Why We Just Can't Freeze Things

I'm always slightly engaged, in a perplexed sort of way, in the Republican view of the Constitution.  I don't even want to call it a school of thought.  It's more of a cultish view of our governing document.

In a 4th of July extravaganza on the Constitution, ABC’s This Week host Christiane Amanpour asked panelist George Will whether he thought the Constitution was “under siege,” as may Republicans have claimed.  His response is typical of the Republican establishment.  In short, yes it's under siege and has been for over 100 years by liberals and progressives.  They (liberals and progressives aka, Democrats) want to undue what the Founders did. He later went on to say viewing the Constitution as a living document is "oxymoronic."  That a written constitution is supposed to "freeze things."  To me, this is the crusty old white man version of the American Constitution.

To be clear, freezing things is not the same thing as never amending the Constitution.  I don't want to give off the appearance Republicans want to bring back slavery or anything like that.  But freeze things does restrain the Constitution to an 18th Century mindset.  We've never had to amend the Constitution to get everyone to agree when it implies only men can be president that women are now accepted as equals and the term men is universal for humankind.

But the Founders didn't intend it that way.  They really meant only men.  Only white men.  If the Constitution was meant to freeze things then we would have to amend it numerous times to grant non-white males the equality it was written to protect. I find that redundant.  It also leads the theory that if we have to amend it that it was, dare I say, an imperfect document, which is akin to treason in Republican circles.

Alas, it was and is an imperfect document.   Imperfect mainly because the Founders were not soothsayers and failed to envision 21st century life.  They failed to see the weaponry we have today. Had they, I think they would have limited people from owning bazookas.  They failed to see the Internet.  Had they, I'm willing to bet they would have placed many strident civil protections on electronic mail and other communications.  This doesn't mean we have to throw it away.  It means we either have to apply it broadly to include minorities and the digital age, or, well, throw it away and start over.

Moreover, Republicans like George Will want people to believe the Founders created a document that prevented Big Government. When in fact the Founders had no concept of the modern Republican label of Big Government.  Much like they had no concept of cruise missiles and automatic machine guns, the Founders had no reason to ever think of the Department of Veterans Affairs, No Child Left Behind or Medicare Part D but that doesn't make them unconstitutional.  It does, however, make the Constitution a powerful document that is still very applicable to modern society.  That should make conservatives and progressives both appreciative.