Many revolutionary socialists are highly astute about many of our social problems, but I disagree with any solution that resorts to violence. Are they ultimately expecting something reminiscent of the French or Russian Revolutions? The argument is that the oligarchs will never give up power without a fight. But if there is a violent clash between the 99 percent and the oligarchical one percent--or between the working class and the ruling class--the one percent will have the weapons, the police, and the military.
Even if the protesters remain nonviolent, and even if some of the police and military lay down their weapons and join forces with the 99 percent, there will be bloodshed and disorder if that scenario ever plays out. We have to ask, will the group that takes over (if that is even possible) represent all the people? If there is a provisional or interim government that takes over, will it create an orderly transition as well as a democratic Constitutional Convention process that takes 12 months would? The answer is no. Therefore, working to have a Constitutional Convention in the democratic and orderly way described in this article is our best hope.
Capitalists have controlled the dominant narrative for a long time and have not given a fair voice to socialists and other third political parties. If socialists were to start controlling the dominant narrative, would they give an equal voice to capitalists? I don't think the revolutionary socialists would. This is why I believe we must have a Constitutional Convention in a democratic and fair way to establish a new, much better constitution that empowers all the major national political parties in the political spectrum, not just the Republicans and Democrats. Our new constitution can be a constitution that represents all the people, not just those on the right or the left.
The electoral process currently does not work because our elected representatives do not represent us. They largely represent the one percent. But with a new constitution, we can make the electoral process work in a way that maximizes democracy. If we have a Constitutional Convention in the carefully described way presented in this article, there is no way that the oligarchs can sabotage the democratic process.
We must be proactive. We must work to encourage a Constitutional Convention as soon as possible. Then we will have more effective, democratic ways to solve our political, economic, social, and environmental problems. With a new third constitution, we can even establish a democratic procedure for abolishing the third constitution to create the fourth constitution, and we can create ecologically sustainable plans for seven generations into the future. Now which member of Congress will introduce a bill to let the people decide if they want a Constitutional Convention?
Some Afterthoughts, June 23, 2019
There is a second way to have a Constitutional Convention according to the wording of Article V. This would happen if enough state legislatures call for a Constitutional Convention. This method excludes the federal Congress from the process altogether. There is a movement Friends of the Article V Convention that wants to have an Amendment Convention (not a Constitutional Convention) in this way.
An Article V Convention, as advocated by the Friends of the Article V Convention, would not allow the American people to participate in the process. It would not allow citizens to vote for or against the Constitutional Amendments that the state legislative delegates at the Amendment Convention would create.
My proposal would be to use Proportional Representation from the largest national political parties as a way to select the delegates to be represented at the Constitutional Convention. It is a proposal that would also let the American people vote whether they want a Constitutional Convention, and then, if they say yes, whatever new document that the Constitutional Convention delegates approve with a majority vote would also have to be approved by the American people in a national referendum vote. I want a new constitution created democratically, not just a few more amendments added to our current constitution by delegates from state legislatures.
Moreover, my method of having a Constitutional Convention would exclude state legislatures (and the federal Congress) altogether from the process. The motivation of the Article V Convention is to have state legislatures add new Amendments to our current constitution. Many people are leary about both an Amendment Convention and a Constitutional Convention, and it is easy to understand why. However, if the Constitutional Convention is held in a way that maximizes democracy, as described in this article, we don't have to be fearful.
The most democratic way to have a Constitutional Convention is to bypass the federal Congress and the state legislatures altogether and let all individual citizens participate in the decision making by their identification with a favorite political party that expresses their worldview and values--a national political party that captures at least one percent of the national vote.
(Article changed on June 23, 2019 at 19:29)
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