Senate Brain Drain Set to Continue With Sasse

Political awfulness is self-concentrating. 

You wouldn’t say no sane person would want to be a U.S. senator. The power of public servants to do good and prevent bad is still real. And if you’re someone who likes being catered to, it’s an atmosphere of institutional sycophancy not unlike a fancy resort hotel. “Right this way, Senator …”

Indeed, that can be part of the problem with our upper chamber. So well-developed is the dignity of many of the mostly older, already wealthy members that they don’t have the spunk to deal with the growing number of zealous, self-promoting demagogues in their midst. 

It was all fun and games 15 years ago when it was just Bernie Sanders, who was good for a head pat and a press conference and would be on his way muttering about millionaires and billionaires. But the bear-baiting purveyors of class-warfare bull pucky are now everywhere: Ted Cruz, Elizabeth Warren, Josh Hawley, Tommy Tuberville, and Mazie Hirono have all arrived since then. Others, like Kirsten Gillibrand and Ron Johnson, caught the bug after they arrived.