Video: Soldier explains constitutional republic to cheering audience
posted at 8:48 am on July 29, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
Honestly, in almost six years of blogging, rarely have I seen anyone pack as much letter-perfect constitutional instruction as one soldier did at an ObamaCare townhall/protest yesterday in St. Louis. It doesn’t surprise me at all that a young soldier would understand the concepts and the historical context of the Constitution. It surprises me that he has to explain it to the people in Congress:
Actually, since the current generation of Senators and Representatives are too busy to read the legislation in front of them, the need to explain this is sadly, sadly unsurprising. (via lamblock on Twitter)
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Bravo, soldier!
I was struck by his clarity also, Ed. Here’s hoping he runs for Congress soon.
petefrt on July 29, 2009 at 8:52 AM
OH YEAH!
katy the mean old lady on July 29, 2009 at 8:53 AM
Good lord – that young man has a future.
That was magnificent – I damn near cried.
See everyone – we will be ok with young men like this coming along. (he is young man!)
jake-the-goose on July 29, 2009 at 8:53 AM
Excellent!!!
_________________
Thank you for your service!
cmsinaz on July 29, 2009 at 8:53 AM
I second that!
cmsinaz on July 29, 2009 at 8:54 AM
Who do you trust to defend our Constitution?
Wade on July 29, 2009 at 8:55 AM
Juxtapose this soldier’s clear and concise understanding of the Constitution to Conyer’s declaration that no one needs to read all of a Bill (…that thousand pages is just too much to read…) yet, Congress will try to vote it into law anyway and add the details at a later date.
The devil is indeed in the details…
Stick to the Enumerated Powers…and require each paragraph of any Bill to be debated individually on its merits under those same Enumerated Powers on the floor of the House and Senate.
Sure, it’ll slow things down…but slowing things down is exactly what is needed.
coldwarrior on July 29, 2009 at 8:56 AM
This kid nailed it. He’s also going to be the next Joe the Plumber. The MSM will do all they can to discredit him. Op-research wheels are already spinning.
He better grow eyes in the back of his head. He’s got a huge target on his back.
av8tr on July 29, 2009 at 8:56 AM
They are about to interview him on Fox and Friends.
kingsjester on July 29, 2009 at 8:56 AM
I’m betting he gets called to the office for a butt chewing when he gets back to his unit. Someone on our side needs to be watching to see if this guys gets grief from the system for speaking the truth.
MikeA on July 29, 2009 at 8:56 AM
Just let me know where I have to move to so I can vote for him….
apostic on July 29, 2009 at 8:56 AM
If this is any indication on how the upcoming townhalls are going to be, recess will not be fun for the senators and congressmen who dare to walk into this arena.
Fantastic speech.
sherry on July 29, 2009 at 8:56 AM
Nice kid, don’t think he made a great argument. The leg. can make laws re. health care.
JiangxiDad on July 29, 2009 at 8:57 AM
Exactly. The “general welfare” clause is tantamount to an AFTERTHOUGHT in the Constitution. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to read it and its context in the document.
I can’t fathom why our elected representatives and almost half of the American public feel there’s a need for the federal government to rush in and save them from themselves and protect them from cradle to grave.
NickelAndDime on July 29, 2009 at 8:58 AM
This guy is great.
therightwinger on July 29, 2009 at 8:59 AM
There are a lot of talented young men and women who have served over the last few years that need to be recruited for congressional runs in 2010 and beyond.
Bill C on July 29, 2009 at 8:59 AM
Sweet sweet sweetness.
Even if I had stood up there I would have been shakinglike aleafandtalkingsofastnoonecouldundesrtandme.
Kudos for him to be calm, brilliant and spot on in the delivery.
FireFly on July 29, 2009 at 9:00 AM
Wow, a clear, concise guiding principle…I love it…but in Washington, nah.
NickelAndDime on July 29, 2009 at 9:00 AM
Fabulous; had me at the first line.
redfoxbluestate on July 29, 2009 at 9:00 AM
The surest thing in the world is that I would trust that young soldier before I would trust Obama or any Democrat–and almost any Republican–in the legistlature.
