Author: Fritz Pettyjohn

George Soros may not have impressed Ellie Hill and two other Democrats in Judiciary, but he got to Democratic Governor Bullock, who put out the word:  no Democrats for HJ 4.  To have any real impact, minority Democrats in the Montana Legislature must have a close working relationship with their Governor.  They weren’t going to turn him down.  Everyone knew we needed Democrat votes.  When it became clear we weren’t going to get any, the Republicans stampeded to the exit.  Why piss off the Birchers in a losing cause?  So we lost, big.

Technically we can still get there this year.  But we’d have to win them all. Rep. Christy Perry in Idaho won’t introduce our bill until she’s got the votes to pass it.  She needs 36, and she’s six short.  Oklahoma is going to be a bear.  If Dr. Coburn pulled out all the stops and whipped the bill, he might get it done this year.  We don’t what he’s willing, and able physically, to do. In Arizona we’ve got a Senate President to roll.  Realistically, we could get to 31 this year, with Wyoming, North Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and South Carolina.

31’s a big number, big enough to be taken seriously.  We’ll have the last six months of this year to work on Idaho, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Virginia.

Virginia might be the key.  The entire legislature is up, including all 40 State Senators, on Nov.3, 2015.  If we can somehow inject the BBA, and Article V, into that election, we might be able to help ourselves.  If we have 31 we’d have to be taken seriously.  Primaries are on June 6th.  The filing deadline is in March.  As soon as the list of candidates is available after the filing deadline, the Reagan Project will mail pledge letters to all Republican candidates.  If we get a case of a contested Republican primary, where we have a pledge signer against a non-signer, we’d do what we could for our guy.  If we had money we’d run ads, or something.

It’s an interesting combo, Soros and the Birchers.  Soros is a piece of work.  The D’s get all wigged out about the Kochs, but at least they’re Americans.  Soros is a Hungarian, or something, and I swear to God it seems to me he wants to tear down this country. Wants to destroy it.  He’s a nut.  Back in the 80’s it was Walter Mondale and Phyllis Schlafly.  Now it’s George Soros and the Birchers.

The quality of our opposition is declining.  There’s hope.

Lost in Montana House 23-77.  Something went wrong.

He was 24 when he passed the Wyoming Bar and got a job as a criminal prosecutor with the DA’s office. A great way to get trial experience, on the taxpayer’s dime.  Two years later he hung up a shingle, starting his own law firm in Laramie.  33 years later he’s one of the top litigators in the State of Wyoming, the kind of lawyer a Fortune 500 company would retain if they needed legal work in Wyoming.  He’s a well respected man, deservedly so.  He’s my kind of guy.

Now he’s President of the State Senate, and has reservations about our bill.  I assume it’s concern about a runaway, though I don’t know that.  (Note the first three letters in “assume”).  His vote killed the CoS bill in Rules last week.  I’m pretty sure I’ve got a commitment from Natelson to accompany me to Cheyenne on Monday.  We’re trying to arrange a meeting with Nicholas before the Senate Rules hearing at noon.  Regardless, I’ve got to believe that Nicholas is the kind of lawyer who would give great weight to the testimony of someone with Natelson’s credentials.  It’s our best shot.  I just have a hard time believing someone as intelligent and accomplished as Nicholas would really buy into the Birch nonsense.

Idaho is a mystery state.  Phone calls and emails are unanswered.  I assume (note 1st 3 letters) it ‘s because Speaker Scott Bedke knows what he’s doing and doesn’t want the bother of explaining it to anybody.  It’s Bedke’s show.  We’re on the sidelines, cheering him on.  That’s the way Rep. Joe Harrison, Master Legislator, did it in Louisiana.  All he did was get unanimous approval in both Houses.

Problems in subcommittee in South Carolina. Iron Man Bill Fruth flew from Salt lake to Atlanta, rented a car, and arrived in Columbia at 4:00 a.m.  He got five minutes before the committee.  I’ll check in with John Steinberger tomorrow to see what’s happening.

Haven’t heard much from West Virginia.  Sponsoring Delegate John Overington is another Hal Wick, been at it 30 years.  Except Hal was always in the majority.  John’s been in the minority the whole time, until this year.  Unless you’ve been there, you have no idea how frustrating it is to be in the minority in a legislature.  I did it for eight years.  30?  Now that’s grit.

The only way I saw anybody accomplish anything much in the minority was by whoring out.  If you’re willing to sell your vote you’ll be given some crumbs.  I didn’t kiss anybody’s ring when I was in the minority. I spent my time trying to figure out how to get the Republicans in the majority.  Then I’d repay all the favors the Democrats did for me.  In spades.  One year I bet my wife $1,000 I was the next Speaker of the House.

She’s still waiting to get paid.

With South Dakota in the bag, and North Dakota a lock, all our western targets* line up, north and south.  From Montana and Idaho on the Canadian border, south through Wyoming and Utah to Arizona on the border with old Mexico.  Kind of a coincidence, but not really.  These are places, and people, that revere the rugged individualism of the hard men and strong women who settled them.  Their descendants live there.  These people are conservatives and libertarians.  Sadly, a small minority of them are a little simple minded, and susceptible to the Birch jive.  They’re not bad people, far from it.  They’re patriots.

In their own demented way.

* I don’t count Oklahoma as western.  I don’t know what the hell it is.

I’ve got a couple things to do tomorrow to keep my mind off the vote in the Montana House.  At 9:00 a.m. AST I’ll testify telephonically in front of the Alaska Senate State Affairs Committee on SJR 21, Sen. Kelly, which would reform the Alaska Judicial Council.  I’ve wanted this bill to pass for forty years.  Sometimes you’ve just got to be patient.  At 4:15 p.m. AST I’ll be on the Glen Biegel Show on KOAN, 1080, Anchorage.

It would be great if I could report to Glen that we passed the Montana House.

Who knows?  That will be decided by the President and Congress who implement the provisions of the Amendment.  It all depends on who they are.  That will be determined by the election of 2016.  Republicans will fight tax increases.  Democrats will fight spending cuts.  Depending on the balance of power in Washington, you will wind up with all spending cuts, all taxes, or a combination of the two.

Last year the Eagle Forum put out a piece attacking us because I acknowledged this political reality publicly, in a meeting with the Utah Legislature’s Conservative Caucus.  They misquote me, claiming I predict tax increases.  I just acknowledged the possibility.  Even that is enough to raise concerns on the hard anti-tax right.

I don’t want any tax increases.  As far as I’m concerned the federal government doesn’t have a revenue problem, it’s got a spending problem.  One of the key decisions the delegates to the Amendment Convention will make is how much leeway to give Congress on the question of tax increases.  Some say there should be a flat prohibition, and without one the Amendment couldn’t be ratified.  Others think such a prohibition would prevent ratification.  The delegates will decide.  They’ll figure out what will work, and what won’t, what can be ratified, and what can’t.

We don’t know what they’ll decide.  They will be serious people.  Every legislature will want to send its best.  We’ll all watch them deliberate, examine their proposal closely, and decide if we can support it.  That’s the system the Framers set up.  Let’s see if it works.  What are we afraid of?

Ourselves?