Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Amending the Constitution: GOP bold, Dems not

When it comes to amending the U.S. Constitution, Republicans have been and remain much bolder. This year's GOP platform (pdf) advocates no less than five specific constitutional amendments: a balanced budget amendment, an anti-marriage amendment, repealing the federal income tax, establishing formal rights for crime victims in prosecutions, and criminalizing abortion. Each of these proposals is a bold, controversial change. By contrast, the draft Democratic Platform (pdf) mentions only one: the Equal Rights Amendment, which today is at once fairly uncontroversial and fairly unlikely to ever move again.

I don't think this difference exists simply because Republicans see more things in the Constitution (and constitutional law) that need to be changes. Many Democratic - or at least Democratic leaders and activists - could probably name several constitutional amendments that they think would better our nation - say, to guarantee a fundamental right to education, or to privacy. Rather, I think the difference represents the parties' perceptions of the political advantages of calling for constitutional amendments. Democrats are far more afraid of suffering political from taking positions that could be perceived as radical or extreme; it will lose them more support than it gains them. By contrast, on many issues Republicans believe that taking a radical stand is a net plus, as there are enough voters and donors for whom strong stands on property rights, federal spending, and/or social issues will win them strong support. It may even be that Republicans today are more used to thinking of bold policy proposals, whereas Democrats are more cautious.

1 comment:

Virginia Harris said...

Most people are totally in the dark about HOW the suffragettes got votes for women into the United States constitution, and what life was REALLY like for women before they did.

Suffragettes were opposed by many women who were what was known as 'anti.'

The most influential 'anti' lived in the White House. First Lady Edith Wilson was a wealthy Washington widow who married President Wilson in 1915.

Her role in Wilson's decision to jail and torture Alice Paul and hundreds of other suffragettes will never be fully known, but she was outraged that these women picketed her husband's White House.

"The Privilege of Voting" is a new free e-mail series that follows eight great women from 1912 - 1920 to reveal ALL that happened to set the stage for women to win the vote.

It's a real-life soap opera! ALL true!

Suffragettes Alice Paul and Emmeline Pankhurst are featured, along with TWO gorgeous presidential mistresses, First Lady Edith Wilson, Edith Wharton, Isadora Duncan and Alice Roosevelt.

There are tons of heartache on the rocky road to the ballot box, but in the end, women WIN!

Exciting, sequential episodes are perfect to read on coffeebreaks, or anytime.

Subscribe free at

www.CoffeebreakReaders.com/subscribe.html