Liberal journalist deems Constitution too damn hard to read – it’s “not a clear document”
Continuing the theme of journalists who just don’t get it and/or always have their head two feet deep in the sand … we’ve got a Washington Post columnist who thinks the United States Constitution is just too damn hard to understand since it was written so long ago. This guy is pathetic.
Poor baby. Can’t you figure out a few pages of text? The founding documents are so short in length many people carry around pocket editions! My copy includes the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, the Bill of Rights and a bunch of other reference documentation and is smaller than my iPhone for goodness sakes.
Not so much with the 2,000-plus page health care legislation.
Breitbart.tv brings us this gem from MSNBC.
Come now Ezra Klein, economic and domestic columnist and blogger for the Post and master of … well … nothing. Your argument is that the Constitution is too hard to understand so we should just ignore it? When people actually start reading this founding document and figure out it is being blatantly ignored by leadership, Klein does what any good socialist blogger would do – inform his readers the document is irrelevant and not worthy of our time.
Klein argues the founders could not comprehend what the United States would look like or need hundreds of years from now, so the document itself is now pretty much worthless.
My friends on the right don’t like to hear this, but the Constitution is not a clear document. Written more than 200 years ago, when America had 13 states and very different problems, it rarely speaks directly to the questions we ask it.
Oh yes it does Mr. Klein.
With any issue Klein can bring forward to me, I can guaranty the United States Constitution covers the subject in a way Klein and all of the socialist, liberal, progressive and “no labels” elites refuse to even consider.
We are the United States of America. The individual states – not the federal government – are the core and foundation of this great country. Contrary to Klein’s understanding, the United States Constitution greatly limits the reach of the federal government and specifically leaves almost all government powers in the hands of the states.
Actually, Klein probably knows that already, and since he is clearly a fan of a huge “we’ll-take-care-of-you” type of federal government, his response to TEA Party supporters who are reading – and understanding – the document is to attack the United States Constitution and deem it unworthy.
Alinsky tactics used to target the United States Constitution itself?
The United States Constitution clearly defines what the federal government can do, and by extension it clearly tells us what the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the federal government can not do … everything else. Many argue that declaration was enough, but the founders felt the need to reinforce the point in 1791 with the Bill of Rights, just four years after the introduction of the Constitution itself. One Amendment in particular, should be the start of the TEA Party revolution.
Amendment 10: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Got that Klein? You want a government supported and regulated health care system? The individual states have to do it. Is that all too hard to understand?
Sister Toldjah picked this story up this afternoon too. Dave in Texas at Ace notes … It’s old man. Doug Powers at Michelle Malkin’s place … An effective argument, provided he’s lobbying to get a White House nomination for the next SCOTUS opening.
Larry O’Connor at Big Journalism asks Klein … what part are you having difficulty with?
AP at Hot Air is trying to give Klein a little slack. Uh, no AP … this IS the problem … THE disease.
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Steve, there is an iPhone app for the constitution, declaration of independence and the federalist papers. they are great to have.
Got that Klein?
Of course not. Nor has Congress got it, for lo! these past 100 years.
See, Jim, even the language you've quoted is just too complicated and obsolete. Besides, it's so dinky – I mean, only 30 pages? Come ON. America needs to trash this outdated and unreadable Constitution and replace it with a document of at least 2,500 pages (ideally more) because the Constitution is at least as important as Health Care Reform and should have at least that many pages in it. Otherwise, we the people cannot understand it.
Welcome to my Citizenship class.
7 Articles and 27 Amendments
Articles 1 – 3 are LEGS Legislative, Executive, Judicial, States rights, How to amend, It's the Supreme Law of the Land, and Ratification procedures. So simple. Congress sets the budget and makes the Laws. The Pres enacts the laws – or vetoes them – and the Supreme Court interprets the laws to see that they are Constitutional.
However – we now have and Executive branch which has taken over the control of our country – called The One – our supreme dictator.
Perhaps Mr. Klein failed in reading and comprehension. Schools now just pass people on to the next grade. We must feel compassion for the underachievers. Isn't it a wonderful accomplishment that he is able to overcome his disability and get a job in the media!
I want to know who elected these clowns… I know I didn't
I believe Mr Klein knows exactly what the Constitution says and what it means. He, like his president, doesn't like the limitations it puts on the Federal Gov't.
Am I alone in noticing that whenever there is a lefty debate about the Constitution they always believe the smaller language in it trumps the 10th ammendment? They really don't like that part.
My dear Mr. Klein, You have become a product of the enemy within and cannot be believed for what you say is unbelievable. How can a free mind not understand the words of free men? If it is oppression you seek, then you have found it yet we are free men and shall by the grace of our creator keep this country free and our supreme law the Constitution. Should you not understand the words, so clearly written with no room for interpretation, then could it be possible you choose not to understand them? I dare say, you being one of the enemy within, choose this mount of your last stand, our stand is always freedom.
Ronald Reagan on We the People… I especially like second 35 through 40:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlgTwp93E48
Since the Constitution, according to the comments on the post is SO clearly written, why do we need a Supreme Court to interpret it??
Mr. Klein, if you are not interested in living up to the high standard of the Constitution, feel free to leave the US. Just leave your citizenship behind for someone who will respect it.
And just how do you explain your willingness to exerce your free speech and not understanding that right at the same time.
Choice 1: A document with a 200+ year track record of human freedom and success.
Choice 2: A socialist/progressive/communist un-American form of oppression that has failed how many times in that same time period?
as i recall from elementary school (which i attended before the teachers union was one of the three branches of government), the main function of the supreme court is to interpret the constitutionality of the 'laws' created by congress and their application/effect on the population. the constitution itself is pretty simple and straightforward–it doesn't require interpretation. that's the beauty and genius of the document–what makes it eternally timely and easily learned/understood by children.
i'm sure that klein had some free time around the holidays and that's why this is coming up again–to ice the cake of obama's most successful month ever. to 'progressives', the constitution is a document of negative rights–i.e., everything government can't do (and that's exactly what it was written to be). they envision a document of entitlements, which is essentially everything that congress has written and slipped in so far over the past 2 years as the 'good start'. that way, once they get it down on 250,000 or so pages for volume 1, everyone will begin to understand just what government can do and how wonderful it will be–because remember, they have to pass it before we can know what is in it!
keep in mind that governments through history have always made it their business to insert themselves into all aspects of life. at the same time, organized religions were employing simple lists of rules for living safely, well and honorably in society. it's the fundamentals of those rules, usually 10 or so, upon which all systems of law are based.
Kateinmaine, I wouldn't change a word. Perfect! Thanks
kate–can you please inpeat that in case Sammy22 missed it? BWA! What an awesome response! *clapping wildly*
Oh, and Ezra is clearly a useful idiot.
Why don't we just do away with the Constitution, empower Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao as our supreme leaders?….That's what these lefties want. They hate our America as created 200+ years ago by men and women 10X braver than they could ever be. They despise freedom for they want every law written now to limit it. They show pure ignorance in something so simple and elementary. They want the "shared sacrifice" (thank you Mr. Malloy) of us all so they can continue to suck on the teat of government.
Oh, and young Ezra, "you are not smarter than a fifth grader!"