators, just like California and New York.

And if we know that generally the sparsely populated states send Republicans while the densely populated states send Democrats - the result, really, is not surprising, at least, in hindsight.

[Jacobin]

15. Gerrymandering has a LOT to do with representatives not

being more accurately reflective of their party.

I didn't say that gerrrymandering had anything to do with senators, as they are elected statewide.

[DemBeans]

5. this is an excellent talking point

You should send it to Reid ---

[RedCloud]

7. I believe we should have National senators!

51 total.

Elect 17 every two years. Everyone gets to vote. Top 17 win!

Just trying to make democracy actually work.

I will be working on the House later.

[GOPBasher]

8. Because the way the senate is set up.

Wyoming gets the same amount of senators as California. With the difference in population, that's ridiculous.

[Roland99]

13. Each state gets two Senators to represent the State's interests

Representatives are to represent the constituents.

[GOPBasher]

14. I don't think that's fair, though.

This means some people are more represented than others. People should get equal representation. Who cares about "states"? State aren't people.

[Roland99]

18. States have their own concerns

We elect Representatives and Senators at the state-level, too. The entire state government is then represented in the Senate.

[morgan2]

9. start a "draft puerto rico" campaign

Get them to change their minds about becoming a state..

[Lone Pawn]

11. What did you do with Jeffords?

[maxrandb]

12. He Caucuses (sp) with the Dems, so I counted him with us.

[ngreene]

16. I mentioned this to a

republican friend and he stated that many of the Dem. U.S. Senators actually represent far fewer than what the what we think. He said that illegal immigrants are counted in the census and most are from dem. senate seats.

[newyawker99]

22. Hi ngreene!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[cally]

17. I would like to redo your analysis

and split the state populations with both a Dem and Rep Senator. Just to clarify, you left out those populations from your conclusion? So I could take your total and then add in the split states?

[Walt Starr]

19. Which is precisely the reason the Senate is a deliberative body as

opposed to the House's reactionary body. It was called the "Great Compromise" and is also why the filibuster has a 200+ year history.

If we choose to go by just population rather than party breakdown, more than half of the populace is represented in the Senate by only 20 Senators. Simply put, more than half the pop[ulation resides in only ten states.

[Endangered Specie]

20. This is no suprise to me...

Because a state with 100,000 people has as much representation as one with 10,000,000 in the Senate. And republicans win outright in the tiny populated, large western states.

Now the reason why we dont have a majority in the House, that is more damning (republicans redrawing districts to help them).

[Telly Savalas]

21. "Well, we're a Republic, not a Democracy!"

I'm not sure why this makes it right, but it's the favorite freeper defense to any criticism of improper representation in our government.

[Tactical Progressive]

23. We're a democracy, period.

Don't let that shit slide.

If they don't believe in democracy, then they should move to another country.

[Telly Savalas]

27. I don't let it slide. It's a meaningless statement that dodges the issue.

I'm surprised they don't try to get more milage out of it though. e.g.:

Liberal: "The Bush Administration has needlessly sent thousands to their deaths and squandered billions of dollars in a war based on lies."

Conservative: "Well deal with it. This is a Republic, not a Democracy."

[Tactical Progressive]

24. Great statistics

Thank you!

[many a good man]

25. A better calculation

Because a Senator represents ALL the people in the state, you should not split states or discount them. Just add the entire state population to the party total. Your grand total will have 2X the national population, but your percentages will be more accurate.

[Massacure]

26. No shit sherlock. Every states gets the same amount of senators.

It's been that way for 216 years.