Why critics who fear Republicans’ plan to 'rewrite the Constitution' shouldn’t fret just yet

As Donald Trump prepares to take office for the second time next month, Republicans have their eyes set on "a complete rewrite of the Constitution," MSNBC's Hayes Brown submits in a Sunday column.

In 2022, The New York Times reported that Rep. Jody Arrington (R-TX) said, "I think the states are due a convention. It is time to rally the states and rein in Washington responsibly."

Former Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), according to the Times, responded to Arrington's suggestion, saying, "We are very concerned that the Congress, if it becomes Republican, will call a convention. This could gut our Constitution. There needs to be real concern and attention about what they might do. We are putting out the alert."

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Now that Republicans are expected to take the House next month, Democrats are really worried their colleagues' dream will come true.

Brown writes:

At issue is a provision that allows Congress to call for a new convention to propose alterations to the country’s foundational text. But, as The New York Times recently reported, states like California are now racing to rescind their previous calls for a constitutional convention. Their fear is that even a convention called under Trump to deal with a narrow issue, like a balanced budget amendment, would lead to a 'runaway convention' where anything and everything is on the table.

However, Brown submits that Democrats shouldn't worry.

He emphasizes:

With Republicans holding only 28 out of 50 state legislatures, there’s little chance of a GOP-dominated convention’s amendments getting rammed through and approved. Ultimately, while I’m not going to tell any state’s Democrats that it’s unwise to rescind their state’s call for a convention, I think it’s best for now to leave the idea of a backdoor reboot to the country solidly in the realm of political fan fiction.

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Brown's full column is available at this link.