_____
RJGatorEsq. on July 29, 2009 at 9:01 AM
My, what a persuasive arguement Jiangxi…you’ve sold me!
NickelAndDime on July 29, 2009 at 9:01 AM
SHOW STOPPER!! This young man is the epitome of what obama will never be.
Ris4victory on July 29, 2009 at 9:02 AM
I watched him this morning on Fox. He does make you feel hopeful about the future. We have a summer intern at work that is conservative. It is nice to see young people not drunk on kool-aid.
TXMomof3 on July 29, 2009 at 9:02 AM
Standard format in the Army…orders start out, “IAW…” that is, “in accordance with” Army Regulation 12345, or General Order 123, or similar.
Why can’t we require Congress to start every Bill, every paragraph of a Bill, with “in accordance with Article I, Section 8, Clause 1, or 5, or 7, whichever, it is proposed that…?”
If they cannot peg a piece of legislation thusly, then it is tossed, tabled, shelved, ignored, prevented from further debate let alone a vote.
coldwarrior on July 29, 2009 at 9:03 AM
“With respect to the words general welfare, I have always regarded them as qualified by the detail of powers connected with them. To take them in a literal and unlimited sense would be a metamorphosis of the Constitution into a character which there is a host of proofs was not contemplated by its creators.”
- James Madison
Godefroi on July 29, 2009 at 9:04 AM
Get his name. Pronto. Draft him for congress. This made my morning. Awesome guy.
promachus on July 29, 2009 at 9:04 AM
We need people like this to run. We need to defend them when they do. We also need to realize that no one is perfect, so when the MSM finds things in their past, we can’t throw them under the bus.
If people weren’t scared of the character destruction, we actually might get some good people in there.
tottoritodd on July 29, 2009 at 9:05 AM
c/mc knew how this meeting was going to go so sent her cronies. How in this whole wide world do people like this get elected???? Someone called in yesterday from chicago to Rush and could not believe what is going on with his chicago thug president. How could you not know how this man feels especially if he is from your town????
Wake the heck up!!!!!!!!! He’s killing us,or trying to but people like this wonderful soldier will keep us going.God help us.
ohiobabe on July 29, 2009 at 9:05 AM
McCaskill didn’t even have the guts to show up at her own townhall meeting! What does that tell you?
I honestly wish more Marines like this genuine hero would start showing their faces and making their voices heard! We need them and we need them now!
pilamaye on July 29, 2009 at 9:05 AM
LOL. Yeah, maybe not my best. I just think that by him saying something like there are only 20 enumerated powers it implies the Congress can do very few things. Clearly, the Congress can do nearly unlimited #’s of things, and legally. Whether or not the partic. HC bill that comes out of Congress ultimately passes judicial muster is another thing.
JiangxiDad on July 29, 2009 at 9:06 AM
The people have been beaten down for 30-40 years, telling us we are selfish, cause of all black misery, responsible for everyone else’s children while the government gives squat to our own. Barrack Obama wanted to ride the guilt train and keep it on the rails. Obamacare and Sargeant Crowley have totally derailed him. These meet and greets used to be full of the inarticulare welfare recipients asking for more. My bet is the 48 percent, who are most of the actual workers in the country, who have reached a breaking point.
tessa on July 29, 2009 at 9:07 AM
Awesome.
It’s getting scary though how often people are needing to instruct elected officials on the basics of the Constitution and of capitalism/economics.
forest on July 29, 2009 at 9:07 AM
OUTSTANDING
bluegrass on July 29, 2009 at 9:09 AM
Any way we can get this video put on a service other than youtube? I’m in China at the moment and would really like to see this.
chinotex on July 29, 2009 at 9:09 AM
Senator McCaskill Responds!!
“The Consti-what?”
mankai on July 29, 2009 at 9:10 AM
Excellent.
eforhan on July 29, 2009 at 9:11 AM
Awesomely awesome!
SomebodyElse on July 29, 2009 at 9:11 AM
‘Whoever The Hell This Guy Is’ 2012!
fivefeetoffury on July 29, 2009 at 9:11 AM
James Madison (1792)
mankai on July 29, 2009 at 9:12 AM
Wow. Thank you for your service. You are the definition of “hero”.
