THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume VI, Issue # 253, December 1, 2004
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
LET'S DON'T TAMPER WITH THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION,
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER'S ADVOCACY NOTWITHSTANDING
By Christopher Adamo
THREATS TO THE AMERICAN CONSTITUTIONAL SYSTEM: MOVES TO AMEND THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION IN
ORDER TO ABOLISH THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE, ELIMINATE THE ELECTORAL VOTE BY STATES, PROVIDE FOR SELECTION OF THE
PRESIDENT BY A NATIONWIDE DIRECT POPULAR VOTE, & MAKE NATURALIZED U.S. CITIZENS ELIGIBLE FOR ELECTION TO THE
OFFICE OF PRESIDENT -- WHY WE SHOULD PROCEED WITH ALL DUE CAUTION IN TAKING ACTION TO ALTER THE BASIC &
SUPREME LAW OF OUR LAND
FULL STORY:
In the aftermath of the 2000 presidential election, Liberals raged at the “injustice” of the Electoral College. Subsequently, they
demanded the standard “fix,” echoed every four years, of amending the United States Constitution to eliminate the Electoral
College and the electoral vote by states and to provide for selection of the President by nationwide direct popular vote.
Although Conservatives breathed a sigh of relief in 2000, the delayed determination of Ohio’s vote this year and its decisive role
in President Bush’s reelection, predictably resulted in rumblings from the Right that, indeed, the Electoral College needs to be
discarded. Once again however, the wisdom of the Founders has been made evident, for those who are willing to recognize it.
In the past two presidential races, the primary focus, both before and after Election Day, was on individual states. In 2000,
everything centered on the State of Florida, while, in 2004, it was the State of Ohio. Though the Founders’ premise of federalism
has largely been abandoned in modern times, statehood was a crucial component of that philosophy.
By definition, the emphasis on statehood deemphasizes the supremacy of the central governmental leviathan. Conversely,
erosion of states’ rights bolsters the notion of the helpless and lowly citizenry at the mercy of their impersonal and unaccountable
master, the U.S. national government.
The Framers of the U.S. Constitution never intended the national chief executive to govern as a “monarch of the masses,” but,
rather, as President of the United States of America, a federal union, or federation, forming a central government with ample
political authority, but leaving a substantial degree of autonomy, or self-government, in the hands of the member-states of the
union. It is altogether evident that the Electoral College enhances this concept.
The American people ought to realize by now that major changes in the fabric of the country, particularly those implemented out
of fear or in response to an immediate crisis, rarely work to the best interests of the country in the longrun. Now it is Republicans
who, fearing a Hillary Clinton presidential candidacy in 2008, are pondering a fundamental change in the makeup of federated
sovereign nation-state, a radical change from which the American nation might never recover.
Since his meteoric rise to the governorship of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger has been toying with the notion of running for
President, possibly as early as 2008. Unfortunately for him, a constitutional barrier stands in the way. Not having been born
within the borders of this nation, or on an American military base overseas, he is presently ineligible for the Presidency.
So, to nobody’s great surprise, Schwarzenegger is advocating the passage of a federal constitutional amendment to remove this
roadblock. And equally predictable are those unprincipled Republican “moderates” who, rarely hesitating to jump on any
passing “bandwagon,” believe that adoption of the constitutional amendment advocated Schwarzenegger is a good idea.
Though the adverse effects of such an alteration in the U.S. Constitution might not immediately become apparent during a
Schwarzenegger presidency (Schwarzenegger’s Liberal politics notwithstanding), the damage to American national sovereignty
would eventually be severe.
Consider how seemingly virtuous foreign statesmen such as Vicente Fox, President of Mexico, having no ingrained allegiance
to the American homeland, eventually display their regard for it as just one of many nations throughout the world.
Completely unwilling to even use the term “illegal alien” when describing the hordes of unlawful invaders streaming into
America, Fox, instead, asserts their “right” to be here, totally disregarding the hardship they pose to the rightful inhabitants of
this nation. Fox’s chief interests are, not surprisingly, for his own people. Similar examples among other foreign leaders abound.
Some might attempt to deflect this argument by pointing out that sentiment in favor of the Schwarzenegger amendment exists
among naturalized citizens. Certainly this is true. However, the birthright clause of the U.S. Constitution was never intended to
be the sole prerequisite for election to the office of U.S. President; it was to be only one of several qualifications.
Another frequently invoked argument is that some American citizens are far less devoted to the nation than is Schwarzenegger.
John Walker Lindh, the “American Taliban,” is a prime example. Yet, much the opposite can be gleaned from the Lindh situation.
It was the Founders’ understanding of the nearly universal ties to one’s place of birth, which inspired them to include such a
requirement in the nation’s founding document. Its removal would forever diminish America as a unique and sovereign nation.
Arnold Schwarzenegger can serve this country in numerous other ways. If he truly holds it in high regard, he will leave its
Constitution intact.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
American Government & the U.S. Presidency
Constitution of the United States of America:
Article II -- Executive Branch of the U.S. Government
Constitution of the United States of America:
Amendment XII -- Election of the U.S. President
Federalist 71: Energy in the Executive Office
THE U.S. Constitution: The Scheme of National Government
The American Constitutional System: Principal Characteristics
Constitutionalism, Republicanism, Separation of Powers,
Checks & Balances, Strict Legislative Bicameralism,
& Balanced Government
The American Constitutional System: Principal Characteristics
Federalism: A Closely-Knit Union of States, a Powerful Central
Government, & A Substantial Degree of State Autonomy
British & American Constitutional Democracy:
Constitutional Monarchy & Constitutional Republic
British & American Constitutional Democracy:
Parliamentary System & Presidential System
Christopher G. Adamo is a freelance writer who lives in southeastern Wyoming and works in the field of industrial instrumentation.
He is actively involved in Wyoming's political process, serving as a delegate to successive Wyoming State Republican Conventions
and as a member of the Wyoming State Republican Central Committee. He has assisted Republican candidates for local and state
legislatures and for the United States Congress. His articles, which appear regularly in The Progressive Conservative, U.S.A.,
and on a number of other websites, reflect a major concern with the damage being done to Conservatism and Conservative causes by
the Liberal Leftist faction in the Republican Party as well as by the much larger and more powerful Liberal Leftist faction in the
Democratic Party. During the early and middle 1990s, Adamo was Editor of the Wyoming Christian Coalition's official news organ,
The Wyoming Christian. Adamo maintains his own Internet website, which is located at
www.chrisadamo.com.
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Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
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