Donald Trump’s Pledge to Defend (non existent) Article XII of Constitution Raises Eyebrows

he lacks a grade school knowledge of the documents that is the key to the country.

It could be possible he was affirming his belief in the 12th Amendment, but I can't imagine why as nobody is really pushing for same-state tickets or some such...

He is trying to lose. He knows he does not really want the job.

Well, there are about 80 million American voters who don't remember it. That's why you need to MAKE SURE you are registered to vote, and don't let anything stop you on that day.

Which, if it is what he meant in his deranged mind, deals with the process of electing the President and VP, and may actually reflect his Birtherism, even though it does not address the issue of place-of-birth explicitly, because it does say that "no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States."

-- Mal

and, you seem to be giving der drumpfenfuhrer credit for actually knowing any of the amendments, which is incredibly generous of you.

But even insane people may have a logical consistency to their insanity. Part of my personality is a desire to understand why people say things that make no sense at all, and I get a certain amount of satisfaction by figuring out some rationale that may explain their statements. It's dangerous turf, because one can find himself in the position of being accused of "defending" a position for which he has absolutely no sympathy. But it is an intellectual exercise that gives me pleasure.

Mr Trump is a moveable feast of such utterances, and I have been able to find rationales for several of his more absurd statements that I think might be accurate. I don't think Mr Trump is as stupid as he can appear, but he is curiously inept at expressing nuanced thought, although his ability to utter complete inanities is about matchless. Now, is he inept at expressing nuance because he doesn't, actually, comprehend it, or just because he is poor at voicing complexity? There are, after all, quite a few very intelligent people who are brutally inarticulate. I doubt Mr Trump is brilliant, but it is possible he is not unintelligent.

As to Article XII, I Googled it and came up with this link: http://www.americasfreedom.com/us-constitution/article12.html I have a suspicion the site is some kind of RW mecca (the title would tend to give that away, eh?), but it does show that, in some circles, Article XII is an accepted term.


-- Mal

I have, or claim.

So, do we credit der drumpfenfuhrer with being smart enough to pull off his ignorance schtick, or do we believe that he really is what he appears to be? Scary thought either way.

The fact that there is a website that doesn't know the difference between the articles of the constitution and its amendments is, although not surprising, disheartening, to say the least.

And it is, of course, a website that prides itself on understanding what "America" is all about.

How much of Mr Trump is schtick, and how much reality? The $64 question, and I have not completely satisfied myself on that point. But a successful con man -- and Mr Trump is certainly that -- must have some native intelligence, or at least shrewd cunning (and a low opinion of his fellow man). My instinct is that he is not fully in control of what is happening, that he is riding opportunity as far and fast as he can, at least in part because he doesn't know how to dismount the tiger. He keeps pushing the envelope farther and farther, as if he is asking the country how long he can keep on being so outrageous, how far he can go. I don't feel (I use the term advisedly, I have insufficient evidence to make a satisfactory determination) that things have gone exactly as he intended, in terms of specifics: he wanted the glory and the adulation, but didn't want to be threatened with actually having to make good on his act. I still don't think he really wants the job, but he has in a manner of speaking painted himself into a corner, unless the GOP does initiate a coup and precipitate a constitutional crisis.

Scary either way, because he has tapped into a deep well of rage and fear, and by expressing it, validated it and given the crazies the knowledge that they aren't alone, them and their little militia buddies. And of course, other opportunistic politicians are now more inspired to tap into this wellspring, although it is to the credit (sort of) of many that even they won't stoop so low. In the end, the message matters more than the man, and that message is not without peril to the security of the nation. I have always believed the RW nuts were too cowardly to start anything serious, but the knowledge of their numbers may inspire some intemperate acts down the road. And if Mrs Clinton is elected president, which still seems to be the likely result, will the monster go back to sleep, or will it resort to those 2nd Amendment solutions the more fanatical make noise about? We may doubt that outcome, but I don't think we can disregard it out of hand.

-- Mal

There are a lot of Article XII - state constitutions have them. There has never been a mention of it toward the U.S. Constitution that I am aware of.

Apparently, in some poorly-informed circles, it is acceptable. Which might tell us something more about the circles in which Mr Trump travels.

-- Mal

You know, I think you might be on to something.

how he will lie his way out of that dumb statement?

Guaranteed.

I have blades of grass in my yard smarter than this idiot

It actually does useful things, like remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Unlike the moron Trumpf, which just adds to it.

I won't let it happen again

Which I guess doesn't make him look quite as dumb as the people who claim there isn't one.

I've only heard of I - VII.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/overview

Please quote the first 10 words of Article XII for me.

Article the twelfth... The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html

I would say the U.S. National Archives is a pretty reputable source as well.

Of course, everyone but Trump knows this as the 10th Amendment, but it does say "Article the twelfth", so technically, he's correct.

It is accurate to say that the joint resolution proposing amendments to the constitution refers to the sections of text in the resolution (not the constitution) as "Articles." That is a far cry from the Constitution itself (not a joint resolution suggesting changes to the Constitution) having 12 articles.

When you are Donald Trump, who needs facts?