Today's reading of the Constitution on the House floor was surely intended by the GOP leadership as a Tea Party moment. But it looks like it has turned into a progressive moment instead.
Before the House started the reading, two Democratic congressmen stood up to inquire about the language the House leadership had deemed appropriate to read aloud on the House floor. While this elicited some laughter in the chamber -- oh, the conservatives must have thought with a chuckle, how delightful that the liberals are revealing that they are so ignorant of the Constitution that they need to ask for clarification on its language via parliamentary procedure! -- this was a significant, legitimate point. Rather than reading the entire Constitution, with all its flaws and corrections, the GOP-led House was going to read an "edited" version of our Nation's charter.
One cannot fault members of the House for being reluctant to read the portion of the original Constitution that declared slaves to be three-fifths of a person for purposes of representation, or the fugitive slave clause. But, as Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., so powerfully explained before the reading began today, the fact that these portions of the original Constitution were superseded by Amendments that abolished slavery and guaranteed equality is an important one. These Amendments -- as well as the Amendments to secure the vote for women and remove poll taxes from standing in the way of low-income voters, among others -- were the result of generations of men and women who gave blood, sweat, and treasure in the struggle to improve our founding charter and create a "more perfect union."
The original Constitution was a truly great document, but with serious flaws. Over the past two centuries, Americans have amended the Constitution to make it even greater. When you read the Constitution in its entirety, you cannot help but be impressed by the progressive arc of our constitutional history. By trying to sweep under the rug those portions of the Constitution that have been amended, the House GOP leadership attempted to obscure our progressive constitutional history.
"We the People" are the editors of the Constitution, not politicians from one party or another. And it is only by reading the Constitution in its entirety that the promise and power of that duty can be appreciated. It is a great sign of a constitutional awakening for progressives that two Representatives in the House stood to explain that to the GOP House leadership today.
The Force Act of 1871 provided for federal scrutiny of congressional elections. The act, passed during the Ulysses S. Grant administration, was intended to prevent election fraud in Southern states during the Reconstruction era?
Aha -- this one -- Act of 1871 is an Act of Congress, which revoked the individual charters of the City of Washington, the City of Georgetown, and the County of Washington and created a new city government for the entire District of Columbia, all without the authority of the Constitution.
It's difficult to read a document like this after the entire Republican party has wiped their arses with it the last 10 years.
Some of it surely must be unreadable by now and the Republicans will just rewrite the rest of it.
They should have read the stuff that's been struck out and overturned?
This is just silly.
the constitution has been amended. many times.
why read the amendment if you do not read the original?
the original needed amending. it was amended.
it seems silly to read the amendment all by itself. an amendment always refers to something. why leave out the something?
especially if you are a strict constitutionalist. you should admit that the original document and agreement had flaws and needed fixing. and that the founding fathers allowed a method of fixing what needed fixing.
editing the original and then reading the amendment is just silly since it makes the amendment useless and unnecessary.
Most copies of the constitution include a full text, not all of which was adopted, or was amended pre-bill of rights through a different process. I was assuming that's what they were skipping.
"We the People" really means the conservative,republican people. The left, the poor and minorities
are excluded. As with the constitution, it is the way that they interpret it, the way that they want it
that really counts.
They will make you laugh and cry while they rob you blind.
Wrapped in a flag or the Constitution, their hypocrisy and lies will always shine through.