There’s long been reason to believe Gov. Gavin Newsom is nearly as dumb as his “frenemy” Kamala Harris, but this week gives some of the best proof yet: he has departed from Progressive orthodoxy in the dumbest way possible.
You may have heard that he has proposed a constitutional amendment to allow for “common sense” gun control, such as background checks, bans on so-called “assault weapons,” and waiting periods for all gun purchases. His mistake is admitting that such long-desired policy goals of the gun-grabbers require a constitutional amendment because the Second Amendment means what it says. What part of “living Constitution” does he not understand? The Court is supposed to change its mind, dammit—and never conceding that “We, the people” would have to change the Constitution. In judges we (used to) trust, is the old Progressive motto.
And that leads directly to Newsom’s second betrayal of today’s Progressivism: calling for an Article V convention of the states to enact his proposal. An Article V convention has been an object of desire for some conservatives for a while now, and the left has mostly resisted the idea, because they suspect what might come out of such a convention is a balanced budget amendment, term limits, and other constitutional measures that would hobble the administrative state and the agenda of redistributionist leftism. What is Newsom thinking?
Erwin Chemerisky is hot off the mark to correct the governor for his tergiversation:
Gov. Gavin Newsom is right that there is a need to modify the Second Amendment to allow for more gun regulation. But his call for a constitutional convention is seriously misguided and opens an unprecedented, dangerous door for no likely gain as no constitutional amendment to change the Second Amendment is likely to be ratified by three-fourths of the states. . .
As many as 29 states have passed resolutions calling for a constitutional convention to propose an amendment requiring that the federal government have a balanced budget. This is a terrible idea that would decimate social programs at the federal level, keep the government from meeting emergencies and prevent using monetary policy to benefit the economy. . .
Say, when you put it that way, sounds like a good idea! Anyway, to continue:
Progressives have opposed this, in large part, based on the argument that it’s too risky and uncertain to use the mechanism of a constitutional convention. Newsom’s proposal undermines this concern and could provide fuel for more states to call for a constitutional convention for a balanced budget.
Too risky and uncertain! Translation: much more likely that a convention of the states will work out badly for us. The wrong people would win!
Nancy Maclean, the leftist author of the terrible book (which natually was a National Book Award finalist) Democracy in Chains that argues the Koch Brothers are the devil incarnate, is equally dismayed by Newsom’s foolishness:
And Fox News reports:
A liberal organization says Gov. Gavin Newsom’s, D-Calif., proposal to curb gun rights through a new amendment to the Constitution is “offensive” grandstanding.
“I find it really frustrating as a liberal because we all know this is never gonna happen,” Lara Smith of The Liberal Gun Club told Fox News Digital. “I think it’s grandstanding, and I find it offensive.”
Pass the popcorn.
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