Tom Corbett and the "Living Constitution"

I received two missives from the Corbett for Governor campaign and the PA GOP today - the first decrying "desperate condidates [sic]" the latter using Reagan's "11th Commandment" to to defend Corbett saying "any assertion that he is not a strong defender of the Constitution is simply not ture [sic]."

The comments come in defense of Tom Corbett's statement at the PA Leadership Conference in Harrisburg, and later at an event in Pittsburgh, that he believes the Constitution is a "Living Document".  The phrase "Living Constitution" of course, is one deeply concerning for most conservatives. It originated with Woodrow Wilson, who used it to explain that we should not be constrained by the limits put forth in the Constitution - like checks & balances, separation of powers, federalism, and expressed powers of government.  Wilson argued that the Constitution was "living" - that is, the power of government grows and expands with the changing country and changing economy.

Having heard Corbett's speech, I don't think this quite what he meant by the phrase (though it's hard to say exactly what he meant). But the problem is one of his own making - if Corbett and his staff didn't know that "Living Constitution" wouldn't play out well, they should have noticed the loud murmur through the crowd after he said it.  And if they didn't hear that, maybe they should have noticed reporters on Twitter commenting on the murmur through the crowd.  And if Corbett wasn't able to correct his gaffe on the spot, he should have had time to take the line out before his next speech.

Corbett could have defused the whole situation saying, "hey I misspoke", or "it was a poor word choice" and deny he believes in a Living Constitution, making Rohrer's response seem desperate, rather than calling it desperate without refuting it.

As for the PA GOP and Rob Gleason, they always seem to evoke Reagan's 11th commandment when it suit them - not noting for instance, that Reagan came up with it when he was Governor of California, not when he challenged Gerald Ford.  Indeed, I never heard Gleason express outrage over Corbett's camp calling Sam Rohrer "desperate" and that his support was "contrived".  Nor did Gleason call out former Republican Arlen Specter for attacking Pat Toomey, trying to link him to "Wall Street Greed."

Indeed, it seems the GOP only likes to cry foul when a challenger criticizes their endorsed choice.