"Nullification" is normally a term that appears in histories of the run-up to the American Civil War.
But when Tim Pawlenty needs the support of the extreme right that now dominates the GOP to keep his presidential hopes alive, anything goes.
So we have this editorial from Britain:
...As I've written before, I suspect that if healthcare passes, several states may well pursue a thing we have over here called "nullification," http://en.wikipedia.org/... by which states can (theoretically) decide, after Washington passes a certain law, that they won't have any part of it. Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-Neptune) have made certain intimations along these lines.
(continued)
And here's Tim Pawlenty:
"Today, more fodder:
Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty said:
"Depending on what the federal government comes out with here, asserting the 10th Amendment may be a viable option," Pawlenty said, when asked about it by a caller on a Republican Governors Association conference call. "But we don't know the details. As one of the other callers said, we can't get the President to outline what he does or doesn't support in any detail. So we'll have to see, I would have to say that it's a possibility."
The Tenth Amendment is the governing clause here, thus giving this movement its name, "tenthers."
There's links in the article to Bachmann/DeMint statements about "nullification."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/...
Since the Civil War, the Tenth Amendment hasn't been used to allow states to nullify the federal government's power to make laws applying to all Americans. But it's a popular meme on the right, and all it would take is one Supreme Court decision (a la the Dred Scott decision) to make that ahistorical interpretation into a political reality. If that happened, the stage would be set for states to cut themselves loose from the union--and we're back in the political climate of the 1850s and 1860s again.
Picture of Bachmann speaking at our latest Minnesota teabagging event here in this link to St. Cloud Times reporting. Note the banners and signs.
http://www.sctimes.com/...
The Washington Post reports on how Republican lawmakers like Bachmann are getting on board the tea bagging thing even though it's being driven by extremists:
The appearances underscore the increasing efforts by conservative Republicans to embrace the anti-Obama protests, even as others remain uncomfortable with the more extreme elements that frequent such gatherings. Some protesters this year have loudly disrupted community meetings, brought guns to Obama events and likened the president to Adolf Hitler.
(continued)
Mark McKinnon, a former adviser to Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and other Republicans, said there is an "opportunity for Republicans" to tap into legitimate fears about an overreaching federal government. But he said that "right-wing nutballs are aligning themselves with these movements" and are dominating media coverage.
"It's bad for Republicans because in the absence of any real leadership, the freaks fill the void and define the party," McKinnon said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
McKinnon's right, and it's refreshing to hear a GOP insider acknowledge what's going on in that party these days. It's not really a new development, though. McCain was almost certainly horrified by the nature of some of the "supporters" who showed up at his own campaign events last year, after Sarah Palin was put on the ticket.
If a leader is defined as "a person with followers," McKinnon is also right when he observes that the GOP representatives in Washington are not "leading" this movement guided by "freaks" and "right wing nutballs." Instead, a growing number of GOP elected officials are trying to surf on top of it. When the rank and file of the Republican Party organize on the basis of lies and conspiracy theories floated by Beck, Limbaugh and Bachmann and the like: what can a Republican politician interested in preserving his career do, but follow the nuts who dominate the party?
McKinnon's observation about Republican leaders embracing the kooks doesn't really apply to Bachmann, though. She's the real deal; a true believer in the kooky conspiracy stuff way before it was cool to embrace that. She was spouting this kind of government conspiracy against liberty stuff even when the country was run by Bush, Cheney and the GOP Congress.
Now the absence of a responsible GOP leadership means that she can reap the political harvest. And she is; she was far ahead of the curve on the current GOP embrace of "the crazy" and the crowds that gather to celebrate it know that.
Action link: Contribute to Bachmann's Dem opponent Tarryl Clark here.
https://services.myngp.com/...