Presenting the newest wave of nuttiness coming from the secession-minded sovereignty movement:

Republicans push for Minnesota sovereignty Senate Republicans introduced a constitutional amendment Wednesday that would make Minnesota the first state to require a two-thirds majority vote in the legislature to approve federal laws affecting the state. “Minnesotans enjoy inherent, natural, God-given rights,” the bill states, and “Citizens of Minnesota are sovereign individuals, subject to Minnesota law and immune from any federal laws that exceed the federal government’s enumerated constitutional powers.” The bill was introduced by state Sens. Mike Parry of Waseca, Bill Ingebrigtsen of Alexandria, and David Hann of Eden Prairie, and is a companion to a House bill introduced by Reps. Steve Drazkowski of Mazeppa, Bruce Anderson of Buffalo, and Tom Emmer of Delano last month.

At least when so-called "tenthers" claim state sovereignty under the tenth amendment, they have a thin connection to the U.S. Constitution.

But this? This idea -- that State Legislatures have the power to approve acts of Congress -- is absolutely unconstitutional.

In our constitutional system, when Congress passes a bill it goes to the President, who can veto it or sign it into law. If that bill is vetoed, Congress can override the veto. And if the bill becomes law -- either through a presidential signature or a veto override -- it is the law of the land, unless the Federal court system invalidates it.

Anyone who believes state legislatures have the power to approve individual acts of Congress has zero understanding of the U.S. Constitution. This is an idea that could only be embraced by the lunatic fringe, and the fact the state senators who are proposing it belong to the Republican Party underscores the fact that inside the GOP, the lunatic fringe is the new mainstream.