Month: February 2016

There’s one issue they all agree on, left and right.  And it’s an issue they all feel passionately about.  Clive Bundy at one end, and the environmentalists at the other.  They want the federal government the hell out of Nevada.

You can guess why Clive wants it.  The environmentalists, which, in this case, represents the vast majority of the population, have had the federal government try to shove a nuclear waste disposal facility down their throats for the last decade or more.  If they get title to that land, that waste site will never be used.

Ted Cruz  — federalist, and environmentalist.

Up to now, the best thing I ever did in politics was work for Reagan, in ’76 and ’80.  I was a sergeant in the Reagan Revolution.  What’s going on with Cruz is even better.

I’ll be doing an article on Cruz called, A Man and a Moment.  The moment was October of 2013.  I’ve written any number of times about the political significance of the Obamacare website fiasco.  It was a tipping point, and, partly by happenstance, Ted Cruz was in a position to take maximum advantage.  Because he’s smart and fearless, that’s exactly what he did.  And he kept it up, because he’s tenacious.  Today he is reaping his reward.

I’ll be chipping in on the Alaska caucuses.  With his stance on federal lands transfers, it should be a slam dunk for Cruz.  Properly exploited, it should also win Idaho, Wyoming and Utah.  It will be a major help in Montana, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico, and a big plus in the eastern parts of Washington, Oregon and California.  It’s just a great issue, politically. And on the merits, it’s even better.

Babbie and I made a lot of money in Alaska, enough for us to move back to California fifteen years ago.  I feel like I owe Alaska.  If Cruz is elected, and manages to get all that federal land into the hands of the people of Alaska, I will have discharged my obligation.

Uncle Fritz would be proud of me.

 

Unless a state senate seat opens up, Gary Banz is in his last year as a legislator.  Term limits.  But he’s set to go out with a bang.  After years of trying, it looks as though all the ducks are in a row.  In Oklahoma, unlike some other states, our forces, led by Gary, have been able to work cooperatively with the Convention of States (CoS) advocates.  For us, this is especially important in Oklahoma, since retired Sen. Tom Coburn is a major force, and he’s all in on CoS.  The Resolution which is set to pass is a dual one, and will count as a state for both teams.  We’ve been stuck on 27 since South Dakota last year.  28 just sounds better than 27.   It could happen in a couple weeks.  Barring a last minute problem.

Our man Rep. Bob Thorpe lost a floor vote, but reconsidered and will get another shot next week.  He’s pretty confident he’ll get the votes.  Then on to the Senate and certain death at the hand of Andy Biggs.   But winning the House is important.  Once we’re at 32 or 33, we will be calling upon Gov. Ducey to call a special session.  It’s much easier for him to do that, politically, if the House is once again on record in favor of the bill.  Admiral Bill Owens is close to Ducey, and will make the request when and if the time comes.

South Carolina Senate President Hugh Leatherman has shut down the legislature until he gets a gas tax.  Somebody ought to do a documentary about this guy.  He’s ruled the Senate like a king for God knows how long now.  They don’t adjourn until June, so we’ll be observers for a while, just like everybody else.  The State Treasurer is a friend of our man John Steinberger, and a big fan of Article V.  He’s our ticket to Gov. Haley.  Like Arizona, South Carolina may require a special session.

Wyoming Rep. Dan Laursen says we should be OK on second and third readings.  Apparently we’ve been generating a bunch of emails, and some of the members are sick of it.  Final floor vote Monday.  Son Brendan will be trying to generate calls to Nicholas’ office from his district.  He’ll be working off a list of pre-identified BBA supporters.  I’m working various angles.  I’m hoping Jim Magagna, executive VP of the Wyoming Stock Grower’s Association will be able to help.  McIlvain introduced me to him.  Really good guy.

Fruth will be in  Richmond Monday and Tuesday, trying to turn seven state senators. Biddulph calls him “The Closer” for his ability to make the sale.  If he pulls this off we’ll have to come up with another name.  Like Killer Bill.

I finally heard back from Semprevivo.  He emailed me a link describing a new TV ad that’s up for Cruz in Nevada.  All about getting the land of Nevada back to the people of Nevada.  He’ll work night and day for it.  Just what I was pitching in Wyoming.  This will be very helpful in getting to Nicholas.  Thank you, Joseph.  The same ad will play well all across the West.  This is going to work for Cruz, because when he says he’s going to do this, you believe him, because it’s a natural result of his view of the Constitution.  Federalism, baby.

Alaska has it’s caucuses and straw poll on Super Tuesday.  I talked to the chair of Cruz’s campaign in Alaska, Judy Eledge.  The other co-chair, Bill Keller is on a plane to Hawaii.  The Cruz campaign is sending someone up after Nevada.  This is a state Cruz should win easily, especially now that he’s come out with that Nevada ad.  In Alaska, that ad is gold.  I offered to help, and we’ll see.

