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1. Arnie Arnesen and Scott Braddock, editor. Quorum Report
We interviewed Scott Braddock about the recent events in Texas. ALEC met in Texas last week. This group is considered the “business Republicans”. One of the topics among the participants is the scandal surrounding Speaker Dennis Bonnen, who has had some questionable contacts with Empowered Texans. The stated goal for Bonnen’s speakership was to unite the party, and also include Democrats in Texas. Bonnen, instead, has been quoted as saying demeaning things about other Texas House members, including ten Republicans. Allen West has launched a campaign for the Republican Chairmanship. Other Texas happenings: the Texas Attorney General is facing trail for securities fraud. 2020 will be important an election year for Texas, because 2021 will be a redistricting year. The districts defined will be in place for ten years to come. This may affect how the presidential election will be decided, because Texas has many electoral votes.
2. Arnie Arnesen and Sandford Levinson, author (with Cynthia Levinson) of Fault Lines in the Constitution, and law professor at the University of Texas. We discussed how the US
Constitution was developed by the framers, and the kinds of compromises that had been made. The framers understood that this would be a document that could (and should) be changed over time. However, it is currently “set in stone”, and some processes should exist to make this easier. Some of the constitutional topics identified as ready for change are a) the Electoral College, b) continuity in government, c) the long time between election and inauguration,, d) impeachment reasons and procedures, and others. He cited New Hampshire as a model for the process to amend, because New Hanpshire can hold a Constitutional Convention every ten years.
