A. Barton Hinkle: The Case Against Convening a New Constitutional Convention
Arguments about process are usually, at bottom, arguments about policy. That explains why many Republicans, Democrats, and The New York Times change their opinion about Senate filibusters as frequently as control of the Senate changes hands: Giving more power to the minority party is a virtue only if you're in it. It also explains why enthusiasm for changing the Constitution waxes and wanes according to the issue being debated.
These days, writes A. Barton Hinkle, it is critics of big government who are interested in convening a new constitutional convention. They want to revise the document and place strict new limits on government overreach. But Hinkle urges caution. The U.S. Constitution may not be perfect, he grants, but its replacement will probably turn out to be much worse.
