• UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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    7 hours ago

    I’m specifically talking about onboarding an elected US senator

    Well, Adelita Grijalva was elected to Arizona’s 7th district house seat.

    Even ignoring the unique incompetence of the Democrats, a congressional system where a minority party can only onboard a newly elected congressperson on the timetable of the majority leader is deeply fucked, and ripe for abuse.

    As far as I’m aware, they played a pedantic procedural game to drag her swearing in out until the end of the Congressional period.

    And while I agree its ripe for abuse, that’s how Congress seems to like it. We’ve had a Strong Speaker system since at least Hastert and it’s made a lot of people very rich.

    this is a very specific crack in our congressional system.

    It’s a general flaw in governments operating with slim majorities. The reward in the system is to maintain that majority at all costs, because you’re powerless without it.

    • MajinBlayze@lemmy.world
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      6 hours ago

      Ah, I was wrong about her being a senator; she’s a representative, but still at the congressional level, so the rest of my position stands.