Why do people keep saying the Ludlow Amendment "almost passed" the House?

Don't they understand that it takes a two-thirds majority to amend the Constitution and that a near-majority (the Ludlow amendment was defeated 209-188 in January 1938) is therefore *not* "almost passing"?

(An example of a constitutional amendment that really *did* "almost pass"--the Flag Desecration Amendment in the 109th Congress, when it only failed by one vote to get a two-thirds majority in the Senate. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/27/AR2006062701056.html)

To show I am not attacking straw men (or women), a few examples:

"In January 1938 the House of Representatives almost passed the Ludlow Amendment, which would have required a national plebiscite to authorize a declaration of war." Jeffrey Record, *The Specter of Munich: Reconsidering the Lessons of Appeasing Hitler*, https://books.google.com/books?id=aV0B4_cBkc0C&pg=PA138

"The president's political instincts were on target. Despite his having made no foreign policy proposals, legislators were so nervous about the possibility of the United States being drawn into war that the special-session Congress *almost passed the Ludlow Amendment.* [my emphasis--DT] Representative Louis Ludlow, an Indiana Democrat, had been sponsoring a constitutional amendment that would require a national referendum before Congress could declare war. Senator Gerald Nye introduced a companion measure in the Senate. The Ludlow Amendment was defeated by a slim margin of 209 to 188, illustrating the strength of isolationist forces in Congress and giving a clear sign that the nation was not yet ready for a more active foreign policy." http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/g/gelderman-presidents.html (Of course she had a valid point that a near-majority in favor of the amendment indicated that the isolationists had considerable strength. But one thing it did not indicate is that they had any chance of enacting the amendment, or that it "almost passed.")

"Isolationist sentiment ran so high that the House of Representatives almost passed the Ludlow Amendment..." Marie L. Aquila, *Movies as History: Scenes of America, 1930-1970*, https://books.google.com/books?id=pq5iAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA70

"... a new constitutional amendment curtailing the president's power in foreign affairs almost passed in Congress." Susan Dunn, *1940: FDR, Willkie, Lindbergh, Hitler-the Election Amid the Storm*, https://books.google.com/books?id=nluuyZI68YIC&pg=PA26
 

CalBear

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The vote was actually on a discharge petition, a procedural move to get it out of committee over the objection of the Committee Chairman, not the actual Amendment. As such it would have required only a simple majority.
 
The vote was actually on a discharge petition, a procedural move to get it out of committee over the objection of the Committee Chairman, not the actual Amendment. As such it would have required only a simple majority.

Yes, but the sources I cite always say that the Amendment itself "almost passed." Which it didn't and wouldn't have--even if the discharge petition had been successful.
 
Because a scarily large numbers of educated Americans including journalists and historians don't know how the US Constitution works?
 
Yes, but the sources I cite always say that the Amendment itself "almost passed." Which it didn't and wouldn't have--even if the discharge petition had been successful.

Sloppy writing or narrative. Maybe the writers had a agenda, maybe poor analytic skills, maybe they just wanted to make the article more eye catching. Lots of other reasons.
 
Maybe because people never bother to check on what the actual vote count was? They've always read that it almost passed so that's what they say and so on.
 
Maybe because people never bother to check on what the actual vote count was? They've always read that it almost passed so that's what they say and so on.

Actually, a number of them give the correct numbers, they simply ignore the fact that amending the Constitution requires a two-thirds majority, and that the Amendment therefore came nowhere near passing.
 
Don't they understand that it takes a two-thirds majority to amend the Constitution and that a near-majority (the Ludlow amendment was defeated 209-188 in January 1938) is therefore *not* "almost passing"?https://books.google.com/books?id=nluuyZI68YIC&pg=PA26

Because it is very unusual for a proposed Constitutional amendment even to reach the stage of a vote by the full House, even a procedural vote, and get the support of nearly half the House? Particularly one which in hindsight was so badly conceived?

Did the American Civil War almost break out in 1850?

Did Bonnie Prince Charlie almost overthrow George II?

Did France almost become Protestant?

Did the Mongols almost conquer central Europe?

Did Hannibal almost destroy Rome?

In each case, in retrospect that outcome was nearly impossible. But in each case, what had been unthinkable became seemingly quite plausible at the time. That relatively near approach to actual occurrence is what causes people to say "it almost happened".
 

CalBear

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Because it is very unusual for a proposed Constitutional amendment even to reach the stage of a vote by the full House, even a procedural vote, and get the support of nearly half the House? Particularly one which in hindsight was so badly conceived?

Did the American Civil War almost break out in 1850?

Did Bonnie Prince Charlie almost overthrow George II?

Did France almost become Protestant?

Did the Mongols almost conquer central Europe?

Did Hannibal almost destroy Rome?

In each case, in retrospect that outcome was nearly impossible. But in each case, what had been unthinkable became seemingly quite plausible at the time. That relatively near approach to actual occurrence is what causes people to say "it almost happened".

Ah...

So like how I almost married Carrie Underwood. She did perform just about a mile from my house. I'd call that a relatively near approach.

My entire life story just improved. With some additional review, it will be absolutely kickin'!

:p
 
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