A former United States senator once told me that the Founding Fathers created the United States Senate to be more deliberative and bipartisan. In fact, this was explained by an analogy that has stuck with me - the tea cup and the saucer.

The Congress is the tea cup and the Senate is the saucer. When you think of taking hot tea, the tea cup is hot whereas the saucer is cooler, allowing you to hold the tea cup. This is easily seen is the very partisan rules of the Congress with simple majority to move bills whereas the Senate usually uses a 60 vote rule to end debates and move bills. Of note, I use “usually” not to be construed as always.

Thus, it is the expectation that, to get a bill passed by the Senate, you must have some level of support from both sides of the aisle. However, with the bickering in DC over the last decade, it should not shock anyone that nothing gets done in both houses. We have made “bipartisan” a very bad word and when a Senator votes across the aisle, it is now a “valid” reason to get someone to run to the extreme, against the Senator.

The problem is that today, we have Senatorial Activism. Senators are more willing to vote along party lines and placate the extremes, and the base. Rephrased, Senators are more afraid of the retribution of the loud minority over the people who sent them to the Senate. This will become evident again when we get to the key hearings of the SCOTUS nominee.

If elected, my litmus test will be the interest of Tennesseans. I will vote for any bill that favors Tennesseans and against any that harms Tennesseans. I will view each issue with an independent mind and make decisions based on the people. I will not be obligated to any party. On November 3, 2020, I humbly ask you to send me to Washington DC as your independent choice for Senate.

Yomi Faparusi, MD. PhD, J.D., Independent Candidate for Tennessee U.S. Senate

Independent • Traditional • Principled