By Brigitte L. Nacos
This week, the Republican Party will become the majority party in the U.S. House of Representatives. In reality, it seems more like a Tea Party take over. Thus, the changing of the guards in the House will be celebrated by a recital of the full-length U.S. Constitution by TeaParty Republicans. This political theater will not be a one time shot. Tea Partiers have prevailed with their demand that every new piece of legislation in the House must be justified by citing a relevant constitutional authority. Otherwise, any proposed bill will be a non-starter.
Compare this coming theater in the Congress with the following 2010 campaign posting on the WeReadTheConstitution Site (http://www.wereadtheconstitution.com/) that listed among its sponsors the conservative Heritage Foundation and Americans for Prosperity:
“WeReadTheConstitution.com was formed in order to promote the reading of the Constitution in its entirety by as many Americans as possible. The Tea Party movement has stimulated a widespread interest in our founding documents, principles and ideals. We're organizing a nationwide series of local events celebrating the United States Constitution on September 18, 2010. Across the United States ordinary citizens will be hosting or attending local gatherings at public places and backyard barbecues where they will read aloud the entire text of the United States Constitution. It is a profoundly moving exercise that will take less than one hour.”
So, the new majority in the House is poised to return the federal government and its policies to the “founding principles” of our republic. They will need an army of inventive constitutionalists to reject or support legislation dealing with contemporary problems and issues based on the document’s content.
But, then, with old timers in Tea Party garments and new comers with original Tea Party intent, the new majority seems more likely to stick to political theater and attack narratives than bother with complex legal discourse. After all, conflict and confrontation promise media attention.
As for attack maneuvers, Representative Darrell Issa (R-California), the incoming chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has prepared for a flying start in taking on the president and his administration. After calling Obama last fall the most corrupt presidents ever during a conversation with Rush Limbaugh, he characterized the Obama administration “one of the most corrupt” during a TV-appearance last Sunday.
All in the name of returning to our constitutional roots?
Most disconcerting about the constitutionalist forces on Capitol Hill is that they express some of the same fundamental ideas as groups in the patriot and militia and white supremacist movements that have experienced a revival since Barack Obama became U.S. president. These extremists, too, insist on the original content and intent of the Constitution and on their right and obligation to protect their own and their communities’ constitutional rights against the evils of the federal government—if needed by resorting to armed resistance. Moreover, these circles' "constitutionalism" is also directed against those of "inferior" race, ethnicity, and non-Christian beliefs.
Comments