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When Republicans take over the House next week, they will do something that apparently has never been done before in the chamber's 221-year history:

They will read the Constitution aloud.

And then they will require that every new bill contain a statement by the lawmaker who wrote it citing the constitutional authority to enact the proposed legislation.

Call it the tea party-ization of Congress.

"It appears that the Republicans have been listening," said Jeff Luecke, a sales supervisor and tea party organizer in Dubuque, Iowa. "We're so far away from our founding principles that, absolutely, this is the very, very tip of the iceberg. We need to talk about and learn about the Constitution daily."

These are two standout changes on a long list of new rules Republicans will institute in the House when they assume the majority on Jan. 5. After handing out pocket-size Constitutions at rallies, after studying the document article by article and after demanding that Washington return to its founding principles, tea party activists have something new to applaud. A pillar of their grass-roots movement will become a staple in the bureaucracy that governs Congress.

"On November 2nd, voters called for an end to reckless spending and a renewed commitment to the Constitution," said Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), a tea party favorite. "These new rules show that Republicans are serious about respecting the Constitution."

House Republican leaders announced dozens of new rules, including several measures designed to increase transparency in the legislative process. Committees will broadcast their hearings and mark-up sessions online, lawmaker attendance will be recorded for each committee hearing and the debt limit will no longer be automatically increased with each new budget resolution.

The reading of the Constitution will occur on Jan. 6, one day after the swearing in of Speaker-designate John A. Boehner (R-Ohio). The 4,543-word document, including all 27 amendments, could be read aloud in just 30 minutes. But the exercise probably will last longer.

The moment seems designed for maximum effect. Many lawmakers will participate, with one representative reading a portion of the document before yielding the floor to another representative to continue reading and so forth. Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck said Democratic lawmakers are welcome to participate.

"We always hear members of Congress talking about swearing an oath to represent their constituents, when in reality the only oath we take is to the Constitution," Boehner said in a speech this fall.    "We pledge 'to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.' No more, no less."



i just hope this doesn't turn out like all the other promises of transparency.

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maybe they have to read it because their actions are so far from "practice what you preach"... that they need to be reminded whats in it.

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Originally Posted by Beth Marik:
maybe they have to read it because their actions are so far from "practice what you preach"... that they need to be reminded whats in it.

this is true. they're no better than the democrats in that regard.

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While appearing on MSNBC's Daily Rundown on Thursday, Washington Post columnist Ezra Klein mocked Republicans for wanting to start the 112th Congress with a reading of the Constitution.

Klein told Norah O'Donnell, "The issue of the Constitution is that the text is confusing because it was written more than 100 years ago and what people believe it says differs from person to person and differs depending on what they want to get done."

So, in Klein's view, the Constitution is old and therefore confusing and apparently should be ignored, or translated in a way that supports liberal policy.






so the constitution is confusing because it's old, but the 2000+ page obamacare bill isn't confusing at all, eh? and i could also see how he would believe the constitution means different things to different people, given the fact that too many damned politicians and pundits try to translate the document, rather taking it at face value.

but what gets my goat more than anything, is to hear this talking head say that the constitution really has no binding power. i mean...seriously? if the constitution is non-binding, then what is? the constitution IS america! this little weiner's comments reflect a scary trend of people who really think the constitution is just some piece of paper they have to pay lip service to, and that they can "translate" to say anything they want it to. i don't think i can really get across just how much this line of thinking pisses me off, and it's the reason that our government has grown so out of control.

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let's try that video code again.

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Oh yeah.  GOP has been mocked and ridiculed by much of the liberal elitist press for reading the Constitution aloud.  Someone said that the GOP was treating it like it was a sacred document.

WELL IT IS!  Duh.  That's been the problem all along.  Congress (both sides) has trampled rough-shod over the Constitution and need to be reminded exactly what that document really is!  It is the law of the land.  It establishes limitations on our govt.  It is what gives power...to we the people, rather than power to the govt.

THEY...WORK...FOR...US!

But people like Pete Stark laugh at that idea.