... and just to make sure we remember that there are still plenty of wingnuts in Congress...

[jducoeur]

... I give you this pointer to the words of Senator Rand Paul. Just when Justice Roberts illustrates that there are some reasonable and sensible conservatives out there, Paul reminds us that there are plenty who don't have even a sixth-grade understanding of how this country works...

Comments

[dragonazure.livejournal.com]

The URL alone would have made me do a spit take if I hadn't already put the cup down.

All he needs is about 3 minutes and a Schoolhouse Rock! DVD to cure him of that....

[marphod.livejournal.com]

Technically, the SOCTUS's power (in specific, and any federal court's power, in general) of Judicial Review isn't in the constitution, just an interpreted power; a strict constructionist argument can be made that younger Sen Paul has a point.

On the other hand, a strict constructionist argument would also make a significant number of hi sponsored/proposed bills and amendments unconstitutional.

[dlevey.livejournal.com]

Oh, you mean like Citizens United?

[gyzki.livejournal.com]

To quote from princeofcairo's The Complete Idiot's Guide to U.S. History Graphic Illustrated on Marbury v. Madison:
"This court finds portions of the Judiciary Act of 1789 unconstitutional."
"Your honor, I don't recall 'judicial review' appearing in the Constitution."
"Oh, it's in there. Just look for it."
"Seriously, your honor, *I* wrote the thing. It's not in there."

But to deny it now, more than two centuries later, is just being disingenuous.

[zachkessin.livejournal.com]

IN Rand Paul's mind unconstitutional and "I don't like it" are the same thing

[metageek.livejournal.com]

And, if there were no judicial review, our Constitutional rights would be a fiction, because there'd be nothing to hold back Congress from violating them.

[pryder]

I liked this quote in one of the comments: "Republicans are far more socialist than Democrats. Just because they want to redistribute the wealth upwards does not make it any better."

In our three-branch system of government what the Supreme Court says is the very definition of what is constitutional. I don't always agree with their opinions (see Citizens United) but it is what it is, and Rand Paul saying otherwise is like him proclaiming that white is black, the sun rises in the west, or pi=3.

[marphod.livejournal.com]

Never ascribe to malice which can be ascribed to ignorance.
(I forget who that's quoting)

I consider it more revisionist history than disingenuousness, much like 'The Civil War had nothing to do with Race/Slavery'[1], 'The UK is the US's longest ally' [2], or 'The New Deal is considered a failure by historians.'[3]




---

[1] - hint: it did. There may have bee OTHER contributing factors, as well, but Slavery was definitely a major factor
[2] - Hint: The oldest ally that is a sovereign nation are the so-called "cheese-eating surrender monkeys", but they're not even the oldest US ally; try the Iroquois Nations, although that alliance may not be continuous
[3] - I'm not even going to try to respond to this brand of idiocy.

[hungrytiger]

Here's another stunning wing-nut article for your enjoyment:
http://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/17151

[ladymacgregor.livejournal.com]

I like Governor Patrick's comment:

. . . "And premiums are stabilizing or are going down, not growing. In other words, each and every one of the list of horrors Governor Romney now says will happen in America because of Obamacare did not happen in Massachusetts because of Romneycare."

[beowabbit]

Do you have a link for that? I’d love to read/hear the whole thing.

[ladymacgregor.livejournal.com]

I heard about it from someone, and Googled to find the quote. Here is where I copied it from: http://www.iberkshires.com/story/41670/Patrick-Court-Ruling-On-Health-Care-Victory-For-Americans.html

Here's another:

http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/06/gov_deval_patrick_applauds_hea.html

[corwyn-ap.livejournal.com]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/03/magazine/mag-03CivilWar-t.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all