{"id":28745,"date":"2016-01-09T07:26:27","date_gmt":"2016-01-09T11:26:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=28745"},"modified":"2016-01-09T07:35:34","modified_gmt":"2016-01-09T11:35:34","slug":"28745","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=28745","title":{"rendered":"States&#8217; Rights Becomes the Political Centerpiece of 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 class=\"tf1f2 h2\">Texas Gov. Greg Abbott calls for Convention of States to take back states\u2019 rights<\/h1>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Brandi Grissom<br \/>\nTHE DALLAS MORNING NEWS<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_68237\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com\/files\/2016\/01\/CONSTITUTIONAL_CONVENTION_48124709.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-68237\" title=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com\/files\/2016\/01\/CONSTITUTIONAL_CONVENTION_48124709.jpg\" alt=\"Gov. Greg Abbott called Friday for a convention of states to amend the U.S. Constitution. (Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman via AP) \" width=\"1024\" height=\"709\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gov. Greg Abbott called Friday for a convention of states to amend the U.S. Constitution. (Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman via AP)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Updated at 3:45:\u00a0<\/strong><em>Revised to include response to Gov. Abbott\u2019s speech and add reference to the Convention of States.<br \/>\n<\/em><strong>Updated at 1:54:\u00a0<\/strong><em>Revised to include comments from Gov. Abbott\u2019s speech.<\/em><\/p>\n<aside class=\"DMNReferWrapper pull-right panel-flat-medium content-aside sld tf1f1\">\n<div class=\"label-related\">Related<\/div>\n<ul class=\"story-related\">\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/news\/local-news\/20160107-obama-rips-into-nra-at-televised-town-hall-on-gun-safety.ece\">Obama rips into NRA at televised town hall on gun safety<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com\/2016\/01\/texans-republicans-take-aim-at-obama-over-executive-order-on-guns.html\/\">Texas Republicans take aim at Obama over executive order on guns<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/news\/local-news\/20160108-armed-group-not-ready-to-end-wildlife-refuge-occupation.ece\">Armed group not ready to end wildlife refuge occupation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thescoopblog.dallasnews.com\/2016\/01\/floyd-no-handouts-for-anti-government-militia-zealots.html\/\">Floyd: No handouts for anti-government militia zealots<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/opinion\/latest-columns\/20160107-jesse-walker-no-the-oregon-occupiers-are-not-terrorists.ece\">Jesse Walker: No, the Oregon occupiers are not \u2018terrorists\u2019<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Gov. Greg Abbott,\u00a0aiming to\u00a0spark a national conversation about states\u2019 rights, said Friday that he wants Texas to lead the call for a convention to amend the U.S. Constitution and\u00a0wrest power from a federal government \u201crun amok.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we are going to fight for, protect and hand on to the next generation, the freedom that [President] Reagan spoke of \u2026 then we have to take the lead to restore the rule of law in America,\u201d Abbott said during a speech\u00a0at the Texas Public Policy Foundation\u2019s Policy Orientation that drew raucous applause from the conservative audience. He said he will ask lawmakers to pass a bill authorizing Texas to join other states calling for a Convention of States.<\/p>\n<p>Along with the speech, Abbott released a nearly 70-page plan \u2013 part American civics lesson, part anti-Obama\u00a0diatribe \u2013 detailing nine proposed constitutional amendments that he said would unravel\u00a0the federal government\u2019s decades-long\u00a0power grab and restore authority over economic regulation and other matters to the states.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe irony for our generation is that the threat to our Republic doesn\u2019t come just from foreign enemies, it comes, in part, from our very own leaders,\u201d Abbott said in a speech that took aim at President Obama, Congress and the\u00a0judicial branch.<\/p>\n<p>The proposal for a convention, which <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.constitutioncenter.org\/2015\/04\/doing-the-math-for-a-new-constitutional-convention\/\">has been gaining traction among some<\/a>\u00a0among conservative Republicans, comes just as the GOP presidential candidates begin to make forays into Texas ahead of the March primary election. The state, with 155 delegates up for grabs, will certainly be a key player in the party\u2019s nominating process.<\/p>\n<p>Abbott hasn\u2019t endorsed a candidate, though the field includes Sen. Ted Cruz, who was one of Abbott\u2019s top employees when the governor was attorney general. Abbott is likely hoping to boost his national profile within the GOP as eyes turn to the state.<\/p>\n<p>This week, presidential contender U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., published a\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/opinion\/2016\/01\/06\/marco-rubio-constitutional-convention-editorials-debates\/78368672\/\">piece in USA Today<\/a> endorsing the idea of a convention to amend the Constitution and restore limited government. In April, <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.constitutioncenter.org\/2015\/04\/doing-the-math-for-a-new-constitutional-convention\/\">27 active petitions had been filed<\/a> with Congress seeking a convention to amend the constitution to require that Congress adopt a balanced budget.<\/p>\n<p>Congress would be forced to act once\u00a034 states joined the effort. So far, Cruz hasn\u2019t endorsed the idea.