Sunday, September 10, 2023

Don't forget the radical right Convention of States threat

I've posted about this one or twice before, but re-posting about it helps keep it in mind. In the hands of the radical right this is a powerful weapon in the hands of democracy haters, pro-tyranny and pro-kleptocracy authoritarians, racists and bigots. America's radical right really does want to completely destroy what we have and install some form of a kleptocratic dictatorship. Common Cause writes:
STOPPING A DANGEROUS ARTICLE V CONVENTION

Wealthy special interests are pushing for a constitutional convention that could put everyone in America’s rights up for grabs. It's on us to stop them

Wealthy donors, corporations, and radical far-right actors are pushing calls for an Article V Convention in states across the country to reshape our Constitution for their own benefit.

Frighteningly, they are just a few states away from succeeding

What is an Article V Convention?

Under Article V of the U.S. Constitution, Congress is required to hold a constitutional convention if two-thirds of state legislatures (34 states) call for one.

But here’s the catch: there are absolutely no rules for an Article V Convention outlined in the Constitution.

That means the group of people convening to rewrite our Constitution could be totally unelected and unaccountable. There is nothing that could limit the convention to a single issue, so the delegates could write amendments that revoke any of our most cherished rights – like our right to peaceful protest, our freedom of religion, or our right to privacy. There are also no rules preventing corporations from pouring money into the convention to ensure they get their way.

In short, an Article V Convention would be a disaster. It would lead to long and costly legal battles, uncertainty about how our democracy functions, and likely economic instability.

But extremists and wealthy special interests see it as their best chance to write their far-right agenda into the Constitution. That is why they are working around the clock to convince their allies in state legislatures to make it happen.

How far are we from an Article V Convention?

Right now, there are four major campaigns for an Article V Convention: the Balanced Budget Amendment campaign, the Convention of States campaign, the Wolf-PAC campaign, and the term limits campaign.

Each has different goals, but together, they have convinced 28 states to call for a convention. That means they have just six states to go.

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What saves us, if the Convention of States beast ever gets unleashed, is the current Constitution. It requires ratification of the new constitution by 75% of states, i.e., 38 states. 

At present it is hard to see 38 states agreeing with an authoritarian, radical autocratic-plutocratic-Christian theocratic constitution. 

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