How to reform our dysfunctional federal government
Over the 230 years since our Constitution went into operation, amendments have proved to be powerful instruments of reform.
Articles by Rob Natelson
Willful Misrepresentation: Convention Opponents’ Persistent Promotion of Clear Falsehoods
One mark of authors who oppose all efforts to use Article V’s application and convention process is their continued repetition of claims that are demonstrably false. Those statements—whether made by those on the Left or Right—are often remarkably similar, reflecting their common origin in a 1960s-70s propaganda campaign.
Point by point response to one of those anti-convention op-eds
Some of the authors are academics . . . . But they all have two attributes in common: None has ever published independent research on Article V, and none displays any knowledge of recent scholarship on the subject.
What Madison REALLY said in 1788 and 1789 about holding a second convention
Opponents of a convention for proposing amendments frequently cite a passage in a 1788 letter written by James Madison to create the impression that Madison […]
Interstate negotiations regularly occur outside conventions also
Article V authorizes interstate negotiation through a convention, but other forms of interstate negotiation occur very frequently. One form is represented by the long-lived Uniform Law […]
The First Woman to Serve as President of a Convention of States
The interstate convention held in Phoenix, Arizona in September, 2017 was the first convention of states since 1949, the first national (general) convention of states […]