GOP Plays With 'Crazy Fire' on State Sovereignty

Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s stand against the intrusion of federal power on states’ rights is straight from an 1832 playbook, Ed Kilgore writes for the Democratic Strategist. And the argument John C. Calhoun made then is still wrong. Miffed that the GOP is out of power, Kilgore writes, Perry is “asserting the right to ignore any laws that don’t comport with his own view of ‘the letter and spirit of the US Constitution.’”

Other GOP governors are echoing Perry’s call, which is a bad sign for the union, Kilgore writes. “Any way you slice it, Republicans are playing with some crazy fire.” Nullification is anathema to the very union itself, Kilgore adds. “Given the incredibly unsavory provenance of this ‘idea,’ it’s no surprise that these extremist groups are viewing the ‘movement’ as an enormous vindication of their twisted points of view.” (More nullification stories.)