Focused Read in 2 minutes
Early
in our nation’s history, our founders met with the goal of
reforming America’s fledgling government. In 1787, they called a
convention — for the express, limited purpose of proposing
changes to the Articles of Confederation, our nation’s primary
governing document.
Delegates
to that convention promptly drew the shutters, locked the doors, and
set about re-writing our entire system of government. It was in this
first convention that our Constitution was conceived and precedents
for American laws and values were set.
However,
what many Americans don’t know is that the same thing could happen
again today — only instead of George Washington and James
Madison writing our new Constitution, it would be Donald Trump, Paul
Ryan, and Mitch McConnell setting the ground rules. Even scarier is
how close Republican state legislators are to making this a reality.”
Key points, excerpted by me, highlighted
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1
The constitutional
convention process is outlined in Article V of the U.S. Constitution,
which allows for a convention at the request of ⅔ of state
legislatures (34 states).
2
Republican controlled
legislatures would have the power to decide who is represented at the
convention, how they are chosen, and what is on the agenda. But, as
soon as the convention is called, the agenda can be immediately
changed by the delegates themselves...once a convention is called,
delegates would no longer be responsible to the American people.
For years, Republicans
have been pushing for a constitutional convention to require the
federal government to balance the budget. However, once the
convention is called, Republicans will be able to hijack the
convention to destroy Congress’ ability to fund safety net programs
like Social Security and Medicaid and reverse Supreme Court rulings
on reproductive rights, racial justice, and marriage equality. These
pillars of democracy, vital to equal opportunity and equality, are in
jeopardy.
3
The
fallout of a Republican-dominated convention would continue with the
publishing of its proposals. Three-quarters of state legislatures
must vote to ratify the convention’s amendments — but
crucially, the states do not have to vote at the same time. Once
officially proposed, constitutional amendments are live grenades:
They can never be withdrawn.
This is
how the 27th Amendment, which restricts Congress’ ability to change
its own salary, was adopted. The first state ratified this amendment
in 1789, but it was not until 202 years later that enough states
ratified the amendment to incorporate it into the Constitution.
4
State Republicans have
already begun challenging Democratic seats in states they need to
call a convention. In September, Republicans held a mock convention
in Williamsburg, Virginia, to preview the agenda they would push
(Surprise: it was a disaster for civil rights).
Conservative-legislation-factory American Legislative Exchange
Council (ALEC) and pro-business groups funded by the Kochs are
pushing legislation calling for a constitutional convention in more
than 30 states. And just a few weeks ago, Republicans in the
Wisconsin Assembly passed their bill calling for a convention.
Similar measures passed in Missouri and Texas this past May.
5
Now more than ever, we
must focus on state level elections.
By expanding Democratic
strength in statehouses nationwide, Democrats can protect our
democracy and build on the progress we have made since the first
constitutional convention in 1787.
You can read more,
including links to more important information here
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You can share Senator McCain's Tweet here
You can read the Senator's remarks at The 2017 Liberty Medal Ceremony yesterday
in full here
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→ Direct sources for Democrats:
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The Democratic Party Website
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Website
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee Website
Also
C-SPAN (a good place for speeches & hearings direct source (s))
→ Some of my favorite, most informative
follows on Twitter include:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ US Intelligence | Author | Navy Senior Chief | NBC/MSNBC
⭐⭐⭐ Federal Government Operations | Vanity Fair | Newsweek | MSNBC Contributor | Author
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Voting Rights/Voter Suppression | Author | Mother Jones
→ Some of the most credible media -- at the moment:
📰📰📰 Mother Jones
→ Some of the most credible Talking Heads -- at the moment -- and their Twitter handles:
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Curated by Gail Mountain, with occasional personal commentary, Network For #StrongerTogether ! is not affiliated with The Democratic Party in any capacity. This is an independent blog and the hope is you will, at a glance, learn more about the Party and you will, with a click or two, also take action on its behalf as it is provided!
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