> If I was a senator, I would consider that almost treasonous.
The Constitution - in this case, probably the First Amendment - very clearly limits what the Senate can do. The entire three-branch system is built on checks and balances of this nature.
> Frankly, even if you disagree with the vote, a democracy can and should be able to make such judgement calls.
Can we vote to put redheads in extermination camps?
Determining whether to allow a business incorporated offshore to operate in our country is completely incomparable to a inherited permanent genetic trait.
I won't be intentionally obtuse, but I was under the impression that basically all large tech companies are incorporated offshore. We think of them as American certainly, but when it comes time to pay taxes, I get the feeling they don't exude patriotic enthusiasm to do so. I'm quite sure that they feel much more allegiance to shareholders wherever they might be in the world than they do for Americans as a group.
1. That's completely missing the point. The will of the Senate isn't the only thing that matters in our system, as it has concrete protections even for minority rights (for example, free speech for Nazis, as distasteful as it is to most of us) that cannot be overridden by mere legislative fiat, and thank goodness for that.
2. This bill, among other things, tells American private companies they must censor their app stores by excluding a particular application. It is, inherently, an act of censorship, and I think there's a good chance it doesn't survive court review. At the very least, it'll be years of litigation.
The Constitution - in this case, probably the First Amendment - very clearly limits what the Senate can do. The entire three-branch system is built on checks and balances of this nature.
> Frankly, even if you disagree with the vote, a democracy can and should be able to make such judgement calls.
Can we vote to put redheads in extermination camps?