Except question for the libtard trolls……which would you rather hear?
“I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.”
Or
“I’m from the United States Army/Navy/Air Force/Marines/Coast Guard, and I’m here to help.”
It’s sad to say that I would trust my life and my family’s lives to a soldier than I would my own government.
Dr.Cwac.Cwac on July 29, 2009 at 9:12 AM
Screw Joe the Plumber.
Get “Joe” the Soldier.
Dr.Cwac.Cwac on July 29, 2009 at 9:13 AM
This precisely is why we must flood the townhalls during the recess. If we do, ObamaCare is toast.
TXUS on July 29, 2009 at 9:15 AM
The challenge is that there is a line servicemembers (and government employees for that matter) cannot cross. They can participate in political activities as private citizens only.
highhopes on July 29, 2009 at 9:15 AM
Hope he gets lots of exposure. He sounds like he has the intellectual strength and courage to handle it. But we best be on the lookout for character assassination.
petefrt on July 29, 2009 at 9:16 AM
That, my friends, is a PATRIOT.
creatocon on July 29, 2009 at 9:17 AM
It is going to be very interesting the mood in Congress after all the bastards return from their month-long vacation.
highhopes on July 29, 2009 at 9:17 AM
Suppose he could be recruited for a TEMS appearance?
forest on July 29, 2009 at 9:18 AM
Ed, any odds on whether KO names him “The Worst Person in the World” tonight?
A clear, concise and correct argument against this massive federal overreach… the far left is going to try to crucify him!
SailorDave on July 29, 2009 at 9:18 AM
McCaskill wasn’t there, she sent her staff. My what a piece of work she is–and congress too.
TwinkietheKid on July 29, 2009 at 9:19 AM
Reading Is Fundamental
“There should be a law” requiring politicians to pass a test of their knowledge of our Constitution.
maverick muse on July 29, 2009 at 9:19 AM
True, but my question is when does all this entitlement get in our way of “liberty and the pursuit of happiness”, which are far more important than “general welfare”…that’s why people fight and die for them.
At some point, people are going to say “enough is enough, I don’t need you telling me what’s best for me and my family, sapping my paycheck for things I neither need nor want”.
I believe that is precisely what we’re seeing here at town halls and, dare I say, the tea parties. Cracks are forming on the foundation, I hope that the Republic can patch them before the damage is too extensive. Remember this, the American Revolution was not a popular undertaking at the time, revolutions do not require majorities.
NickelAndDime on July 29, 2009 at 9:20 AM
The Senator wasn’t even in attendance to get this message. Great! They can’t read and they don’t show up at a Town Hall Meeting….how do we get representation? We don’t!!!! Vote all the bums out!!!!!!
yoda on July 29, 2009 at 9:20 AM
Where were these people in November? And now that they’re pissed, are they going to vote for more of the same in 2010 and 2012? GOP or Dem, throw the bums out!
hogfat on July 29, 2009 at 9:21 AM
The left and obambie will begin digging in his trashcan in an attempt to destroy him in 3, 2, 1 …
GOD bless this bright, brave young man who is emblematic of the vast majority of our wonderful troops
ReaganConservative3 on July 29, 2009 at 9:22 AM
You know, he kind of sounded like Matt Damon.
/snark
LastRick on July 29, 2009 at 9:22 AM
John Kerry’s pissed that this guy got an education and a rifle.
regal on July 29, 2009 at 9:23 AM
Let’s slow down a bit… we don’t know this guy… who knows what else he believes… I wouldn’t hitch my wagon to anybody until we know more about him.
mankai on July 29, 2009 at 9:23 AM
I’m getting sick of video like this that makes the blogosphere cheer and viewers of FoxNews cheer and Rush Limbaugh listeners cheer, but that the Republican National Committee or Republican Senatorial Committee has no idea what to do with. I’m sure Senator Cornyn thinks Seantor Claire is very sweet.
