Levin’s new book, The Liberty Amendments, debuts tomorrow — and he’s already bracing for a full-throated attack from the GOP establishment and the left, neither of which he believes will prove effective, given his avowed promise to return fire without sugar coating his thoughts.
— Which sound vaguely familiar. I mean, take away the millions in salary and the 8+ million listeners — and add hair and impressive physical strength — and he and I are, like, identical!
Mark Levin, the nationally syndicated radio host who served as chief of staff in the Justice Department during the Reagan Administration, argues in his new book—The Liberty Amendments: Restoring the American Republic—that state legislatures should use the authority granted them in the Constitution to call a convention to propose amendments to the Constitution.
“It is the only way out,” Levin said in an interview on CNSNews.com’s Online With Terry Jeffrey. “The federal government, Congress, the Supreme Court, the president, the bureaucracy, they are not going to reform themselves, they are not going to limit their activities. Only we can–through our state representatives from the bottom up.”
Levin’s proposal is based on Article 5 of the Constitution, which says constitutional amendments may be proposed in two ways—either by two-thirds majorities in both houses of Congress or by a convention called by two-thirds of the state legislatures. Whichever way an amendment is proposed, however, it cannot become part of the Constitution unless it is ratified by three-quarters of the states.
“It’s time to turn to the Constitution, to save the Constitution, if you love the Constitution, before there is no Constitution,” Levin told CNSNews.com.
Levin says in The Liberty Amendments that he used to oppose the idea of the state legislatures convening a convention to propose constitutional amendments.
“I used to buy the argument that it’s a constitutional convention until I actually read Article V,” said Levin.“There is no constitutional convention. It’s a convention for proposing amendments—proposing amendments.”
“I used to think, well, we’ll have a constitutional convention, the people today aren’t nearly as bright as our original Framers, and we’ll have this runaway convention and the change of the government,” said Levin.
But after studying the language and history of Article V, Levin realized this was not the case, and given the current propensity of all three branches of the federal government to ignore the Constitution and its original meaning, he decided the time had come for the state legislatures to call for a convention to propose amendments that would renew the limits on federal power that the Framers intended the original Constitution to impose.
“There can be no runaway convention because three-fourths of the states still need to ratify [the amendments a convention proposes],” said Levin. “But we need to make it clear to the people in Washington that we do have a way out. There is a way forward. The states collectively, pressured by we the people, have enormous power.”
In addition to making the case that the state legislatures should call a convention to propose amendments to the Constitution, Levin’s The Liberty Amendments also proposes a series of new amendments that Levin believes the convention should put up for ratification.
Some of the constitutional amendments Levin would like to see include imposing a 12-year limit on serving in Congress, returning the election of U.S. senators to state legislatures, requiring Congress to balance the budget and limiting federal spending to 17.5 percent of GDP, limiting federal taxation to 15 percent of an individual’s or a corporation’s earnings, empowering a special congressional committee to veto regulations issued by federal bureaucracies, prohibiting Congress from compelling anyone to participate in commerce (such as forcing them to buy health insurance), requiring Congress to publish the final text of any proposed legislation at least 30 days before holding a final vote on it, and requiring individuals to present a state-issued photo ID that establishes their identity and citizenship before they are allowed to register or vote.
The complete transcript of Levin’s interview with Terry Jefferies of CNS is available at the link.
Or you can just listen to the audio here:
It’s long past time to shake things up. And it’s the wacko birds who appear poised to do so. Fortunately for liberty and individual autonomy, we wacko birds take dumps that are bigger than the timid goldfinches that have nested in DC.
So let’s get on with this fight.
I’ve been calling for it for over half a decade now — and have been marginalized for my troubles. But no worries: those who marginalized me are coming on board and promise to help us lead the fight back to constitutionalism and originalism.
— Just so long as they don’t have to solidly embrace too many ideological hidebound conservative cranks — or populist snowbillies, or religious weirdos, or erstwhile Mandingo upstarts — to do so.
And with that kind of pragmatic turn toward conservative messaging promising to take root — so long as it’s selling — I feel saved already!
I preordered five copies: one for me and the rest for my mom and sibs.
They’d better read it, dadgumit.
My prediction on the Establican response:
They’ll change the GOP logo from an elephant to a belly-up dog baring its throat.
They’ll change the GOP logo from an elephant to a belly-up dog baring its throat.
No, silly. Dogs are vertebrates. Too much spine.
erstwhile Mandingo upstarts
I am so stealing this.
