Perry is such a lunatic he makes Bachmann seem merely crazy (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)



Perry is such a lunatic he makes Bachmann seem merely crazy (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)



ANDREW ROMANO: Let’s talk about some Constitutional issues, which take up a large part of your book. In the book, you argue against the 17th Amendment, which allowed the people to elect their senators directly instead of letting their state legislatures do it for them. This has become a big Tea Party talking point, but I’m not sure I understand the logic behind it. You say that by allowing people to elect their own senators, “the states have handed over a significant chunk of their sovereignty to the federal government.” But wouldn’t we be less free, and the country less democratic, if we didn’t have a say in who was representing us in Washington? RICK PERRY: Stand by just a second. [30 seconds of silence.] OK, I’m back with you. I apologize. I’m sorry, I got distracted when you were talking. I think the issue is about consolidating the power in Washington, D.C. The 17th Amendment is one of those where they were making... the states were historically more in control when they decided who those senators were going to be. They took the states out of the process at that particular point in time. So that’s the... uh... the historic concept of checks and balances, when you had the concept of the federal government and the states. The 17th Amendment is when the states started getting out of balance with the federal government, is my belief.

Okay, this is just raw, unfiltered insanity:

So...giving the people of a state the right to directly elect their U.S. Senator deprived state legislatures of their freedom? WTF? I mean, freedom is great and all, but isn't freedom supposed to be for people? Or are state legislatures people too? And even if they were people, shouldn't all the people have a right to choose their elected officials?

It's such a truckload of craziness that I think even Michele Bachmann's head would be spinning. But I can tell you at least one person that I think just might agree with Rick Perry's idea: Rod Blagojevich. He's a firm believer in state's rights, you know.