Miscellaneous

Bill McIlvain is on board in Wyoming.  This is big.  He was Speaker 25 years ago, and has already recruited Reps. Nathan Winters and Kendell Kroeker.  And, of utmost importance, Eli Bebout, the highly influential Senate Majority Leader.  He’s going to call WY Secretary of State Ed Murray and Sen. Mike Enzi, Chair of the Senate Budget Committee.  He’ll be getting together with Tyler and Dan to work on strategy.

Bill is married to Kevin Lundberg’s aunt, which is how we got to him.  Kevin volunteered to help in Wyoming, and did he ever come through.  Bill’s 82, and a registered lobbyist.  He’s plenty sharp, and seems excited about our cause.  The more he learns about it the more he’ll like it.

Several people told me that Bebout was the guy you had to get to in Wyoming.  I never figured a way to get to him, except by asking Kevin.  Thanks to Kevin we got to Bill.  And Bill got Bebout.

And Bebout can get us Wyoming.

They sold some property and are “loaning” the proceeds to the cause.  A substantial amount of money.  Enough to do enough, maybe.  I hope, and believe, that their generosity and patriotism will be rewarded with the recognition it deserves.  For that to happen we have to win.

Full speed ahead on the robocall project.  Dave’s in charge, though we’ll all pitch in.  His pro tells him the caller, whoever we decide on, should only give a 30 second intro  — then the program kicks in.  In Wyoming I think Sen. Barasso would be best, in Montana Sen. Daines.  Unless Palin, if we can get her, would be better than both of them.  I’ll check with Matthew and Tyler.

It’s not a lot to ask, cutting a 30 second tape.  The downside is some people get pissed at anyone making a robocall.  The upside is you’re associating yourself with a very important and popular issue.  The fact that it could be the salvation of this country should be a factor in favor, as well.

You’d think.

Dave and Susie’s contribution means that Typhoon Lou will be available to work with me in the mountain states.  He’s an old fashioned rabble rouser who relates well with the regular folks  — Tea Party people.  He’s a bundle of energy who will track down every Tea Party sympathizer in the states of Montana and Wyoming.

And then convert them to the cause.

Sponsor Matthew Monforton may be a freshman, but he’s no shrinking violet backbencher.  He’s suing the State of Montana on behalf of the Republican Party, seeking to overturn the current primary voting law, which allows any voter, however registered, to vote for any candidate.  The Central Committee voted to join his suit just yesterday, so he’s been busy.  The Constitution’s guarantee of the freedom of association means he should win, by the way.

He tells me it’ll be a fight every step of the way, in the Judiciary Committee, on the House floor, and the same in the Senate.  Judiciary is chaired by Jerry Bennett of Libby, which is nestled in the most northwest corner of the state  — the part of Montana with the strongest Birch presence.  12 R’s, 9 D’s, so we can only lose one R vote in committee, assuming unanimous D opposition.  Montana’s a big, rural state, and committee members come from all over the place, towns like Box Elder, Havre, Hamilton and Sun River.

On the bright side we’re confident we’ll have the strong support of Speaker Austin Knudsen, a former student of Rob Natelson, and a big fan of his.  Natelson’s visit to Helena should motivate Knudsen to do what he can for us.  Depending on how much he wants this bill, that can be a lot.

We’ve got to do the robocalls I’ve described earlier in Montana.  I don’t know media markets in Montana, but I’ve spent a whole lot of time in the state, and know it’s all spread out, and thinly populated.  But everybody’s got a phone, and a call from Matthew, Kasich, or Palin may get more attention in Montana City or Joliet than it would get in a metropolitan area.

A House district in Montana has around 7,000 registered voters.  Get half a dozen calls from back home, and your ears perk up.

I may be in Helena for a while.

Kasich will get some on Fox News’ Special Report, with Brett Baier, this coming week.  They’re profiling potential Presidential Candidates.  I’ve seen Jindal and, a couple days ago, Perry.  I’ll bet the farm that Kasich comes on strong on the BBA campaign he’s launching.  This will be good.

Special Report is the only TV I watch, other than sports and the weather.  I like Baier, and the panel has Krauthammer, who’s always interesting.  It’s by far the best show on Fox News, and the most highly watched, after O’Reilly.  I’m pretty sure Article V, and the push for a BBA, have never been mentioned, so Kasich’s appearance gets our foot in the door.  At least Baier and his producers will be aware of what Kasich, and we, are doing.

So when we get our 25th (probably South Dakota*) and our 26th (probably West Virginia**) and our 27th (Wyoming?) these people will be vaguely aware of what’s going on .  Hopefully Jim Lynch, Kasich’s press guy, is calling their attention to it.  So when we get our 28th (Idaho?) in late March maybe these guys at Fox will think, Gee, maybe this drive to 34 is news.  Maybe a one minute bit could be devoted to every new state we get.  Maybe viewers would be interested in the state by state progress of this unique movement.

I can dream.

More free media is available on the Op-ed page of the Wall Street Journal or Washington Post.  If, and when, I get through to Palin I may suggest she submit a piece.  I’d do a draft for her.  It would be my very best work, eminently suitable for the editorial page of the WSJ or WaPo.  She can add whatever personal touches she wants.  I don’t care about the byline, it could include my name or not.  She may or may not be interested.  But this campaign for a BBA is perfect for her.  She won’t be involved in any of the Presidential campaigns, so she’ll have a low public profile for the next year or more.  This puts her in the middle of a popular and consequential movement.

How could she say no?

*Thanks Hal Wick

**Thanks John Overington

Dave Biddulph told us about robocall technology that asks a question, “Do you support a bill in the legislature that would result in a Balanced Budget Amendment for the Federal Government?”  If yes, they’re asked, “Would you be willing to express your opinion on this issue to your elected Representative in Cheyenne?”  If yes, they’re told that if they keep their line open, they will automatically be patched in to their legislator’s office, where they can leave a message identifying themselves and voicing support for our bill.

This would work in Wyoming.  The voice will be Tyler Lindholm’s, or possibly Dan Laursen’s.  The call starts, “Hi, I’m Representative Tyler Lindholm calling you from Cheyenne.  I’m trying to pass legislation which would force the federal government, though a constitutional amendment, to balance it’s budget.”  Etc.

We gotta do this.

We heard Wednesday that FreedomWorks was on board.  Today Dave says we’ve got the Tea Party Express.  We’ll see what good they do.  The Tea Party has helped a great deal in places like Ohio.  In a state where we’ve got Birch/Eagle problems a Tea Party rally on the Capitol steps would help, I think.  We have to be careful not to be identified as a Tea Party project, of course.  If, as seems likely, Gov.Kasich becomes, in a sense, the public face of the BBA movement, that danger diminishes.

The Saudis are at it again, just like in the 80’s, flooding the market.  Spot price back then got down to $8.  Reagan cut a deal with the Saudis even before he was sworn in.  They got AWACS planes, and we got to see the Soviet economy starved of hard currency.

Reagan knew how to make a deal.