California
Related: About this forumOne of the Bills calling for a Constitutional Convention
to overturn Citizen's United and McCutcheon passed the State Senate Judiciary committee on Tuesday, June 10th, by a vote of 5 to 2.
http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml
California may very well be the 2nd state (after Vermont), to call for a Constitutional Convention.
Here's video of the hearing on Tuesday. The 99Rise Marchers are still on the road to Sacramento but 3 of them broke away and went ahead to attend the hearing. TYT's Wolf Pac came in in DROVES to support the measure.
http://calchannel.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=7&clip_id=2224
Keefer
(713 posts)...and there are still too many GOP states.
Le Taz Hot
(22,271 posts)Keefer
(713 posts)I was merely pointing out the sad fact that there are too many GOP states.
Le Taz Hot
(22,271 posts)we should accept the status quo? Congress sure as hell isn't going to do it -- they're the primary beneficiaries of the current pay-as-you-go system.
If you believe the analysts, the reason Cantor lost was the Teaklanner was asserting that the Establishment Republicans, and specifically, Cantor, as too beholden to the 1%. If that is indeed the case, I see a a huge opportunity here.
Keefer
(713 posts)Did I?
Le Taz Hot
(22,271 posts)too many GOP states who won't go along with it (not proven since it's not been tried) yet you don't have another suggestion as to how to address the Citizen's United decision. What else are people to take away from your posts?
Keefer
(713 posts)My oh my. Nothing. I didn't intend people to "take away" anything.
TexasProgresive
(12,164 posts)It has the ability to set aside the whole of the present constitution and all amendments and write a new one. There is no way to limit the convention to a single issue. Are you ready for that?
Add these states to your 2:
States With a Standing Call for a Constitutional Convention
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
Delaware
Colorado
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Maryland
Mississippi
Missouri
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Mexico
North Carolina
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Wyoming
Le Taz Hot
(22,271 posts)what do you propose?
All of those states have passed an application to repeal Citizen's United? Please provide links to 5 of these because I've spoken with people actually in the know on this subject and they have all stated that only Vermont has passed an application SPECIFICALLY addressing the Citizen's United decision.
ETA: Beginning at 11:30, he begins to discuss the fact that this is a SINGLE ISSUE application. All you have to do is listen to the hearing and he will answer your concerns.
It's simply amazing that so many here are just willing to give up, do nothing and accept the status quo because "n might happen."
TexasProgresive
(12,164 posts)why the various states requested a convention. Once the convention is convened it is not limited to a particular agenda and may dissolve the present constitution and write a new one. This is what happened with the one and only convention which was called to amend the Articles of Confederation. Instead of amendment the Articles were dissolved to be replaced with our present constitution.
A new constitutional convention stacked with RWNJs could lead to a despotic theocratic state that would make any nation under Sharia law look kind and tolerant.
This is quicksand that I for one, fear to tread.
Le Taz Hot
(22,271 posts)with a 75% majority and if anything is added other than this one Amendment, it will go down in defeat.
As I mentioned above to another poster, analysts are saying that the reason Cantor was defeated was that his opponent and the Teaklanners are tired of the Establishment Republicans representing only the 1%. I firmly believe that some of the Red state would indeed go along with this.
We have to try something. The USSC isn't going to reverse their decision and Congress, who benefits from the status quo, certainly is not going to introduce the Amendment. Our only recourse is 34 states coming together to propose a Constitutional Convention.
AndyTiedye
(23,500 posts)
because any Constitutional Convention will be stacked with right-wingers due to their control of the majority of state legislatures.
Such a Convention might do a lot of other things though, none of them good.
We cannot be sure that they won't control 3/4 of the state legislatures by the time a Convention has convened. We have been doing very badly at the state level, even in elections we won by a landslide nationally, and gerrymandering has made the GOP advantage there permanent.
There is no upside to a Constitutional Convention, and a huge potential downside. Don't do it!
Le Taz Hot
(22,271 posts)what is your solution?
AndyTiedye
(23,500 posts)
until Scalia kicks the bucket. There is no other way.
A Constitutional convention could not possibly achieve the desired result, or anything else good, as long as the state legislatures, that choose the delegates to such a convention, are mostly held by rapeuglicans.
Le Taz Hot
(22,271 posts)and this is what happened with the 18th Amendment (repeal of prohibition), is that the states started the ball rolling with the call for a Constitutional Convention, Congress FINALLY got the message and repealed it themselves. This is actually what most are hoping/betting will happen but it's up to the states to put a fire under their collective derriers. As for Scalia kicking the bucket, well, as we've all seen with Cheney, the evil ones tend to live forever so I'm not holding my breath.
AndyTiedye
(23,500 posts)Le Taz Hot
(22,271 posts)The Republicans AND the Democrats need to pay attention to the populism that is coming their way. The defeat of Cantor is just the first shot across the bough, there will be more coming. When the people start demanding that the whores in Congress and the Senate stop kowtowing to the 1%, they will have no choice but to listen or be replaced.
You're free to sit there and take whatever crumbs the 1% has to throw to you. Personally, I prefer the activist route and trying to do something about the unacceptable status quo.