Which thirty-four states would be the most likely to call for a constitutional convention, if we can’t get critical mass on the Hill for amendments? This would be next year, after the coming elections, not now.
The best place to start is with the states that are already challenging ObamaCare, but I’d say, not in any particular order, the following are possibilities (and some probabilities):
Alaska
Idaho
Montana
Wyoming
Nevada
Utah
Arizona
Texas
Colorado
Virginia
Alabama
Georgia
Mississippi
South Carolina
North Carolina
North Dakota
South Dakota
Nebraska
Missouri
Arkansas
Tennessee
Kentucky
Michigan
Wisconsin
New Mexico
Pennsylvania
Ohio
Indiana
Oklahoma
New Hampshire
Florida
Iowa
Minnesota
Kansas
New Jersey
Delaware
I think that’s enough. And some of them are iffy, but as I said, I’m imagining a new political landscape after the elections (in which the Dems have really screwed themselves long term, with all of the statehouses and governorships coming up in a redistricting year). My thinking is that it will be impossible to get the west coast, Hawaii, or the northeast for the most part, but everything else may be fair game.
[Afternoon update]
Hmmmm…there are currently fourteen states with Republican-controlled legislatures, and eight that are split. That would make twenty-two in total, so they’d have to convert the splits and pick up at least a dozen of the current twenty-seven Social Democrat legislatures. Assuming that you can’t get any Social Democrat houses to go along, of course…
[Update a while later]
Here’s a list of states where Obama is underwater in the polls. There are a few surprises.
Rand,
You really need to start pushing the sunset thing again.
A Constutional Amendment to require every law sunset in 20 years.
Unfortunately for Georgia, our AG is a Democrat who’s running for gubnor — and he hasn’t decided yet whether being for ObamaCare will make more Dem primary voters angry, or make them stampede to support him.
I’d take NJ off the list. Our Republican governor reflects our dislike of Jon Corzine far more than it reflects a support for Republican politics.
Actually, it’s not up to the governor. The wording of Article V is:
No mention of the governor.
A Constitutional Convention should be a last resort. I have a bad feeling that what’s left of the concept of enumerated powers and limited government would vanish if we had a convention today.
Yep, let no one say you’re a man of small ideas, Rand, but I would save this plan until after WWIII and/or Civil War II.
Well, it’s a stretch to call it a “plan.”
Regarding the list of states where Obama is “underwater”, approve vs disapprove doesn’t discriminate between people like you and people who are angry that Obama is too centrist. I know a number of people who are livid about the health care reform law for reasons diametrically opposed to your reasons.
I also know a number of people disapprove of Obama but will never vote anyone but Democrats, and they never sit out an election.
I think if a Constitutional convention were to be held in our current day and age, it would be quite a nightmare for those who are inclined to value individual liberty and the rights and powers as outlined in the original document.
I’m very much Patrick Henry about this.
I’d much rather force a decisive battle against the tide of creeping tyranny and risk a loss (which IMO individual rights would very likely win), than cower and let them win by default.
When it comes right down to it, they only have the power we let them take. What piddling force do they posses that can take our lives from us? Our military and our police force will not stop us from voting with our feet, if it comes to that.
Their only strength is that so many of us don’t realize they are dependent on our permissive lassitude. Their mortal weakness is that all we need to do to win is remove our sanction. They will expire without hosts to feed on.
Remember back 18 or 20 months ago, before the election, when some people said if Obama was elected, we would quickly get to talking about armed resistance and civil war, and the majority of commenters said BS?
I’m not sure how one decides if this is “quickly” or not, but it no longer looks like BS.
It will be within 6 months that someone takes a shot at the current resident at the WH.
In “the other Washington” (i.e. the state) the Governess is a very liberal Democrat who hasn’t met a spending bill she doesn’t support (even with a $2.1 billion deficit) and the AG is a Republican. She is livid that the AG has announced he’s filing suit against Obamacare. The legislature is in an extra session, and she wants the Democratic majority to insert text that the AG can’t file suit using state money. Not every Dem in the legislature is on-board with that. Why some of them actually believe in budget cuts rather than raising taxes in this recession.
So it’s best to conclude that the left coast Washington won’t oppose Obamacare or anything promoting civil liberties.
Der Schtumpy: That would be stupid. Look who the next 2 people in line are; while admittedly it would take a total idiot to seriously consider
writing a play aboutkilling the President, surely even someone of such dubious intelligence would be able to understand the ineffectiveness of such an act.Now, I am a tad surprised that there has not been even the slightest publicized threat against folks like Soros, Ayers, the SEIU top brass, etc. If there were really “militia” groups (self-described or labeled as such by the press; in neither event would they deserve the name) out for blood, I’d expect those to be the first targets.
Considering all of the “black helicopter” junk we went through back when the President was too busy philandering with interns to similarly violate the Constitution (more than a few times, at least), I’m surprised we haven’t heard such things this time. Was that more of a generational issue, fueled by left-over fear from a lifetime of Cold War, that has been replaced now by more of an apathy? Or was the last time around more of a media-fed thing, that withers on the vine today because the networks aren’t interested enough to hype it as a mortal domestic threat for months on end?
Big D,
I’m not saying it’s a smart move EVER, much less now. I’m saying I think Sunday night will push some nut over the edge.
Anyone who would consider such a thing is already over the edge. The actions of Sunday night would just be the excuse.