Emergency backup ... politician?

Back when I stayed with Erik & Mary after my house got broken into, Sasha was there with me. She and Nick had an interesting relationship and Mary started calling her the "Emergency Backup Dog".

It occurs to me as I read the piece about the senators being held up in Russia that we really don't need to worry about this sort of thing. For these reasons;

1. We have some 98 other senators so it's not like the minor amount of actual work would decrease. (setting aside discussions about what is actually work and how what they do compares to people who really do have to work for a living)
   
2. Every state has two so if they lose one they're still good (also setting aside speculation that their loss might actually mean more work gets done).
   
3. Are they really as important as they seem to think they are?
   

Of course one of them was a Democrat and that party can't really afford to lose anyone (which sets aside the idea that they've actually been trying to drive people away from them for years). The other was a Republican and a committee leader at that so it could very well have been a good trade-off. Two American politicians for a little media circus for a few days.