Center for Public Integrity: How a mock convention is helping fuel a movement to change the Constitution

Stephen Spaulding, head of strategy and external affairs for progressive nonpartisan watchdog group Common Cause, believes the groups were buying influence with those they flew out to the meeting.

“Clearly, the purpose of the event was to prepare people to get comfortable with the wholesale rewrite of the Constitution via a constitutional convention,” Spaulding said. They weren’t just going there to “prepare to take a history exam.” …

Republican skeptics mainly worry that gun rights enumerated in the Second Amendment could come under siege. Democrats are concerned largely about how constitutional tinkering might affect issues like abortion and immigration. This has led to a common agenda opposing a convention among strange bedfellows: progressive groups such as Common Cause and right-wing groups such as the John Birch Society and the late Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Forum. …

Although the mock amendments that Patmon’s fellow attendees ultimately agreed upon have no real-world impact, they still worried critics. Some worry the amendments could give states the ability to just ignore federal laws and Supreme Court rulings if they do not agree. In a memo, Common Cause wrote that the proposed changes also would “drastically alter” the federal government and jeopardize “needed programs,” including Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.