State Legislators: Don’t Miss V the People! Professor Lawrence Lessig and his team of Harvard Law students have assembled an all-star slate of scholars, elected officials, and organizers from across the political spectrum to represent both pro and con viewpoints on deploying the first-ever Article V Convention in American history. Is it time? Is it safe? Can it solve some of our most intractable problems? Read coverage in Harvard Law Today and sign up to attend here. Registration is required....

Democratic Socialists of America: Spoiler or the Democratic Party of the Future? Vickie Deppe As of this writing, a half-dozen DSA members have won Congressional primaries. In November, they will join other democratic socialists who are not affiliated with the DSA—as well as candidates for state and local offices—on the ballot. Their more mainstream counterparts typically respond to press inquiries with “big tent” verbiage; but writing for USA Today, James Zirin maintains that whether they’re...

Confidence in Most Institutions at or Near Long-Term Lows Vickie Deppe Gallup has released its latest polling on Americans’ confidence in 14 institutions. Twelve of the 14 are at a statistical dead heat with their respective all-time lows since Gallup began this survey in 1993. This marks the fifth consecutive year in which the average is below 30%. What’s interesting about this data—besides how consistently dissatisfied Americans are with all three branches of the federal government—is that...

In Congress, July 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the...

Thomas Massie: A Case Study in the Separation of Powers By Vickie Deppe Primary season is well underway, and the results of the past month provide insights into the state of federalism in the United States. Britannica defines federalism as “a mode of political organization that separate states or other polities within an overarching political system in a way that allows each to maintain its own integrity.” Consider Thomas Massie: Ed Gallrein, a Navy Seal veteran and farmer with little...

Memo to Congress By Vickie Deppe Last month, we reported on Congressman Andy Biggs’ failed attempt to send a balanced budget amendment to the states for ratification after stonewalling the Convention of States Project’s application for an Article V Convention while President of the Arizona Senate. Last fall, National Federalism Commission Executive Director Bruce Lee shared a detailed analysis of Congress’ failure to call a convention for proposing amendments after the 34-state threshold was...

Congress will never cede power voluntarily By Vickie Deppe HJR 139, a Swiss Debt Brake-style cap on federal spending that smooths revenues and expenditures on a three-year rolling average instead of taking each year in isolation, failed in a mostly party-line vote of 211-207. As a proposal for a constitutional amendment, the measure required a 2/3 majority, but failed to attain even a simple majority of the 435 members. This vote documents diminished congressional support for a Balanced Budget...

Two Key Assumptions By Jim Rubens Board Member, American Promise War Room Director, Federal Fiscal Sustainability Foundation Editor’s Note: Congratulations to our good friend and tireless Article V advocate Jim Rubens as he publishes the inaugural edition of Inside Amending on Substack! Please enjoy the kickoff here, and subscribe at https://jimrubens.substack.com. At least two amendments to the U.S. Constitution are likely to win ratification by the early 2030s. In this introductory post to...

Casualties of State Inaction By Vickie Deppe Last month, we discussed the power the states have to lower the temperature of our national political discourse. This month, we have the sad opportunity to reflect on the tragic deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti. The purpose of this piece is not to play Monday-morning quarterback, speculate on motives, or perform a second-by-second analysis of video culled from every possible angle; nor is it to critique immigration law. Instead, we will look at...

Political Violence in America: Can the States Lower the Temperature? By Vickie Deppe Recent polling by Pew Research indicates overwhelming consensus on political violence in the US: 85% of survey respondents believe political violence is on the rise, with Democrats and Republicans supporting this view in near-equal numbers. They also largely agree on the problem, too: the other side. Factors like media (social, traditional, and new) and influence exerted by big corporate interests are...