A few weeks ago, John Boehner (R-OH), the new Speaker of the House, mentioned there was going to be a historic reading of the US constitution on the House floor. According to the House Historian Office, it had never been done before. So, the Constitution made its first appearance in the 112th Congress, 221 years after the first official Congress.
After the liberals got wind of what Boehner had planned they were up in arms about the idea. Naturally, the left mocked it. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) called the reading of our founding document “Republican propaganda” and “total nonsense”. If that is how he truly feels, why did he become a congressman? Its only the same exact document he swore ‘to support and defend’.
By no surprise, The New York Times called it “a presumptuous and a self-righteous act”. But some Democrats are due some credit having taking part in reading some of the constitution themselves.
It would be easy to see how this could be considered gimmicky or for show but the way it has provoked the left to a near violent reaction shows how needed this reading of the constitution really is. The anger and hate coming from the left is astounding. Why are they so upset about this? Could it be because they have tried everything humanly possible to get around this document to shove their legislation down the publics throat? Maybe?... I think soooo.
Of course liberals can’t do anything without pulling out the race card. That is why they had Jesse Jackson Jr. talk on the House floor about how emotional the reading of the Constitution would be to African-Americans and other minorities. He tried emphasizing the struggle that minorities went through to get the rights they have today and it might be too emotional for some members of the Congressional Black Caucus to sit and listen to. Instead, Jackson wants the unamended version read to highlight the original sin of slavery. Too bad it does no such thing. He just doesn’t want the amended version read because it reiterates that we abolished slavery long ago and reminds everyone how far this nation has come over the last 200+ years, in regards to our race relations.
Watching the hate and the rhetoric coming from the left, one would think the Democrats were being water-boarded. They are acting as if listening to the Constitution being read is punishment. And because they lost the last election they are being forced to sit and listen to the document being read, that same document that keeps getting in their way, the Constitution, that pesky document that limits the power of the government, limits the role of government and its size.
The Republicans are also implementing a new House rule that makes anyone introducing a new bill prove how the bill is constitutional and where the constitution grants the congress the power to enact that law. This is a great idea. This makes these lawmakers prove to one another, Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal, that the bill they want to enact as law is constitutional.
This one really pissed the liberals off. Not only do they have to sit and listen to that damn document being read, but they have to prove how the legislation they are introducing is constitutional? OMG…. that’s just horrible isn’t it (note the sarcasm, I know how easily you liberals get confused)?
Congressman Barney Franks (D-MA) called it, “an air kiss Republicans are blowing to the Tea Party” and went on to add, “Anything we’re doing that is unconstitutional will be thrown out in court” (I don’t know how he does it but Barney Franks sometimes sounds dumber than he looks). Basically what Barney wants to do is pass as many questionably constitutional laws as possible without the public knowing. If that weren’t the case, why else would he have such a problem with this new rule and why is he mocking it? If you are a lawmaker it should be easy to prove how your legislation is constitutional, it shouldn’t be difficult. The only reason it would be difficult is if it wasn’t constitutional.
Congressman Henry Waxman said, “When I went to law school they said the law’s what a judge says it is. Whether it is constitutional or not is going to be whether the Supreme Court says it is.” So what Waxman is now saying is, he wants to pass the legislation he wants and doesn’t care if it is constitutional or not. He just hopes if it ever goes to court it finds its way into a liberal judges courtroom.
It is unbelievable that elected officials like Rep. Franks and Rep. Waxman would argue that they need not worry about the constitutionality of legislation they are trying to pass. By doing so they are completely disregarding their oath they took for the office they hold, “to support and defend the constitution of the United States”. Fortunately for the citizens of America, our new Speaker of the House, John Boehner, understands the oath he took and his constitutional role as a legislature, unlike many liberals in office hoping to “sneak one by” the people they were elected by.
What it comes down to is, only liberals would be upset with something as basic as a reading of the United States Constitution on the floor of the United States House of Representatives and having to prove how their legislation is constitutional. If everything they have been doing these past couple years is constitutional, like they say it is, they shouldn’t have a problem with any of this. But the fact that all this has provoked such a violent and hateful reaction begs the question, why are they so upset? Its because these liberal lawmakers know they have been crossing the line lately and are upset that they are not going to be able to continue down the path of big government.
