What All Third Parties Can Agree On
October 9, 2012
By Roger Copple
The non-electoral methods of the Occupy Wall Street movement are energizing millions who have been alienated for a long time from the two-party system of sham that the 1% controls.
Some reformers, most likely in support of the Occupy movement, are proposing an amendment to overturn the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling in 2010 that empowers corporations to unfairly influence political campaigns with large financial donations.
But even if Citizens United was overturned, how many years would it take to make it happen, and would it make that much difference, considering all the other major democratic reforms needed? I say no.
All third parties already agree that the ballot access laws in each state should make it easier for third parties to get on the ballot. Attempts to reform such laws have not been successful. But even if ballot access laws were dramatically and miraculously improved, third parties, under the current system, would still not get as many votes as the Republicans and Democrats.
Fighting state-by-state battles for easier ballot access for third parties should still continue, but is there a long-term, national strategy that could fully empower third parties? Yes. Third parties need to agree and widely publicize that they support a Twenty-Eighth Amendment proposal that revises Article V in our current constitution. Such a proposal, as stated below, would make it easier to amend and also easier to abolish the current constitution.
The amendment proposal below shows how a system of proportional representation can be used to elect Constitutional Convention delegates, who will then create a new constitution. The new supreme document will truly reflect the collective will and current worldview of all Americans, not just the will of the far Right or the far Left. Here is how the proposal could read:
Proposal for a Twenty-Eighth Amendment to Revise Article V: A Proposal That Shows How to Amend and How to Abolish the Constitution More Easily
The United States government can be changed through amendments added to the constitution. It can also be modified when Congress passes new federal laws or statutes. But to change the federal government completely by abolishing the constitution, there has to be a Constitutional Convention to rewrite a new constitution.
How to Add Amendments to the Current Constitution
To change or modify the federal government by merely adding amendments to the Constitution, the United States Congress (including both the House and the Senate) must pass any proposed amendment to the Constitution with at least a 67% majority in both Houses. Ratification by - of the state legislatures is no longer required.
How to Abolish the 225-Year Old Constitution
The Constitution is the supreme law of the land. A radically new constitution and government can be formed through a Constitutional Convention. It can be achieved in a fair, orderly, and nonviolent way. The American people have a right to choose whether they want a new constitution. Through their chosen representatives, an entirely new constitution can be made. For now on, the decision to create a new supreme civil document will be considered by the American people at every presidential election. Congress, under these new guidelines, will not be allowed to pass any amendment that cancels this method for abolishing the constitution.
Every 4 years when Americans vote for a president, they can vote for or against having a Constitutional Convention. If 51% or more of the voters say yes, then 100 delegates, chosen through proportional representation, will be sent to the Constitutional Convention to create a new constitution. Then if 51% or more of the Convention delegates approve any document, the new government will be implemented 4 months later. The orderly process will take approximately 23 months.
