There has been a lot of damage done to the United States Constitution courtesy of the Progressive Movement over the years. The passage of the 17th Amendment alone removed a critical constitutional check-and-balance meant to make sure the rights of the minority were protected, in this case the right of the many States to protect themselves from an over-reaching federal government. So, it is with a wary and suspicious eye that I view the actions of one of the 1990’s most successful Progressive operatives, the now Governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe.
To refresh everyone’s memories, Mr. McAuliffe is not only one of the closest confidants of the former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary “I-Forgot-to-Answer-the-Phone-at-3am-when-Benghazi-Called” Clinton, but, according to DiscoverTheNetworks.org, was:
“…chairman of the Democrat National Committee…He began his career as a financier for the Democrat Party when he worked on the unsuccessful re-election campaign of President Jimmy Carter in 1980. More recently, he developed a reputation as an exceptionally effective fundraiser for the Clinton administration. He raised money not only for both of Bill Clinton’s successful presidential bids, but also for Hillary Clinton’s victorious New York State Senate run. During the Clinton presidency, when the Monica Lewinsky scandal threatened to cause a decline in the President’s war chest, McAuliffe initiated and chaired Clinton’s multimillion-dollar legal defense fund.
“McAuliffe is particularly adept at the raising of soft money – funds that, by endorsing an overall cause or party rather than a specific candidate, are legally permitted to exceed the limits normally placed on contributions to a political campaign. Because they are not bound by such restrictions, soft money contributions are often so large – frequently in excess of $100,000 – that donors naturally expect to receive some form of payback in return for their generosity. McAuliffe’s soft money strategy was responsible for President Clinton’s 1996 scandal concerning the Lincoln Bedroom sleepovers and the White House coffees, two tactics employed to solicit huge donations from wealthy friends and patrons of the Clintons…”
And just this past November, Mr. McAuliffe was elected governor of the State of Virginia. A cursory knowledge of Mr. McAuliffe’s ethically challenged political activity would lead anyone paying attention to expect a great deal of positioning, skullduggery and chicanery, all in the name of political advancement.
It is for this reason that this print edition story by Colin Kennedy of Capitol News Service out of Richmond, Virginia, caught my eye:
“A bill that reflects a nearly 70-year-old tension between two East-Asian countries has pushed the Virginia General Assembly into the middle of an international debate just more than three weeks into session.
“House Bill 11 passed the House Education subcommittee this week, bringing the commonwealth one step closer to requiring its textbooks to note that the Sea of Japan also is known as the East Sea.
“The Embassy of Japan is trying to preserve what it believes to be its historical legacy, fervently contending the issue in the Virginia legislature…
“To push its point, the Embassy of Japan has placed significant pressure on the state and Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who vowed to approve any such proposed legislation during his campaign last year.”
Virginia House Bill 11 accompanies Virginia Senate Bill 2, proposed by McAuliffe compatriot and commiserate, Sen. Dave Marsden (D-Burke).
It is important to note that the United States Constitution reserves the purview of matters of international diplomacy to the federal government via Article I, Section 8, and Article II, Section 2:
Article I, Section 8:
“The Congress shall have Power To…regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;…”
And Article II, Section 2:
“[The President] shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors…”
Nowhere in the United States Constitution does it reserve the power for recognizing international statuses in the name of the United States – or any State enjoined in the Union – to the States authorities, be they of the Legislative or Executive factions.
So, it would seem to be, to anyone with a functioning knowledge of the American system of government, that the issue here isn’t the dispute between the Koreans or the Japanese, but the grotesque over-reach of Virginia’s Legislative and Executive branches in interfering with State Department issues; with federal issues.
The State of Virginia does not have purview over how the United States deals with international diplomacy. Governor McAuliffe and Senator Marsden have no standing to present any authoritative opinion or move any “symbolic” legislative action on the matter. That is reserved for the federal government in the US Constitution.
I would ask this question. How well connected are Senator Marsden and Governor McAuliffe? Because it sure sounds like Mr. Marsden “did a solid” for Gov. McAuliffe in that he allowed him the ability to speak about “signing into law” a symbolic gesture that allows Mr. McAuliffe to encroach onto the national and international stages.
I detect Mr. McAuliffe, through the facilitation of position via his compatriots and commiserates, sniffing around a future federal bid.
Can you say from Governor of Virginia to the White House? One would have to wonder what the Lincoln Bedroom would go for per night with President McAuliffe in the White House!
Frank Salvato is the Executive Director for BasicsProject.org a grassroots, non-partisan, research and education initiative focusing on Constitutional Literacy, and internal and external threats facing Western Civilization. He is featured in Because Our Republic Is Worth It. Mr. Salvato sits on the board of directors for Founders Alliance USA, a solutions-oriented non-profit organization. He also serves as the managing editor for NewMediaJournal.us. Mr. Salvato has appeared on The O’Reilly Factor on FOX News Channel and is a regular guest on talk radio across the country. Mr. Salvato is available for public speaking engagements. He can be contacted at franksalvato@basicsproject.org.