BEWARE, ULTIMATE POWER GRAB!

Julie Bolejack

— 3 min read
BEWARE, ULTIMATE POWER GRAB!
Photo by Anthony Garand / Unsplash

The Push for a Constitutional Convention: Who, Why, and What They Intend to Do.

What Is a Constitutional Convention?

  • Article V of the U.S. Constitution provides two methods for proposing amendments:
    • Congressional Proposal: 2/3 of both the House and Senate vote to propose an amendment.
    • Convention of States: If 2/3 of state legislatures (34 out of 50) request it, Congress must call a convention to propose amendments.
  • Important: There has never been a successful Article V convention in U.S. history. All 27 existing amendments have come through Congress.
  • An Article V convention could theoretically propose any amendments it wishes, subject to later ratification by 3/4 of states (38 states).

Who Is Organizing the Current Push?

The movement is primarily driven by:

  • Convention of States Project (COS Project): Founded by Mark Meckler (former Tea Party Patriots co-founder).
  • American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC): A corporate-backed conservative organization that writes model bills for Republican state legislatures.
  • Right-wing think tanks like the Heritage Foundation, Federalist Society members, and Koch-funded groups are involved.
  • Prominent Republican politicians (e.g., Ron DeSantis, Greg Abbott, Mike Johnson) support the idea publicly.

Why Are They Pushing for a Convention?

The organizers frame it around “limiting federal power”, but the real aims are broader and more radical:

  • Impose permanent constitutional limits on federal authority, particularly:
    • Require a balanced federal budget (which could gut Social Security, Medicare, education funding, etc.)
    • Impose term limits on Congress and possibly judges.
    • Repeal or weaken existing federal laws by giving states power to overrule federal regulations.
    • Dismantle civil rights protections (e.g., voting rights, environmental laws, worker protections).
    • Potentially redefine the First, Second, and Fourteenth Amendments to suit a far-right agenda.
  • Weaken federal agencies (“deep state” rhetoric), shrink the federal workforce dramatically.
  • Eliminate or cripple regulatory bodies like the EPA, FDA, OSHA.
  • Give states more power over issues like abortion, gun laws, and education.
  • Some hardliners have even floated ideas like ending birthright citizenship, privatizing public lands, or outlawing abortion nationwide.

How Close Are They to Succeeding?

  • As of April 2025, 19 states have formally passed resolutions calling for a Convention of States, largely with the same boilerplate language.
  • They need 34 states to trigger the convention.
  • Many of the resolutions passed in recent years under Republican supermajorities in state legislatures.
  • The 2024 elections made things more volatile: more far-right lawmakers have gained power in statehouses.

Key states like Arizona, Wisconsin, South Carolina, and Montana are constant targets for lobbying.

Important:

  • There are NO established rules for a Constitutional Convention.
  • Nothing in the Constitution says a convention must stick to its original “purpose” — meaning it could “run away” and rewrite vast sections of the Constitution.

Example:

Once convened, they could propose amendments limiting voting rights, free speech, press freedom, or judicial independence — all with no real mechanism to stop them except the ratification process.

Concerns Raised by Legal Experts and Historians

  • No Guardrails: No federal law outlines how delegates would be chosen or constrained.
  • Corporate Influence: Wealthy donors and corporations could heavily influence delegate selection and amendment proposals.
  • Democratic Backsliding: It could open the door to authoritarian changes dressed up as “reforms.”
  • Ratification Risk: While 38 states must ratify amendments, today’s political polarization means very extreme ideas could still clear that threshold, especially with gerrymandered state legislatures.
  • Permanent Damage: Once rights are stripped or structural changes are made (e.g., permanently crippling federal enforcement power), it would be almost impossible to undo.

Summary

Organizers:

  • Conservative activists (Convention of States Project, ALEC, Koch network)
  • Republican-controlled state legislatures
  • Right-wing think tanks and politicians

Goals:

  • Limit federal government power dramatically
  • Reshape the Constitution to entrench conservative, corporate, and nationalist priorities
  • Remove protections and programs seen as “liberal” achievements (civil rights laws, environmental protection, social safety net)

Danger:

  • No rules to stop a radical overhaul
  • High risk of permanently weakening democracy and individual rights
  • Ratification is a hurdle, but not an insurmountable one given state-level control

Stay aware,

Julie Bolejack, MBA

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