No matter how often Republicans recite the conservative mantra of the Constitution, limited government, individual freedom, private property, traditional values, free enterprise, and a strong national defense, the truth is that they only selectively believe it.
Republicans don’t follow the Constitution in a great many areas. The only limited government they desire is one limited to control by Republicans. They don’t accept the freedom of individuals to do anything that’s peaceful. They don’t believe in the inviolability of private property. They think traditional values should be legislated by government. They don’t yearn for free enterprise in everything. And they confound the idea of national defense with national offense.
It is on this last point that I want to focus on.
The newest edition of “The Freedom Index: A Congressional Scorecard Based on the U.S. Constitution,” has just been published by The New American, where I am a contributing columnist. The index “rates members of Congress based on their adherence to constitutional principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, national sovereignty, and a traditional foreign policy of avoiding foreign entanglements.”
This new edition of The Freedom Index is the third for the 118th Congress, and looks at ten key measures. Scores are derived by dividing a congressman’s constitutional votes by the total number of votes cast and multiplying by 100. So, the higher the score the better.
The average Republican House score was 64 percent. The average Republican Senate score was 52 percent. Only two (Thomas Massie and Warren Davidson) Republican members of the House and one (Rand Paul) of the Senate earned a perfect score of 100. Republican members of Congress can recite their conservative mantra and pass meaningless resolutions condemning socialism all they want, but it won’t give them extra credit to increase their horrible scores. In most college courses, one needs a C or better to receive credit for the course. Congressional Republicans are failures when it comes to constitutional principles.
This is no more evident than when it comes to the subject of war. According to Republican votes in Congress, as relayed by The Freedom Index, House and Senate Republicans—almost to a man—are committed to war.
Con. Res. 38 would direct “the President to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran or any part of its government or military, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force against Iran.” This resolution, which failed by a vote of 212 to 219, was introduced by Rep. Massie, and he was one of only two Republicans who voted yea.
J. Res. 104 would direct “the President to remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military force.” This resolution, which failed by a vote of 47 to 53, was cosponsored by Sen. Paul, and he was the Republican who voted yea.
President Trump’s war against Iran is unconstitutional to say the least. The Constitution delegates the power to declare war to Congress, not to the president. As The Freedom Index points out, just days before the votes on these resolutions, President Trump “had transgressed this congressional power when he initiated a war against Iran without first asking Congress for authorization.” “Every member of Congress—regardless of his position on the war—should have voted for this resolution insisting that the president abide by the Constitution.”
The one thing that congressional Republicans can be counted on to be committed to is war, and especially when a Republican occupies the White House, as we see now and as we saw during the Iraq war when the same lies were uttered by the Bush administration as are being uttered by the Trump administration.
Republicans are incorrigible militarists and warmongers, and not just Republicans in Congress. Fox News, where many congressional Republicans get their opinions, and the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank where many congressional Republicans get their marching orders, are just as committed to war. It is no wonder that so many rank-and-file Republicans support President Trump’s unconstitutional, costly, senseless, unjust, and immoral war in Iran.
