Miscellaneous

Georgia passed our Reso, along with a Delegation Limitation Act.  We’re finally up to 21.  Our main man, Sen. Bill Cowsert, came through.  Thank God.  After an unexpected loss in SD, I think we all needed this win.  It should encourage our sponsors and supporters all over the country.

I think I’ve mentioned wondering about LA.  They don’t go into session until 3-31, so what, me worry?

Not to whine, but sending out these pledge letters is a pain in the butt.  96 to KY House candidates, 195 to WV House and Senate.  It’s more work than I want.  I’ll do OR, ME, WA, and MN, but to go beyond that, I’m going to have to get help.  I need to reach out to local Tea Party people to do some of the grunt stuff.  I definitely want to do MT, WY and ND.  A lot will depend on how many pledge cards are returned.  Here’s hoping.

Talking to my wife, Babbie, brings a different perspective.  She and her friends think the Tea Party is yukkie.  What I’m doing with the task force is fine, as long as it’s not a Tea Party thing.  This is important and I hadn’t really thought it through.  We want all the Tea Party support we can get, but it’s important to maintain a separate identity.  This is going to be something I’ll be sure and keep in mind, moving forward.

Talked today with our WV sponsor, Delegate John Overington.  Talk about a soldier.  Back in ’84 he saw the Lew Uhler Article V BBA campaign at 32 states, with his own WV not among them.  So he ran for the legislature to push it, only to be thwarted by the only pork king in Congress bigger than Alaska’s beloved Ted Stevens:  Robert Byrd.  We won’t get WV until 2016 — we’re outgunned 27 to 10 in the Senate.  But he’s game.  I’m thinking that by 2016 we’ll be on our second Article V campaign — most probably for Congressional term limits.  So it’s worth working WV.  By Monday at the latest I’ll send my Reagan Project letter to every R running for the legislature this year.  John wants me to send letters to D’s, but I’m not going to do it.  We want Republican majorities, then we reach out to D’s.  The letter will also go to all R Kentucky State House candidates.  I’ll include a copy of Rep. DeCesare’s Reso, which, if nothing else, will ingratiate me with him.  Depending on how many pledges we get back, we’ll see where we go with the letter campaign.

Speaking of an Article V term limits movement, it’s what I’ve wanted to do since I “discovered” Article V 30 years ago.  In ’89 I introduced HJR 54 to do just that.  It got nowhere.  The people with money in the term limits movement went with a different strategy, which was declared unconstitutional in a 5-4 decision.  They should have listened to me.  Oh, well.  In involving myself with the Task Force, I’m making contacts, and developing personal relationships, which will be invaluable when we launch the second round of Article V.  I have very good personal rapport developed in SD, ID, UT, OK, OR, NM, CO, AK, ME, KY, LA, and WV,.  I’m actively working on developing rapport in AZ, MN, WA and GA.  This summer I’ll be working ND, WY and MT.  I know people in WI, TN, OH, and SC.  In other words, I’m in a hell of a lot better shape than I was when I was in the AK legislature 25 years ago when I got this idea.  If we pull off the BBA, I will be part of the leadership of a new, Article V, term limits campaign.  In the next couple years all I need to do is find some $.  I should be able to do that.  I’ll get Grover Norquist to help me figure that part out.

Put “Term Limits” on my tombstone.  I’ll settle for that.

We’re out of committee, and on to the House floor in GA.  Looking good.  We’ve already passed the Senate, so we expect a win.

We go to the House floor in WI soon, with enough cosponsors to assure passage.  The Senate will be a fight.  We need Gov. Walker and Sen. Johnson to step up.  Our sponsor, Chris Kapenga, is plenty savvy, but I wish I could talk to him about his plans in the Senate.  I’ll reach out.

We’re trying to put a little pressure on SC Senate Finance Chair Leatherman, who’s holding the bill.  He’s a Chamber of Commerce Republic an, so I think we’ll get to him.  There are tons of reasons a Committee Chairman will hold a bill.  You’ve got to be on the ground to really know what’s happening.  SC should be OK.

Tennessee is a state we are pretty confident about, though I don’t know the particulars of that situation.

I’ll be in Salt Lake to testify next week.  If we get out of committee it’s straight to the House floor.  The Speaker’s with us, as is the Senate President.  Our new sponsor, Rep. Kraig Powell, is quite diligent and earnest.  Our former sponsor, Rep. Ken Ivory, is on the committee, so he’ll be a help.  His district is swarming with Birchers so he let Powell, from a moderate district, take the ball.  Our group doesn’t think we’ve got a shot in Utah without grass roots support, which it’s too late to organize.  I hope they’re wrong.  There are three hard core R’s from rural areas on  the committee that are my target.  I hope they listen .

