Wynne Coleman: Executive branch left out for reason

Regarding the Jan. 16 column “The tea party’s more perfect Constitution”: The Washington Post’s Catherine Rampell emphasized the double-mindedness of tea-partyers who claim to love the Constitution but want to change it. She pointed to tea party-favored presidential candidates and a governor who are stating support for a “constitutional convention” in order to change the constitution that they love.

The inherent instability of double-mindedness, often accompanied by the human lust for power, is perhaps the foremost reason that the founders made it difficult to achieve such a risky undertaking as an Article V convention. Notably, the founders gave the executive branch absolutely no part to play in the Article V amending process. They intended it to be a matter between the sovereign people and the legislative branches (state and federal), deliberately avoiding the executive power of governors and presidents, single individuals, who have the benefit of celebrity and the megaphone.

If the presidential candidates are as informed as they claim to be, they would know the principles of the U.S. Constitution. For their own benefit, they would stay clear of this controversial issue, which adds to the chaos and confusion of the many issues our nation is dealing with nationally and internationally.

This story was originally published January 22, 2016 at 3:54 PM with the headline "Wynne Coleman: Executive branch left out for reason."