Author: Fritz Pettyjohn

George Mason drafted the precursor of the Bill of Rights in 1776.  He fought to include it in the Constitution, and when he failed he refused to sign it.  His efforts convinced the Federalists to support the Bill of Rights, and led to its adoption.

The Reagan Project announces the first two recipients of the George Mason Award:  Hal Wick of South Dakota and Kraig Powell of Utah.  When sufficient funds have been raised, a suitable plaque will be purchased and presented to them.  Future recipients will likely include Gary Banz of Oklahoma, John Overington of West Virginia, and Chris Kapenga of Wisconsin.

Mason was responsible not only for the Bill of Rights.  He also fought for Article V.  He was one of the wisest of the Founding Fathers.

Let us honor him.

Politically, the big news is the Clinton email brouhaha.  This woman is politically inept.  Her arrogance and money grubbing make her an unattractive figure, and if it were not her status as the Great Female Victim her candidacy would be laughable.  But is she really a victim?  Why did she stand by her man?  Was it not greed and ambition?

The odds against a third Obama term were always long.  With no real viable alternative to Hillary the Democrats are in disarray.  Add an election, on November 8, 2016, of delegates to BBA ratification conventions in all 50 states.  Voters, in that election, will be voting yea or nay on a Balanced Budget Amendment, brought to them courtesy of the efforts of Republicans.

This could be more than a landslide.  It could be a dam break.

The biggest news is from Oklahoma, where sponsor Rep.Gary Banz put on a bravura performance in floor debate of an hour or more, resulting in a 53-42 win.  Next to Arizona,  most of us figured our biggest test was Oklahoma, infested with Birchers.  With Dr. Coburn carrying our banner in the Senate, all of a sudden it looks real.

In Idaho HJR 18 was introduced with 35 of the 70 member House as co-sponsors.  The Senate awaits, and the implacable opposition of Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis.  Kasich and his team, especially Dave Luketic, are pulling out all the stops to convince Sen. Crapo to intervene on our behalf.  If that doesn’t work I may fly to Boise in two weeks and make the Senator an offer he can’t refuse.

In South Carolina we passed out of a Judiciary subcommittee 5-0, with both Democrats aboard.  This was the big hurdle, with subcommittee Chairman Bright the key.  Other obstacles may arise, but this was the big one.

We’re poised to pass the West Virginia Senate today, and the skepticism of the Assembly Speaker seems to be waning.  We have a bipartisan supermajority of sponsors in the Assembly, so passage is assured if we get to the floor.  Time is our enemy, with a Saturday adjournment looming.

We’re up in committee in the North Dakota Senate a week from tomorrow.  They’re moseying along in the Peace Garden State, but final passage will just be a formality.

In Wisconsin sponsor Chris Kapenga has emerged as a leader of that legislature.  He just got passed, and got signed into law, his bill making Wisconsin the 25th right to work state.  That task accomplished, he’s ready to turn his considerable energy and skills toward passage of ours.  Last year the mule headed opposition of Senator Glen Grothman beat him.  This dope is now in Congress, where he can’t do much harm, so Chris has a clear field.  On Wisconsin!

Add those states up, and we’re at 32, with Montana, Wyoming and Arizona remaining.  After I see Davis in Boise in a couple weeks I’ll be heading to Laramie, and Wyoming Senate President Phil Nicholas.  I’m going to present him with the opportunity of a lifetime.  If he accepts, and agrees to engineer a special session, on April 12th I’ll be driving to Salem, then up to Olympia, and to Helena to meet Speaker Austin Knudsen and the comely President of the Senate, Debby Barrett.  I’ll present the same offer, and if they accept, and agree to get the votes needed for a special session, I’ll be off to Salt Lake and Phoenix.  I hope to get a one on one with Senate President Andy Biggs.  That would be fun.

If this scenario doesn’t play out, it’s not the end of the world.  There’s always next year.  But we can hang this skin on the wall in a couple months.  The sooner the better, in so many ways.  Everyone is jacked.

I feel like we’re in a boat, stuck in a tidal mudflat.  We’ve seen the incoming tide.  We can feel it now, as the boat begins to rise.  And when we float, we’re free.

Decision time nears in West Virginia and Idaho.  I don’t need to be involved in these or the other five target states, so my involvement shifts from one phase to the next.  I’ll be in Juneau tomorrow night, and meet with Senate President Kevin Meyer Tuesday morning.  If that goes as well as I expect it to, we’ll head up to the third floor and see Gov. Walker and his AG.  If that goes well I intend to go to Colorado and Wyoming later this month, and to Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada in April.  A drive trip.  Nice country, and maybe good weather.  If things look good, in May I’ll probably do North Dakota south to Texas, and over to Louisiana.  Maybe a few other states if necessary.  I have family commitments in June and July, so I want to get this done, the sooner the better.

I feel good about going to Juneau.  It’s been 25 years.

Memories.

It will organize, I believe, along party and regional lines, which largely coincide.  Broadly defined, the Mountain West* will have nine votes and is solidly Republican, except for New Mexico and Colorado, which are split.  Washington can be added to this group, for the purposes of this discussion, and is split as well.  These ten can be the core of a 26 member majority.  They have a great deal in common, and share, to a large extent, a common political culture.  Once they have formed a coalition of sorts, based on common goals and concerns, they can expand to the six borderline Western states** running from North Dakota south to Texas.  If accommodations can be made between these two blocs, which is certainly quite doable, the Western Coalition would have 16 votes.  The solidly Republican South has ten votes***.  What I call coal country, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia, is another group of four.  The upper Midwest****, plus New Hampshire is the final bloc of red states, with five members.

So, the way I see it, the West is in the catbird’s seat, if they can stick together.  I get the impression these people, even the leadership, don’t know each other.  They may get together at ALEC or some other national meeting, but by and large they’re completely focused on their own state, and its people and problems.  That’s the way it was when I was in the Alaska Legislature.  We didn’t care how they did it in the lower 48, and didn’t appreciate any advice from strangers.  A popular bumper sticker back then was “We don’t give a damn how they do it outside.”  We were the Upper One.   I pick up on that same attitude all over the west, in every Capitol I’ve been in.  These are my kind of people.  In order to organize, and take advantage of their numbers, they need to get to know each other.

Maybe I can help.

*Alaska, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.

**North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

***Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

****Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.