"Trump is all about political theatre, or circus, and it often seems that even in resisting him, as decent citizens must do, we become part of the circus too. We are like the extras who splutter while he thrills the base by violating some heretofore inviolate human norm. So the show goes on. But why not put on our own show, our own form of political theatre, that leaves Trump out or at least has a different focus?"
"The Trump presidency is a colossal setback to that constitution and its norms, but it is also an opportunity to change those norms for the better. Like the founders, we should create a limited, invitation-only body an embryonic constitutional convention that the anti-Trump blue states exclusively set up for themselves, limit to themselves, and control. The constitution already provides some authority for doing so."
"These selected states are meeting to propose an interstate compact by and between themselves, in the spirit if not the letter of the compacts that the constitution's article I, section 10, clause 3 describes, and for them to submit formally to Congress to adopt as federal law. Of course this will never happen in this case, as Congress, in its current broken form, is incapable of anything like a new constitution, embryonic or not."
Trump engages in political theatre that draws opponents into the spectacle and often makes resisting him part of the performance. Early American resistance from 1768–1776 relied on extra-legislative political theater—non-importation committees and a Continental Congress—that helped produce independence. Postwar leaders held a nominal convention to amend the Articles, then replaced them and altered amendment rules. Anti-Trump blue states can emulate that approach by creating a limited, invitation-only embryonic constitutional convention to propose an interstate compact under Article I, Section 10 and seek congressional adoption as federal law, even if Congress refuses to act.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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