Monday, August 01, 2022

A constitutional convention wouldn't necessarily benefit the right

I don't understand why rightwingers are still trying to convene a Constitutional Convention. Maybe it made sense in the past, but they now have a lock on a Supreme Court that is quite willing to interpret the current Constitution to suit any wingnut preference.

If there is a Constitutional Convention and the Constitution is completely rewritten, everything would be in play. There are a bunch of very popular ideas that the right does not like: like a stronger non-discrimination clause that expressly prohibits discrimination against women and gay people, or an explicit right to abortion, or the abolition of the electoral college, or an express right to healthcare, getting rid of all current Supreme Court justices and starting over from scratch, limits on judicial review, term limits for justices, banning campaign contributions by corporations, etc.

I'm not saying that any of those things would happen. I definitely am against the constitutional convention idea because it would also risk changing things I do like. But that's just it, a convention would be really unpredictable. Just about anything you can image could emerge when it is over. I wonder if the people pushing for a convention realize that risks they are taking.