2K Millennium: The Rise of Small States

In the founding era of nation, there was one thing that small states enjoyed about the Articles of Confederation: each state had an equal vote in the legislative chamber.  Naturally, when the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia threatened the parity small states enjoyed under the Articles, the delegates from the small states protested and almost thwarted history by walking away from the table.

From your history books, you know all about Edmund Randolph, the large states’ Virginia Plan, and the national legislature that was proposed to populated according to proportional representation.  You also know about the small states’ New Jersey plan, led by William Paterson that sought to preserve equal representation.  Ultimately, you know it took a compromise led by Roger Sherman of Connecticut and others to reconcile the two plans, a compromise that would lead to proportional representation in House of Representatives and equal representation in the Senate.

The same kind of arguments used by the large states in the hot summer in Philadelphia more than two centuries ago are being used in the new millennium.

For instance, after the 2000 election, supporters of former Vice President Al Gore spoke out strongly against Electoral College that elected George W. Bush as President despite Gore winning the popular vote.

In 2008, much criticism was heaped upon Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina and their traditional status of holding their Presidential primaries prior to other larger states.

In recent times, and particularly with the “healthcare reform” bill on the table, some people have criticized the ability of one Senator from one state holding up the affairs of the government because of Senate filibuster rules.

Many of these criticisms are made directly, or indirectly, at small states.  In any republic there was always be a temptation to move towards a pure democracy.  It is this very reason that many of the mechanism in country were founded the way they were.  The founders knew of the tyranny and were informed by history of the tyranny that direct democracy can bring.

It is clear that the new millennium, for better or worse, has been marked by the rise of small states and their continued important influence on American politics.

In 2000, if any one of the small states like New Hampshire, Nevada, Montana, Alaska, or Wyoming had voted in favor of the other candidate, the election might have turned out different.  As it was, these states and their respective citizens had as much voice in the outcome of the presidency as residents of California, Texas or Pennsylvania.  The Electoral College, as described by James Madison in Federalist 68, was designed both to protect the interests of the individual states and to prevent a tyrant who might sway the people.  To eliminate the Electoral College is to place the outcome of the presidency exclusively in the hands of states with large metropolitan areas.

The 2008 primaries were another example of the rise of small states.  Aside from New Hampshire, South Carolina, Iowa and Nevada’s role as early primary states, in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary small states played the most significant role in a primary to date.  Because of party rules, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama had to visit states like North Dakota, Montana, Rhode Island and West Virginia in order to earn the delegates needed for nomination.

Today, moderate Senators from small states like Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Susan Collins (R-ME), Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Ben Nelson (D-NE) hold great sway over the current healthcare reform legislation and critical pieces of legislation in the Obama agenda.  If this were the House of Representatives where large states dominate the leadership and representation, the legislation would have sailed through and become law by now.

Consider also, that our current President has strong ties to Hawaii, our Vice President represented Delaware in the Senate for decades, and some of the names being tossed around as potential nominees for the GOP in 2012 (Palin, Huckabee, Thune, Barbour, Huntsman) come from small states (Alaska, Arkansas, South Dakota, Mississippi, Utah).

Why this rise in power by small states is anyone’s guess.  Surely the system the founders created, the ease of modern communication and little bit of coincidence has had something to do with it.  What is clear, however, is that small states continue to be a major player in American politics and that William Paterson would be quite pleased.

P.S. Want to learn more about the Constitutional Convention? Visit NedRyun.com for his highly informative podcast series.