The audio of a Barack Obama radio interview below is stunning. Unfortunately, it will probably stun few. For once the word “Constitution” is mentioned, electoral eyes roll into the backs of voters’ heads as memories of a boring high school history class in a hot, dusty classroom emerge in the place of contemplation of the founding principles of this nation.
Speaking of the Warren Court its interpretation of the Constitution during the Civil Rights movement, Obama said, “It wasn’t that radical. It didn’t break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution. At least as it’s been interpreted and more important interpreted in the same way that, generally, the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties; says what the states can’t do to you, what the federal government can’t do to you, but it doesn’t say what the state government or federal government must do on your behalf.”
Actually, it does. The federal government must provide for the common defense, a military to provide and ensure National Security. The “essential constraints” placed into the Constitution by the Founding Fathers was to ensure a limited government, not a pervasive and massive federal government providing all things to all people.
Obama laments in the interview that the Warren Supreme Court failed to reinterpret the Constitution to read into it what was not there: Redistribution of wealth for “political and economic justice in this society.”
Barack Obama continues, and notes that one of the “great tragedies of the civil rights movement” was that it was court-centric and got away from “political and community organizing and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalitions of power through which you bring about redistributive change.”
For Obama, the redistribution of wealth is a civil right that the civil rights movement failed to attain. To Barack Obama, the redistribution of wealth is basic “political and economic justice,” and one segment of society has the basic right to the money of other segments of society. He’s very straight forward about this.
And while in the interview he did not think wealth redistribution could be affected through the courts, he was confident that it could be attained “legislatively.” The reason the courts have not legislated this from the bench is that it requires the court to interpret the Constitution in a manner that is wholly in conflict with the document – and its intentions – as written.
The prospects of an Obama presidency and a large democrat majority that leans far left in both the House and the Senate will set the stage for “legislative” imposition of the transfer of wealth to those who he views have a civil right to that money.
That this is wholly counter to the Constitution is of no matter. Congress will pass ‘transformational’ tax and health care legislation, Obama will sign it into Law, and the only thing standing between it and us is the Supreme Court, which could strike down the laws as un-Constitutional. But what will that Supreme Court look like after one or two Obama appointments? Will it have the will to do so, or will enough justices ‘interpret’ (‘invent’ is a more appropriate term) the Constitution in the manner Obama does?
It is surreal that this country is close to potentially electing a president who intends to govern with such clear disregard to the same Constitution he will be sworn to defend and protect. But imposed Socialism won’t be un-Constitutional. It will instead be a heralded “transformation” in the name of “political and economic justice.”
(With thanks to Pierre Legrand for the audio link.)
