House Republicans will continue a tradition started after the midterm Tea Party rout when members participate in reading the Constitution on the floor of the lower chamber next week.
The reading is sponsored by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), who took over the reins of the Judiciary Committee this Congress from Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas).
It should begin Tuesday. In 2011, both Republicans and Democrats participated.
That reading was memorable for various reasons. First, Goodlatte was criticized for using the version of the Constitution that removes passages that were at some point stripped by constitutional amendments. Back then, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) objected that the “three-fifths compromise” — counting slaves as three-fifths of a person — was ommitted from the reading. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) also objected, saying that while some parts of the Constitution have been amended they have not been deleted.
Other passages were accidentally skipped when reading duty passed from one lawmaker to another.
And when the passage about the qualifications to be president was read — namely, “natural-born citizen,” someone in the gallery shouted President Obama’s name.
The First Amendment was read in 2011 by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), who was shot in the head at a constituent meet-and-greet just two days later.
This reading should be followed by a test.
Now, if we could get the rest of the House to show up and listen…
Harry Reid to continue to ignore the Constitution.
It would be meaningful if they then segued into impeachment.
For some members, a strange and new thing never encountered before–the actual Constitution, instead of the Supreme Court apocrypha….
I am sure that the commies that control media, schools and universities will be terrified.
We compel Christians to pay for abortions…but we read the Constitution…we are so strong !
I wish it were possible to explain that the Constitution DID NOT state that a slave was three fifths of a person. In fact, that provision was intended to DILUTE the power of slave states, which wanted their representation based on a full enumeration, including slaves. The “three fifths” item was a GOOD THING for African slaves!
That is correct and always omitted in the Left’s self righhtous indignation over the “flaws” of the framers. Three/fiths was aprovision to drain power away from slave holding states and postpone the fight over slavery rather than remain fragmented and allow the Revolutionary war to morph directly into civil war.