How America Really Feels About the Constitution

The US Constitution is overwhelmingly admired by American voters, but most Democrats believe our national charter is tainted by racism and sexism.

Nearly half---49%---of Democrats believe our Constitution "should be mostly or completely rewritten."

A Rasmussen Reports/Heartland Institute study released yesterday reveals a confused and conflicted culture.

Be informed, not misled.

Rasmussen Reports said this yesterday:

Majorities of every political category – 89% of Republicans, 74% of Democrats, and 80% of independents – have at least a somewhat favorable opinion of the Constitution, although more Republicans (76%) than Democrats (42%) or independents (56%) have a Very Favorable view of the Constitution.

Despite their generally favorable opinion of the Constitution, however, 57% of Democratic voters agree it “is a document rooted in racism,” and 64% think the Constitution ”is a sexist document that gives men advantages over women.” Nearly half (49%) of Democrats believe the Constitution “should be mostly or completely rewritten.” The rest of the electorate overwhelmingly rejects all these statements.

“As Americans, we are fortunate to live in a land where the Constitution ensures the government cannot infringe upon our basic liberties,” said Heartland Institute senior editor Chris Talgo, remarking on the “cognitive dissonance” among some voter groups who “overwhelmingly have favorable opinions in general about the Constitution” while simultaneously believing it is rooted in racism and sexism.

The confusion over whether or not our Constitution still works for America is striking.

An overview of the findings of the new Heartland/Rasmussen survey:

• Sixty percent (60%) of Likely Voters disagree with the statement that the Constitution “is a document rooted in racism,” including 44% who Strongly Disagree. Thirty-five percent (35%) agree that the Constitution is “rooted in racism,” including 15% who Strongly Agree. Eighty-four percent (84%) of Republicans, 38% of Democrats and 60% of independent voters disagree with calling the Constitution a racist document.
• Fifty-six percent (56%) of voters disagree with the statement that the Constitution “is a sexist document that gives men advantages over women,” including 42% who Strongly Disagree. Forty-one percent (41%) agree the Constitution is sexist, including 17% who Strongly Agree. Seventy-seven percent (77%) of Republicans, 33% of Democrats and 59% of independent voters disagree with calling the Constitution a sexy document.
• Voters under 40 are far more critical of the Constitution than older voters. For example, while only 21% of voters 65 and older agree that the Constitution “is a document rooted in racism,” 49% of voters under 40 agree that the Constitution is racist. A majority (51%) of voters under 40 agree that the Constitution “should be mostly or completely rewritten,” a statement with which 57% of voters 40-64 and 68% of those 65 and older Strongly Disagree.
• Women voters are more critical of the Constitution than men, especially on the question of whether the document is sexist, where 49% of women voters but just 31% of men agree.
• Sixty-three percent (63%) of black voters at least somewhat agree that the Constitution “is a document rooted in racism,” a belief shared by just 28% of whites, 43% of Hispanics and 36% of other minorities. Black voters, Hispanics and other minorities are significantly more likely than whites to agree that the Constitution “should be mostly or completely rewritten.”
• Most of President Joe Biden’s strongest supporters are in favor of rewriting the Constitution. Among voters who Strongly Approve of Biden’s job performance as president, 54% at least somewhat agree that the Constitution “should be mostly or completely rewritten.” By contrast, among voters who Strongly Disapprove of Biden’s performance, just 10% agree that the Constitution should be rewritten and 81% Strongly Disagree with rewriting the Constitution.

Heartland Institute research fellow, Donald Kendal, upon completing this indepth survey, said:

“The Constitution has served as the bedrock for liberty in America for more than 230 years, To see these poll results, where half of Democrats want to see the Constitution ‘mostly or completely rewritten,’ is disheartening. President Calvin Coolidge once said, ‘To live under the American Constitution is the greatest political privilege that was ever accorded to the human race.’ It is a shame that half of self-identified Democrats want to throw that privilege away because of their disdain for the current perceived political landscape.”

The birth of our Constitution.

America’s Founders had a providential view of history. They believed in the words of Ben Franklin when he called the Constitutional Convention to prayer in the summer of 1787: 

“That God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings that “except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it” (Psalm 127:1). I firmly believe this, and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel.” 

In what was probably one of his last quotable letters, Ben Franklin told his friend, French scientist Jean-Baptiste LeRoy, in November of 1789, “Our new Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.”

Franklin recognized the vulnerability of our Constitution. And our world.

John Adams, our second president, also saw its vulnerability when he explained, 

"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

Takeaway

God gave birth to America to advance His liberty among the nations. The Founders of this exceptional nation acknowledged God’s hand and gave Him thanks for our growth and success. 

We have advanced due to His goodness and purposes, not our wisdom and abilities. If we reject Him and fail to rely upon Him, this great experiment in liberty will become like the ruins of Babel. 

Let us follow the advice of the President of the Continental Congress and famous Declaration signatory, John Hancock: 

“Let us humbly commit our righteous cause to the great Lord of the Universe ... Let us joyfully leave our concerns in the hands of Him who raises up and puts down the empires and kingdoms of the earth as He pleases.”

God is in control.

Be Informed. Be Vigilant. Be Discerning. Be Engaged. Be Prayerful.