Author: Fritz Pettyjohn

Way back in 2012 I thought it was pretty easy to figure out that Romney would win the nomination —  all his competitors had disabling flaws.

Gingrich was crazy, and it was just a matter of time before that was obvious.

Perry wasn’t ready for prime time.

Santorum was a political loser.  You don’t lose reelection to the Senate in a landslide, and then turn around and get elected President.

Cain was a loose cannon — with no experience in office.  In this country, only Generals get a pass on that.

Huntsman was a lib — fuggedaboutit.

Pawlenty was weak.

Bachman was not a stable person.

But in 2014 the field is not so flawed. I like Paul, Jindal, Pence and Kasich — all fully behind the Article V BBA, and all electable.
Cruz, Perry, Walker — they could all win. Bush and Christie will never get nominated — too far left.

The winner will be the one who — What? No one knows. As much as anything I think it will be their public persona, their attitude, just the way they carry themselves. We want a strong, smart, dedicated conservative, but we don’t like anyone who comes on too strong, or too smart, or too dedicated, or too conservative.

Somebody like Reagan.

Are you as frustrated when you hear the news as I am?
I feel I want to be current with what’s happening in the world but the news is so bad.
I feel very helpless and negative when I hear it.
One day I just thought I would try sending up a little prayer. I just stop a moment and ask God to send His healing Divine light of peace on the world this day.
It did help and I feel I am at least sending positive vibrations into that day with God’s Love.
As it helped me I thought I should share it.
Do you want to try it?

Had an Arizona cc today, including Quentin Ferrell, NFIB’s man there. He says he’s pretty sure the R governor candidate, Dusey, can and will be brought aboard. Also, the incoming Speaker is a pledge signer who will be with us. Together, Ferrell thinks the Speaker and the Governor (assuming Dusey wins) can put the squeeze on Senate President Andy Biggs (who will win reelection as Senate President), force him to allow a floor vote.
This will only work if they are both totally on board — committed. They’re using precious political capital, and this is a pretty cerebral cause. What’s in it for them?
Lew Uhler says we should put AZ on the back burner. The only way we may get it is if it’s the 33rd or 34th state, and national public pressure is brought to bear.

That should be one of the main messages for every Republican running for office.
It’s a three – fer.
Illegal immigration.
Islamic terrorism.
Exotic diseases – like ebola.
Securing the border protects us from all three.
It’s a Republican issue that, I bet, 80% of the American people agree with.

So how do we get 38 states to ratify the BBA?
A) Congress lets state legislatures do it (Article V specifically gives Congress the authority to decide which ratification procedure will be followed). But more than 12, as many as 20-23, will be controlled by Democrats. CA, NY, MA, MD, Il, RI, VT, CT, DE are 9 sure no’s. Four more and it’s blocked. Dicey. But in states like WA, OR, MN and others R’s do better in the state legislature than they do statewide. D’s are concentrated in urban areas, where they win overwhelmingly. R’s are spread out in the rest of the state, and win by smaller margins.
B) Congress says each state must have a special ratification convention. This was done with the repeal of prohibition. This is probably the way to go. We lose the advantage we have in the urban/non-urban divide, but the delegates to the convention will have only one question to answer when they seek votes __ ratify or not ratify. Every poll I’ve ever seen says 65% of the people want a BBA. So I say we go for convention ratification.

Early 2015 saw Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, and South Dakota bring the total of Article V Resos to 28. People begin taking it seriously. Then Wisconsin, 29; Kentucky, 30; and South Carolina, 31. Efforts in Arizona, Utah, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Virginia came up short, but a clear path to 34 was visible. The subject was a major issue in the Virginia state legislative election in November, 2015, and when proponents of Article V achieved a majority in that election, it was assured that Virginia would be the 32nd state — two to go.
2015 also saw a spirited, and crowded, field of Republican candidates seeking the nomination of their party. They were all for a balanced budget amendment, with Kasich, Paul, Pence and Jindal all actively endorsing the use of Article V to achieve it. With the Virginia election proving that 34 was within reach, all four of these candidates became active in pushing the Reso in the remaining target states: AZ, UT, ID, OK, WV and VA. A victory early in 2016 in Utah brought the total to 32, and Virginia, in March of 2016, made it 33.
This was now a national news story, promoted heavily by all of the Republican candidates. The MSM was forced to cover the story, and it caught the public’s attention. When Arizona Senate President Andy Biggs was removed from the chair by a legislative coup, staged by proponents of Article V, it was above the fold, leading the news. Passage in Arizona made 34, and the political story became the reaction from Congress. The Chairman of House Judiciary, Bob Goodlatte, was well prepared, and quickly held a committee vote to officially aggregate the 34 Resolutions, named Philadelphia as the site of the Amendment Convention, and July 1, 2016 as the opening date. This was easily passed by the full House, followed by the Senate.
All of these actions were the subject of intense media coverage, and even low information voters began to realize that an actual balanced budget amendment might be passed, without Congress.
Lawsuits were filed by opponents, challenging several State Resolutions as being inadequate. But these were largely made moot by the addition of Idaho and Oklahoma, bringing the total to 36.
In every state the legislature met, to name their delegates, and instruct them. This is a big story in every state in the Union. More drama with the convening of the Convention, and the election of a presiding officer.
As July and August go by, the deliberations of the Convention share center stage with the ongoing Presidential campaigns. The Republican nominee embraced the whole process, and when the Convention passed its proposed Amendment in September, he quickly endorsed it.
My vision doesn’t include the Democratic nominee’s response. I have no idea what they would do. A BBA is supported by 75% of the people, and 65% of Democrats. Could they oppose it? I don’t know.
Needless to say, the BBA has to be a major issue, if not the major issue, of the remaining Presidential campaign. The Republican has a huge advantage. Not just on the BBA, but on Article V, and federalism. People don’t trust the federal government — they want its wings clipped. When they understand Article V gives them power to do it, they’ll embrace it, federalism, and the Republican.
A man can dream.