Idaho is a bit of a mystery.  Our sponsor, Sen. Hagedorn , seem s bright and savvy enough, but is he following through?  He doesn’t communicate.

The guys in Michigan  keep telling us any day now, they’ll be the 21st.  They’re not lying.

I’ve got to find out about AZ and LA.  I’ll talk to Scott, see what he knows.

In OK, Sen. Coburn is going to get us through, I’m betting.

I’ve been with the Task Force for three months now, and progress is being made.  But we’re not as well organized as we will be when I’m even more involved.  Momentum is on our side.  Events are breaking for us.  Our arguments are overwhelming.

You gotta believe.

We lost South Dakota.  Bad stuff.  I guess there’s some Bircher or Eagle Forum people who hang around Pierre during the session, and they worked this really hard.  We think we’ve learned our lesson.  We’ll get SD next year. 

This means we can’t run the table this year.  We’ll be at it in 2015, maybe even 2016.  That’s OK.  In some ways it’s good.  If we’re battling for our 34th state in the spring of 2016 it will coincide quite nicely with the presidential primaries.  I bet we get virtually all the Republican candidates to support us.  Some, like Kasich or Paul, will be smart enough to make their support of Article V a big part of their campaign.  The Democrats will oppose it, of course — to their cost.  If enough people start understanding the role of Article V in our constitutional system, this will generate support for the Republican.  If the R wins in November of 2016 it will be, in part, an endorsement by the electorate of Article V. 

I would, of course, like to see an R in the White House, and the Senate controlled by R’s.  But it’s secondary to the main goal — a Convention of States.  But if the President and both Houses of Congress want Article V to happen, it will make our job easier.

I’ve been expecting this.  There was no way we are going to run the table.  We’re not well enough organized, and we have very little money.  With Dr. Coburn on board I think we’ll get the money, especially if we get to 30, or close.  And we’ll have all summer to plan the 2015 campaign.  We’ll rally the Tea Party.  I’ll be doing talk radio.  We’ll be trying to inject Article V into state legislative races.  There’s a whole lot of things we can do.  Right now, we’re doing things kind of half assed.  That can change.  It will change.  I’ve been involved with the BBA Task Force for three months.  I’ve become the idea guy.  I understand politics, and how state legislatures work, far more than anyone else on the team.  I don’t want any title or leadership responsibilities.  I like the way we work right now.  Wouldn’t change a thing.  But these guys are going to start listening to me more, and more.  I’m persuasive.  Things still look good.

Rep. Powell (UT) says he wants me to come to Salt Lake on 2-26 to testify at a hearing, something I haven’t done in 25 years.  It’ll be fun, if it al works out.  As long as I can keep myself from being overbearing, I’ll be good.

I hate to admit it, but I’ll probably be a little nervous.   Good God, a blushing 68 year old.

Big day, maybe.  Dave Biddulph sent me an article about Dr. Coburn in which he stated that he now intends to devote himself to Article V.  He’s quoted as wanting to promote “the Convention of States.”  Hopefully this does not refer to our rival organization.  When I read it I called Dave and told him we should offer Coburn the chairmanship of our organization.  This is a title, not a position.  We’d continue to operate as we do now.  Coburn would be our spokesman.  Dave agreed, but wants a D co-chair.  Fine.  That would be great, although I would be prepared to go without one.

So I called our OK sponsor, Rep.Gary Banz, and laid it out.  He agrees.  There are two State Senators who are former Coburn staffers.  We’ll go through them.  Coburn’s appearance before the caucus was put off.  They had to elect a new Speaker this morning.  With that done, they’ll work on getting Coburn back to the caucus.

Among the knowledgeable right, Dr. Coburn is a hero.  He would give us instant credibility.  $ would flow.  Having him appear before the Judiciary Committee of the Utah House would get us votes.  He’s that respected.

Once we find a D to co-chair, we should have a big presser in D. C.  Invite all the state sponsors.  (And use it as a recruiting tool for sponsors in ND, WY, and MT.)  Coburn can easily get on Hannity, Levin, even Limbaugh.  A huge momentum lift.

Until we get a response from Coburn I’ll be on pins and needles. It’s that big.

I’ve been frustrated at our lack of support.  Dr. Coburn would end all that.

I just wish I could make the pitch to him.