Senator Sherwood Brown (D) Ohio, calls for a Suspension of the Rule of Law and Constitutional Rights

image from cfr.org

Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown has revealed either a complete ignorance of the Constitution and the framework of government in America; or he is a lying panderer.  These are not exclusive possibilities.

Senator Brown called for a suspension of law and Constitutional rights.  Moreover, he apparently thought that this could be easily done on a whim. From cleveland.com:

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Sen. Sherrod Brown has joined the call for Gov. John Kasich to suspend Ohio’s open carry law during the Republican National Convention this week.

“I would hope that the governor would listen to the police union and suspend conceal and open carry in Ohio, in Cleveland, during this convention,” Brown said in an appearance in Cincinnati, as reported by BuzzFeed.

“I know the governor could call a hurried special session, get the legislature to Columbus, like, tonight or tomorrow and do this.”

But it becomes clear that either Senator (D) Brown is either ignorant, or simply lying and pandering to the police union:

“Ohio governors do not have the power to arbitrarily suspend federal and state constitutional rights or state laws as suggested. The bonds between our communities and police must be reset and rebuilt, as we’re doing in Ohio, so our communities and officers can be safe.”

Article 1 of the Ohio Constitution specifically limits the right to suspend laws to the legislature: “No power of suspending laws shall ever be exercised, except by the general assembly.”

In a sane society, this gaffe would be enough to insure that Senator (D) Brown, would never hold office again. He took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution from all enemies foreign and domenstic.  Senator Brown is not some minor Senator in the state legislature.  He is a United States Senator, one of only 100 of perhaps the most powerful legislative bodies on the planet.  He is the senior Senator from Ohio, and has powerful positions on many important committees.

The suggestion that the governor suspend law and Constitutional rights on a whim, when there has not been the slightest reason to believe a state of emergency exists, shows that Senator Brown is unfit for office.

Senator Brown was first elected to public office in 1974, just after graduating from Yale.  His entire adult life has been either in public office or, concurrently, in academia.  He is far to the left of center, and is considered on the short list of Hillary Clinton’s picks for the Vice President slot as of July 7th, 2016.

I do not believe that Senator Brown is ignorant of the Constitution. It is much more likely that he regards it as irrelevant or a minor obstacle to be overcome.

This makes him a very dangerous man.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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