Constitutionalists believe the Constitution is the ultimate law of the land here in the U.S. They are supposedly moral, principled citizens and the truest kinds of patriots.
However, I have never seen a Constitutionalist who is not a hypocrite in some shape or form.
Both sides of the political spectrum say they love the Constitution, but the “Constitutional Conservatives” overshadow all others. They use the Constitution to defend their right-wing opinions and ideologies, no matter how much it actually aligns with what they’re saying.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) took much of the Constitutional conservative spotlight over the recent year during his presidential campaign. He won 11 states in the Republican primaries on the promise of defending and fighting for the Constitution.
Though Cruz may characterize himself as a Constitutionalist, he picks and chooses what he does and doesn’t like from the document. He may support things like the basics of the amendments, but when it gets more in-depth, he turns a blind eye.
When the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, Cruz went on about how we as a country have turned toward “judicial tyranny.” He claimed the ruling class took power away from the states, going against the Constitution.
He only called this particular ruling tyranny because he opposes marriage equality. When dealing with issues concerning religious freedom, he often ignores important parts of the Constitution.
The First Amendment defines a “wall of separation between Church and State.” But while Cruz battles for freedom of religion, he promotes keeping Christianity in public sectors.
Former Republican U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minnesota), Sen. Rand Paul(R-Kentucky) and many others categorize themselves as Constitutional conservatives. Many affiliates of the Tea Party and the GOP believe in the same ideals as Cruz and also have the same blind spots.
While I don’t believe there is anything wrong with sometimes picking and choosing from the Constitution, there is nothing worse than people who act like they are superior because they call themselves Constitutionalists. No one can follow the document’s rules 100 percent of the time.
Including its 27 amendments, the Constitution is composed of more than 7,500 words. It is a long and complicated document, and there are even sections within the Constitution that supercede others.
For instance, the 21st Amendment repeals the 18th Amendment altogether. Even the Constitution is not perfect when providing guidelines for the way people should live.
Though we should take the Constitution into serious consideration in everything we do, we must remember that the nation has grown a lot since it was written.
The Constitution stated that people had rights, but they were not distributed equally. No one has ever perfected the art of staying true to the Constitution, including its writers. Just like the Declaration of Independence said that all men were equal even when there were slaves, the original Constitutionalists did not follow all of their promises either.
Guns are different, civil rights are different and we are different. The Constitution is a guide, but not rule-for-rule law. We have evolved, but the document can only stay the same, with new things occasionally added along the way.
We are growing more modern and more progressive than ever. As we evolve as a country, we need to realize that there is no plausible way for us to follow the Constitution word for word. We should try to stay true to it within reason, but some things are too different now for that to happen.
If you call yourself a Constitutionalist, you are probably a hypocrite, and that’s OK. We all are. No one is as perfect as the Constitution because it is only an ideal — a shot at the American dream aspired to since the beginning of our nation’s history. The Constitution is merely hope, and hope is what we do best.
Lynne Bunch is an 18-year-old mass communication freshman from Terrytown, Louisiana.