I came up with the straw poll in ’96.  It gave Pat Buchanan an early pop.One of these days I’m going to run into Pat Buchanan, and he’s going to buy me a beer.

I felt good when In saw that ad Semprevivo emailed me.  Real good.

That’s what’s up in West Virginia on Saturday.  A house subcommittee will consider three bills:  the BBA, the Compact, and the Convention of States.  Our bill is HCR 36.  We believe only one will make it out  Here is the contact info on the subcommittee members:

Roger Hanshaw 304-340-3135  roger.hanshaw@wvhouse.gov

Patrick Lane        304-340-3252 patrick.lane@wvhouse.gov

Steve Shaffer       304-340-3160 steve.shaffer@wvhouse.gov

I’ve discussed the Compact before.  It’s the product of a bunch of deep thinking think tankers trying to create a complicated way for 38 states to agree, in advance, on the exact language of a Balanced Budget Amendment.  It’s something that might be worth looking at in a couple of years if the Task Force can’t get to 34.  Right now it’s a nuisance, and I doubt will be seriously considered.

The real competition is with the Convention of States (CoS) proposal, which would allow an Amendment Convention to propose multiple amendments, on topics ranging from the BBA, to term limits, and to any Amendment which reduced the power and scope of the federal government.  It’s actually the kind of Convention which could do the most good, which is why I testified strongly in its favor in front of the Montana Senate Judiciary Committee.  However it has numerous political drawbacks, which makes getting it passed extremely difficult.

First and foremost it includes Congressional term limits.  I’m all in on an Article V amendment for Congressional term limits.  In the Alaska House, in 1989, I sponsored the first such Article V Resolution in the country, at least that I’m aware of. But it’s not popular in state legislatures, surprisingly enough.  I liked it because I wanted to open up a seat to run for.  But in places like Wyoming they hate it. They’ve got Enzi and Barrasso in the Senate, and they don’t want to lose them.  They’re the smallest state and they want seniority in their delegation.  So the CoS is dead in Wyoming, and a lot of other places.

By its nature, CoS encourages talk of a runaway convention.  There would be nothing to prevent a CoS Convention from staying in session for months, even years, as it proposed a whole series of Amendments.  To me, that’s a feature, not a bug, but most people don’t look at it that way.  For if that were to happen, it would be more than just an ad hoc Convention.  It would become an institution, albeit a temporary one, which rivaled Congress in its ability to drive the national agenda.  Again, to me, that’s a feature, not a bug, but I’m in the minority.  That kind of talk scares people.

Guldenschuh and I were on a Heartland Institute cc with Mike Ferris today.  Mike and Mark Meckler are the guys behind CoS.  We all had a good talk.  Mike actually testified in favor of our bill before the Virginia House Committee.  Mike also said that we would prevail in any litigation which resulted from Congress aggregating various State Resolutions which had legal imperfections.   The courts would stay out of that fight, deeming it a “political” question, and therefor not justiciable.  Mike even said he’d volunteer his considerable legal skills to our defense.

To me, the best reason to support a BBA over CoS is that we’re a whole lot closer than they are, and they’re still picking the hanging fruit.  We can get there.  The only way they can get there is to follow our lead, let us break down the Article V barrier, have a successful Amendment Convention, and prove all the runaway talk is nonsense.  Then, and only then, will CoS get to 34.

If you have the time, please consider calling or emailing the Delegates listed above, and asking them to support HCR 36.

AT Editor Thomas Lifson declined to publish my piece on Scalia’s death, for which I thank him.  The furor of conspiracy talk is dying down, and let’s let sleeping dogs rest.  The best thing to do with Michael Savage is to ignore him.

We passed on first reading in the Wyoming House, 32-28.  We still have to go through second and third readings.  Last year we won 44-16.  We’ve lost twelve votes, and can only lose one more.  Second reading tomorrow, third reading on Monday.  Work to do.

We lost people like Rep. Mark Jennings, who switched his vote in Committee on Monday.  He had no rational reason to vote no, and he knew it.  He was caving to political pressure from the John Birch Society, which is surprisingly still strong in Wyoming.  They call these guys and threaten to primary them, and they cave.  To be polite about it, they lack courage.  The Task Force tries to counter with generating  calls of support from their districts, with limited success.  We just don’t have the resources.

Bill McIlvain will be hard at it in the Capitol the next few days.  If I’m half the man he is when I’m his age I’ll be a happy camper.

 

On the drive home from the airport Tuesday I heard professional jerk Michael Savage wildly speculating about a conspiracy involving Scalia’s death.  Now I read that Trump was on this show yesterday, and joined in the fun.  What a couple of idiots. I did a quick piece for AT this morning on this subject.  I think there’s a better possibility of suicide than murder, and it may have been done in cooperation with his physician and with the knowledge of his family.

My article on Cruz and a Supreme Court strategy is up at AT.  Here’s the link.

Bill McIlvain informs me that the sixth grader who attended the Committee meeting in Cheyenne is named Aileen McGahuy.  I’m going to send her a formal letter of thanks.