PBS's Bill Moyer's 12/21/07 interview with Sanford Levinson: TRANSCRIPT
TESTIMONY OF SANFORD LEVINSON,
BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE,
JANUARY 27, 2004
Levinson's BLOG
Levinson's book (Aug. '06): Our Undemocratic Constitution
Our Democracy Deficit
Our institutions are not promoting self-government.
The Constitution flaws:
-Presidents who do not win the majority of the popular vote.
-Gives WY the same number of senators as CA, with 70 times the population.
-Enables the president to overrule both houses of Congress simply on political grounds.
-Enables Congress to build a bridge to nowhere.
-Allows Supreme Court justices to serve as long as they want and time their departure to influence their own choice on who succeeds them.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
George Washington himself who wrote that "[t]he warmest friends and the best supporters the Constitution has do not contend that it is free from imperfections." Fortunately, when inevitable imperfections do manifest themselves, "there is a Constitutional door open. The People (for it is with them to Judge) can, as they will have the advantage of experience on their Side, decide with as much propriety on the alterations and amendment which are necessary." Should the point not already be clear enough, Washington went on to say that "I do not think we are more inspired, have more wisdom, or possess more virtue, than those who will come after us."