<\/p>\n<p>By this point, you may be wondering just what a <a href=\"http:\/\/teachingamericanhistory.org\/convention\/\">constitutional convention<\/a>\u00a0or<a href=\"http:\/\/www.conventionofstates.com\/\">Convention of the States<\/a> is and why it would be a big deal. A convention is one of two\u00a0ways that the U.S. Constitution can be amended, and it\u2019s described in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.archives.gov\/federal-register\/constitution\/article-v.html\">Article V<\/a>. One way is that\u00a0Congress can propose amendments approved by two-thirds of the members of both chambers. The other method allows two-thirds of the state legislatures to call for a convention to propose amendments. Republicans backing the idea are confident that because they control state government in a majority of states, their ideas would prevail.<\/p>\n<p>In both cases, the amendments become effective only if ratified by three-fourths of the states.<\/p>\n<p>So far, the U.S. Constitution has been amended 27 times. None of those were amendments\u00a0generated by\u00a0a constitutional convention.<\/p>\n<p>Critics say there\u2019s a good reason. In an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/opinion\/2016\/01\/06\/marco-rubio-constitutional-convention-balanced-budget-editorials-debates\/78328702\/\">editorial lambasting Rubio\u2019s plan<\/a>, <em>USA Today<\/em>\u2018s editorial board warned that such a process could invite mayhem and further poison the nation\u2019s vitriolic political scene. It would also raise unresolved questions about the\u00a0years-long\u00a0process of ratification. And some conservatives who otherwise agree with Abbott and Rubio on many issues fear a convention could lead to greater restrictions on guns and money in politics and greater overall power for the federal government.<\/p>\n<p>Abbott, in his plan, dismisses many of those criticisms, saying that he would call for a limited scope to the convention.<\/p>\n<p>The plan lays out nine specific proposed amendments that would:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Prohibit congress from regulating activity that occurs wholly within one state.<\/li>\n<li>Require Congress to balance its budget.<\/li>\n<li>Prohibit administrative agencies from creating federal law.<\/li>\n<li>Prohibit administrative agencies from pre-empting state law.<\/li>\n<li>Allow a two-thirds majority of the states to override a U.S. Supreme Court decision.<\/li>\n<li>Require a seven-justice super-majority vote for U.S. Supreme Court decisions that invalidate a democratically enacted law<\/li>\n<li>Restore the balance of power between the federal and state governments by limiting the former to the powers expressly delegated to it in the Constitution.<\/li>\n<li>Give state officials the power to sue in federal court when federal officials overstep their bounds.<\/li>\n<li>Allow a two-thirds majority of the states to override a federal law or regulation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A\u00a0convention, Abbott wrote, would force the federal government to \u201ctake the Constitution seriously again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe only true downside comes from doing nothing and allowing the federal government to continue ignoring the very document that created it,\u201d Abbott wrote.<\/p>\n<p>James Henson,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.utexas.edu\/cola\/government\/faculty\/profile.php?id=hensonjr\">director of UT\u2019s Texas Politics Project,<\/a>\u00a0said Abbott\u2019s posture aligns well with the prominent stream of thought in the Republican Party that it is time to resuscitate\u00a0state power as a check to the federal government.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would find it fairly unlikely that this would get traction on the national level,\u201d Henson said. \u201cOn the other hand, it\u2019s not the first we\u2019ve heard of this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Democrats were quick to denounce Abbott\u2019s plan Friday, saying the governor has misplaced priorities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAmerica added 292,000 new jobs in December. But under Abbott, Texas fell to sixth in job creation, remains the uninsured capitol of the nation, wages and incomes remain far too low for hardworking families, our neighborhood schools are still underfunded, and college education is slipping out of reach,\u201d\u00a0Texas Democratic Party Deputy Executive Director Manny Garcia said in a statement. \u201cTexas families deserve serious solutions, not Tea Party nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas issued a statement with similar sentiment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGovernor Abbott, as Texans, we prefer the Framers\u2019 plan. Don\u2019t mess with the Constitution,\u201d said Terri Burke, executive director of the ACLU of Texas.<\/p>\n<p>But Democrats haven\u2019t been the only ones to chide the idea of fiddling with\u00a0the Constitution.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, House legislators filed measures calling for such a convention. State Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls, unleashed a screed against the proposal when it came before the Senate State Affairs Committee in May. He compared the idea\u00a0to \u201ca petulant teenager who\u2019s lost a few basketball games and plans to burn down the gymnasium.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe constitution has served us well for over 200 years. The problem is not the constitution,\u201d Estes said, adding that the solution is to elect more conservative lawmakers. \u201cSlap a bumper sticker for Ted Cruz on your car and get after it and knock yourself out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Estes went on to promise a filibuster if the measure came to the Senate floor.<\/p>\n<p>___<br \/>\nhttp:\/\/trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com\/2016\/01\/gov-greg-abbott-calls-for-constitutional-convention-to-take-back-states-rights.html\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Texas Gov. Greg Abbott calls for Convention of States to take back states\u2019 rights<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28745"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28745\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}