alternatehistory.com
Event: The 30th Amendment (2008)
Qilai! Qilai!
A History of Modern China and the World
Event: The 30th Amendment - May 2008
A History of Modern China and the World
Event: The 30th Amendment - May 2008
The last Constitutional Amendment in the U.S. had come in the late 1980s, in which the 29th Amendment was passed, banning lobbyists and other NGOs from interfering in American elections by paying large sums to candidates in exchange for a mutual 'scratching of the back' kind of thing. In 2006, President Trump, coming off of great victory in the 2006 mid-term elections, worked with several Republican and Democratic senators and representatives, and lead the way to the proposal of the Minimum Age for Office Amendment. This amendment would change the Constitutional requirement to hold public office in the United States, allowing for younger voters and politically-minded youth to get involved in their country's politics almost immediately. It would lower the minimum age for the House of Representatives to 18, Governor to 20, Senate to 22, and Presidency to 25. President Trump, a major proponent of the Amendment, spoke that it 'wasn't unexpected that we should give the American youth a chance to speak and lead. The world they've grown up in is a different world than our own. They've been hurt by a war that has killed more people than we have ever seen. Our parents were the last generation to see such horrors unfold as they fought back the Nazis and Fascists. Our children saw our country assaulted with nuclear weapons, and they've got a major threat in the form of the European Commonwealth aiming to undo their democracy and freedom. We can't just let them down, and not let them take the reins at some point.'
The Amendment was reasonable to many, but some, including the perennial 'Congressional Nazi', William Blythe, blasted it as a 'unsanctioned waste of taxpayer time by allowing stupid kids to run for public office'-- the bill was quite popular in most major cities, as younger, aspiring politicians-to-be seemed to be incredibly frantic to see it pass. Trump was very much unaware of the general ramifications that the proposed 30th Amendment would have on the American Party System within the next 12 years, but he stuck to his guns, proclaiming that America was the 'literal land of freedom, if a 18 year old wants to run for Congress, I say we let him or her do it.'
The Amendment passed the House and Senate with ample numbers in between it's proposal in January 2007, and February 2008. It went to the states for ratification in the spring of 2008, with California leading the way, being the first to ratify it. It was followed two days later, by a quick ratification vote by Florida. Governor David Cole, a member of the Republican Party, hailed it as a 'step towards a better America,' and that he 'looked forward to seeing how this would change America.'
Between February 20, 2008 (the day Florida ratified it) and May 18, countless states across the nation voted to ratify it. On May 18th, the last state needed to ratify it into the Constitution voted to ratify, thus making it the 30th Amendment to the United States Constitution. While it was rather too late in the 2008 election for young candidates to pop up en masse, everyone knew that it wouldn't take long before the wheels of politics turned and the Party System fell apart, if only to give way to a new one.
The Amendment was reasonable to many, but some, including the perennial 'Congressional Nazi', William Blythe, blasted it as a 'unsanctioned waste of taxpayer time by allowing stupid kids to run for public office'-- the bill was quite popular in most major cities, as younger, aspiring politicians-to-be seemed to be incredibly frantic to see it pass. Trump was very much unaware of the general ramifications that the proposed 30th Amendment would have on the American Party System within the next 12 years, but he stuck to his guns, proclaiming that America was the 'literal land of freedom, if a 18 year old wants to run for Congress, I say we let him or her do it.'
The Amendment passed the House and Senate with ample numbers in between it's proposal in January 2007, and February 2008. It went to the states for ratification in the spring of 2008, with California leading the way, being the first to ratify it. It was followed two days later, by a quick ratification vote by Florida. Governor David Cole, a member of the Republican Party, hailed it as a 'step towards a better America,' and that he 'looked forward to seeing how this would change America.'
Between February 20, 2008 (the day Florida ratified it) and May 18, countless states across the nation voted to ratify it. On May 18th, the last state needed to ratify it into the Constitution voted to ratify, thus making it the 30th Amendment to the United States Constitution. While it was rather too late in the 2008 election for young candidates to pop up en masse, everyone knew that it wouldn't take long before the wheels of politics turned and the Party System fell apart, if only to give way to a new one.
- Asami
- Word Count: 580