Marcus on July 29, 2009 at 9:23 AM
I have asked our senators from ohio who would you rather face we,the voter or o and his henchmen? They have to know that if they vote for this debaucle their days are numbered.
Where are the people who say,I don’t care what you give me,I don’t want the perks I will do what my voters want?????This country is against this and to move on as if we don’t exist is dangerous for them!
ohiobabe on July 29, 2009 at 9:24 AM
Somewhere is a father and/or mother who is very, very proud of that man.
Ugly on July 29, 2009 at 9:24 AM
Too bad he’s a murderous soldier
/Fonda
blatantblue on July 29, 2009 at 9:25 AM
Bingo! And insist the bill is read in it’s entirety to the full house, and a vote cannot occur until every member has done so. (medical/family absences excused)
rightside on July 29, 2009 at 9:25 AM
The kid better be ready. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber, it’s that the State Run Media will go to the ends of the earth to find any dirt they can use against him, no matter how insignificant.
They’re probably already talking to the girl whose hair he pulled when they were back in kindergarten.
Vic on July 29, 2009 at 9:25 AM
Voinovich saw the video and only heard “grrrr grrrr”.
forest on July 29, 2009 at 9:26 AM
Yeah right. If you say so.
Not once did he trash this country, blame Bush or the Republicans.
What’s his position on gay marriage? Abortion?
I heard no praise of BO or any comments of how awesome it was to have BO as president.
Not once did he call Palin northern trail trash or point out that Trig should have been aborted.
I also noticed no mention of how crazy the birthers are.
Reciting sentences from a dusty almost 300 year old piece of legislation written by a buch of slave holders is not being a patriot.
Not supporting a president who is a citizen and was elected by 53% of the people is not being a patriot.
jmarcure on July 29, 2009 at 9:26 AM
I almost screamed when I heard Orrin Hatch lauding his bud Teddy Kennedy yet once again and saying “if he was 100%” that healthcare takeover (“reform”) would just be “sailing through”. Gee, thanks, Orrin.
Marcus on July 29, 2009 at 9:27 AM
thinking about
“hLp us John kirry we r Stuk in irak” never faiLs to make me lol
blatantblue on July 29, 2009 at 9:27 AM
We are cheering because we are fans of liberty. Now get back in your cage and wait for your food pellet.
NickelAndDime on July 29, 2009 at 9:27 AM
Do you think he knows who Jenjis Khan is?
/sarc
Dr.Cwac.Cwac on July 29, 2009 at 9:27 AM
A solideeeerrrrrrrrrr ?
blatantblue on July 29, 2009 at 9:28 AM
Rush played a soundbite yesterday of o in 04 saying not to rush bills thru before reading them!!!!! I can stomach alot but hypocrisy is not one of them and he and his cronies are loaded baby.
ohiobabe on July 29, 2009 at 9:28 AM
He also didn’t have a welfare, er, assistance check and a Che shirt either.
Dr.Cwac.Cwac on July 29, 2009 at 9:28 AM
Yep. Now we know that the “H” in Barack H. Obama stands for “Hypocrite”.
Dr.Cwac.Cwac on July 29, 2009 at 9:30 AM
Whoa, sorry marcus, I guess I stopped reading your comment half way through, sorry for the hating. I agree, RNC seems poor at picking up on the passion of the people.
NickelAndDime on July 29, 2009 at 9:30 AM
I was saying the RNC and RSC should take this video and put it in ads, simpleton.
Marcus on July 29, 2009 at 9:31 AM
:)
diogenes on July 29, 2009 at 9:31 AM
sorry back!
Marcus on July 29, 2009 at 9:31 AM
So Marcus,
What would you like to see instead of democracy in action? More shots of the filthy liar defrauding the United States? More rabid liberals whining about the greedy insurance companies? Liberals are by definition selfish bastards which is epitomized by the arrogant narcissitic prick in the White House so since it all about you Marcus… How can we entertain you?
highhopes on July 29, 2009 at 9:32 AM
Understand your sentiment, and agree. My goal (assuming I have any say in the matter anyway) is to wrest control of ALL of our precious institutions back from the liberals– that was their goal going back decades. I’d rather have the existing framework remain intact, just get control back. But in the final analysis, if push comes to shove, and our constitutional representative democratic system has been irreparably hijacked or damaged by those forces which rep. democracies are vulnerable to, we’ll have to scrap it, and it will mean secession and/or civil war. I’d much rather give winning it back a fair shot.
