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Republican Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia won his seat in Congress campaigning as a strict defender of the Constitution. He carries a copy in his pocket and is particularly fond of invoking the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

But it turns out there are parts of the document he doesn't care for – lots of them. He wants to get rid of the language about birthright citizenship, federal income taxes and direct election of senators, among others. He would add plenty of stuff, including explicitly authorizing castration as punishment for child rapists.

This hot-and-cold take on the Constitution is surprisingly common within the GOP, particularly among those like Broun who portray themselves as strict Constitutionalists and who frequently accuse Democrats of twisting the document to serve political aims.

Republicans have proposed at least 42 Constitutional amendments in the current Congress, including one that has gained favor recently to eliminate the automatic grant of citizenship to anyone born in the United States.

The Republican proposals tend to be social and political statements, such as the growing movement to repeal the 14th Amendment's birthright citizenship. [Repubicans] routinely accuse Democrats of trying to subvert the Constitution and calls for respecting the document's "plain language". But widely supported Republican amendments would prohibit government ownership of private companies, bar same-sex marriage, require a two-thirds vote in Congress to raise taxes, and – an old favorite – prohibit desecration of the American flag.

During the health care debate, Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., introduced an amendment that would allow voters to directly repeal laws passed by Congress – a move that would radically alter the Founding Fathers' system of checks and balances.

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1. No Direct Election of Senators

For sheer "huh?" quality nothing beats the push to repeal the 17th Amendment, which provides for the direct election of U.S. senators. Repeal supporters include not only Georgia Rep. Paul Broun but a number of Tea Party backed candidates such as GOP attorney Mike Lee, who is favored to be the next senator from Utah.

2. No Birthright Citizenship

Repealing the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to anyone born in the United States, has become a pet cause for many GOP-ers

3. No Stock

More than 100 House members, unhappy with government bank and auto bailouts, have sponsored an amendment prohibiting government ownership of stock.

4. The Parental Right

South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint and Michigan Rep. Pete Hoekstra have introduced a "Parental Rights Amendment" designed to stem the gathering threat of the government raising children.

5. Term Limits

Five different Republicans with 65 years in Congress among them, including 15-term Rep. Ralph Hall of Texas, have sponsored term-limits amendments.

6. Flag Burning

Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana and Rep. Jo Ann Emerson of Missouri have each sponsored bills to prevent flag desecration—twice. These no doubt draw their most fervent support from the folks who pull on their American-flag T-shirts and stars and-stripes hats and sat in sweltering heat on their American-flag chairs, exhorting Glenn Beck to defend us from those who disrespect Old Glory.

7. Balanced Budget

Seven GOP-ers have introduced balanced budget amendments, all while favoring making permanent the Bush tax cuts, or similarly fiscally disastrous measures.

8. Right to Life

A classic staple of GOP platforms: get rid of Roe v. Wade by rewriting the Constitution.

9. Gay Marriage

Another GOP attempt to get the government into the bedroom.

10. Supermajority for Tax Increases

Texas Rep. Randy Neugebauer and 19 other lawmakers want two-thirds majorities for tax increases.

11. Spending Cap

Another amendment capping federal spending at 20 percent of GDP.

12. Currency

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann is sponsoring an amendment that would restrict the president's power to negotiate treaties. She’s apparently worried that the president will try to replace the U.S. dollar with a foreign currency. Seriously.

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The U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of our nation. It establishes the government, divides the power among three equal branches, and describes the powers and duties of each branch and the requirements for holding each office. James Madison wrote most of the text in 1787, and the states ratified it in 1788. The first ten amendments are called the Bill of Rights. The U.S. Constitution has been amended 17 times in 222 years, most recently in 1992.

Any constitutional amendment would cost millions of dollars and require a major community organizing campaign.It took many years and a lot of hard work to convince enough legislatures to ratify prohibition (and its repeal), women’s suffrage, and the 18-year-old vote. Some of you remember the fight for the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s. It failed because the Republicans launched a campaign against it.

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The Constitution has been a frequent rallying cry at Republican and Tea Party events this summer. If you ask Sarah Palin, Sharron Angle, Rand Paul and other conservative politicians, defending that sacred document written by the founders of the United States of America, is No. 1 on their national agenda.

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Republican Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia won his seat in Congress campaigning as a strict defender of the Constitution. He carries a copy in his pocket and is particularly fond of invoking the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

But it turns out there are parts of the document he doesn’t care for — lots of them. He wants to get rid of the language about birthright citizenship, federal income taxes and direct election of senators, among others. He would add plenty of stuff, including explicitly authorizing castration as punishment for child rapists.

This hot-and-cold take on the Constitution is surprisingly common within the GOP, particularly among those like Broun who portray themselves as strict Constitutionalists and who frequently accuse Democrats of twisting the document to serve political aims.

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House Republican leaders on Wednesday announced that they plan to pressure the Senate by voting Friday on a measure that they have termed the "Government Shutdown Prevention Act."

"What this bill says is it reiterates again the deadline, and that the Senate should act before the deadline, and that's what the American people are expecting," House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said Wednesday morning at a news conference with other House Republican leaders. "The bill then says if the Senate does not act, then H.R. 1 [the House-passed bill that cuts $61 billion] will be the law of the land."

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We hear so much about "respecting" the Constitution and "abiding by" the Constitution from the right; so why are they constantly trying to amend it, while claiming Democrats don't respect it?


So if they respect it so much, why do they keep trying to amend it? Here are just 12 of the recent amendments they would like to have:

So why does the party of fiscal responsibility want to spend millions to amend the Constitution they keep saying is "sacred"?

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You have a problem with the Republicans (sorry, REPUBLICANS) amending the Constitution in ways you don't like. That was the thrust of your first post in this thread and trying to blame them for knowing how it works doesn't wash

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