George, I thought a logo combining a jellyfish, piece of toast, and glass of milque was a bit obvious.
erstwhile Mandingo upstarts
Curse that Dr. Ben Carson.
Have any of ya’ll good people either seen or compounded by your own work a list of States probably favorable to the undertaking of this Constitutional Amendment idea? The number to equal or top is 34, and there is information that 32 States have one or both houses of their legislatures in the control of the GOP (which party’s leadership will likely leap to instant opposition in the name of their political party and general jelly-leggedness, though not, perhaps, a thing to be seen or voiced on the part of the nominal rank and file members).
WTF with the autoplay? I can hear it but I can’t see it, and I can shut it off only by closing the browser.
WTF with the autoplay?
I’ve got NoScript installed on Firefox and successfully block the autoplay thereby.
One of the amendments that will be proposed is an amendment to the Constitution that replaces and supplants the existing Constitution with an entirely new one. Depending on how the delegates are selected and the convention is structured, it might even pass (subject to ratification by the States).
This is a we’re fucked either way option.
Which is okay by me. Because, either way, we really are fucked.
The new symbol for the GOP should be a rotted corpse of an elephant with a Donkey and a Rhino both wearing elephant masks and T-shirts standing near it. The donkey is holding a sign that says Tru Konservuhtiv and Rhino has a button that says “Nominal R”.
One of the amendments that will be proposed is an amendment to the Constitution that replaces and supplants the existing Constitution with an entirely new one.
One of the bludgeons that comes down on the noggin of the member proposing an amendment to the Constitution that replaces and supplants the existing Consitution with an entirely new one will be a commercially obtained Cranky-D cudgel, whereas another will be a homemade dogwood root festooned with 20d spikes.
Remember how much fun we had a couple of years back with the Democrats’ new logo?
For the Republicans, how about an elephant-shaped turd?
One would hope, sdferr. Personally, I’d bet on a runaway convention.
The barbarian will do their best to undermine an orderly convention. Not saying don’t do it. I say bring them on an put them on TV for all to see.
Cranky Cudgels™ are ideal for putting the fear of classical liberals into tyrants and tyrant enablers. There is nothing like a bonk on the head to knock some sense into you, or to send you to the next life. Either way, problem solved.
How about a dead stuffed Reagan wrapped in a half soviet half American flag with the motto “percusserunt me, et faciem meam non” ?
I’m hoping that’s latin for “not in the face”.
Agreed, not to the face: The blow should be straight to the Crown.
One would hope, sdferr. Personally, I’d bet on a runaway convention
Please.
Article V permits 2/3 of the states to call a convention to propose amendments. Any of which must be ratified by the usual process.
Runaway my ass. You think the founders didn’t understand that kind of thing? If someone manages to get “chuck the whole thing and start over” proposed as an amendment, you think 3/4 of the states will go ahead and ratify it?
What’s the matter with you? Levin recognizes that there’s a legitimate, Constitutional method to put further restraint on the government, and you figure it can only be abused?
Thanks for pissing on the effort before you’ve even read the book — or as far as I can tell, without having listened to Levin’s program lately. You’re a real help.
Here, let me emphasize that again:
NOT A CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
So quit talking about the hazards thereof. It’s not even on the table.
I am not worried about a “runaway convention” I just think a bunch of lefty activists will monkey up the works with a bunch of “positive rights” type amendments, tie up a lot of time, and let Mark’s amendments get lost in the fog.
The lefties will not care if the convention “fails”. It is a win for them either way.
Respectfully Di, do you remember how the original Constitutional Convention got launched?
Di, I appreciate your point, but I must confess, I have a great deal of trepidation about such an undertaking. My reasoning is that those of us who read this blog believe the Constitution we have now is generally OK. The problem is the institutional Left has coopted the various branches of government and so, the the actual workings of goverment bear no resemblence to the document itself. Stated differently, its a practice problem, not a theory problem, and the solution will take nothing less than wresting control of various institutions from the progs, the first and foremost being the educational system. I fear that such an endeavor will be for naught, unless we get the rest of our house in order.
Regards.
for this approach to work imho the term limits amendment needs to be the 1st amendment to be used. this is a no brainer to much of non brain dead america. it would be the easiest to pass. the convention then would only be about this amendment.
Soap, ballot and jury boxes have failed us.
We’ve only one box left.
Huzzah….gad, I’m exhausted…