JiangxiDad on July 29, 2009 at 9:32 AM
Good point. I missed the Che thing but are you sure about the welfare thing? I mean lets see the check. Is it really to much to ask to see a readily available document like a check? I’m betting he will claim that it was electronically transferred and a physical check no longer exists.
jmarcure on July 29, 2009 at 9:32 AM
I like “health control”. I think I’m gonna start using that.
Farmer_Joe on July 29, 2009 at 9:32 AM
Absolutely.
ladyingray on July 29, 2009 at 9:32 AM
…BUT BUT…..
hALP MI jOHN kERRY!
soldiers is supposed to be dumb….
//Super Human ultra SARC
-Wasteland Man.
WastelandMan on July 29, 2009 at 9:33 AM
General Welfare Clause
only to be used within Article I Sect.8
Amen.
Consistency matters, Ed.
If one turns to the Constitution to resolve conflicts, as ought be the case always, then be consistent.
Article I matters.
Article II matters.
Being a smorgasbord connoisseur of which Article must be adhered and which Article should be dismissed as irrelevant to American Constitutional Governance is not simply hypocritical, but self defeating as it leaves grounds for dismissing all relevancy.
To assume that only part of the Constitution can be saved or should be saved or should be used is progressive, leading into Socialism that defeats the US Constitution.
Constitutional Selectivity Is Elitist
I would bet that this young American soldier would not discard any Article from the US Constitution, no matter how inconvenient or uncomfortable protecting the Constitution proves to be.
maverick muse on July 29, 2009 at 9:33 AM
The RNC is poor on anything that will win them elections. They are pros at loosing them but winning only happens when people are sick of the dems. Poor way to win if you ask me.
jmarcure on July 29, 2009 at 9:34 AM
Not supporting a president who is a citizen and was elected by 53% of the people is not being a patriot.
jmarcure on July 29, 2009 at 9:26 AM
I thought we heard for the last 8 years how dissent was patriotic?
tessa on July 29, 2009 at 9:34 AM
Obama Health Dictatorship
maverick muse on July 29, 2009 at 9:35 AM
His name is Paul Curtman.
He is NOT a Soldier – and never was.
He’s U.S. Marine.
There is a difference. Calling a Marine a “Soldier” is akin to calling a cop a “fireman”.
They are different animals.
Hopefully Ed will correct this.
HondaV65 on July 29, 2009 at 9:35 AM
Yet an other reason for our political better to not hold unscripted town hall meetings…
tommylotto on July 29, 2009 at 9:35 AM
I heard that and couldn’t believe what he said. I would love someone to challenge him on his own words.
sherry on July 29, 2009 at 9:35 AM
Constitutional Scholars become Presidents—-while those who embrace, protect, and respect it, (the Constitution), become our soldiers.
Rovin on July 29, 2009 at 9:35 AM
Article 1 section 8 and the 10 amendment stopped mattering about 100 years ago. Sad but true.
toliver on July 29, 2009 at 9:37 AM
Considering how the MSM savages anyone that makes even a tiny slight towards BO I would say it was pretty dumb to get videoed reciting constitutional law at a town hall meeting.
I admit he’s got big ones but he just turned on the “enemy of the state” sign that all us the dislike BO carry around.
jmarcure on July 29, 2009 at 9:39 AM
PaCadle on July 29, 2009 at 9:39 AM
hear, hear. Hopefully the process will include a more strict interpretation of Constitutional fundamentals.
Cheers
NickelAndDime on July 29, 2009 at 9:39 AM
Amazing speech. No teleprompter or anything!
JimK on July 29, 2009 at 9:40 AM
Guys like this give tools like me something to look up to and something to model themselves after.
Love them!
blatantblue on July 29, 2009 at 9:41 AM
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