Antifederalists

I sometimes use the term "antifederalist" to describe the modern Republican Party's intense opposition to federal power. It strikes me as a reasonable term. But, of course, it's not the original meaning of that word. Originally an antifederalist was someone who opposed what is now the highly venerable United States Constitution, and preferred to stick with (a possibly amended version of) the Articles of Confederation. But it turns out, that's today's GOP, too. This balanced budget amendment that's making the rounds today includes a supermajority requirement for raising taxes. You know what was one of the very worst things about the government under the Articles? That's right, the supermajority requirement for raising taxes. So these Republicans are literally saying that the single biggest deal that the new constitution made as compared to its predecessor should be rolled back. They are truly the antifederalists. I thought we had gotten over this a few hundred years ago.