September 18, 2011

Unconventional Meeting of Minds

Scholars and Tea Partyers gather to consider changing the Constitution

An Unconventional Meeting of Minds 1

Mark Peterson, Redux

A new constitutional convention could help restore the "lost Constitution" that was created in 1787, say some Tea Party supporters, at a rally at the U.S. Capitol.

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close An Unconventional Meeting of Minds 1

Mark Peterson, Redux

A new constitutional convention could help restore the "lost Constitution" that was created in 1787, say some Tea Party supporters, at a rally at the U.S. Capitol.

By Christopher Shea

Calls to change the Constitution are suddenly everywhere, and they aren't limited to any political quarter. Rick Perry, the Texas governor and Republican presidential hopeful, has proposed repealing the 17th Amendment—the one permitting the direct election of U.S. senators—and some Tea Partyers have rallied around a proposal to let state legislatures overrule acts of Congress (the so-called Repeal Amendment).

At the same time, many on the left support a constitutional