Miscellaneous

There were around 150 conservative activists at Grover Norquist’s weekly get together yesterday.  I thought it began at 10:30, so when I arrived we had already made our presentation, which I gather went well.  An interesting event, which I have heard about for years, but never attended.

After a luncheon speech by Senator Ron Johnson (WI,) Mike Farris and Mark Meckler (conventionofstates.com) were featured at a well attended ALEC workshop.  They, along with Senator Johnson, made remarks, which were well received.  They have tapped in to the country’s home schooler network for volunteers, apparently with good success. I later learned that Alaska State Senator Fred Dyson and Rep. Wes Keller, both old friends, have great contacts with these folks, which we will pursue.  They could be an extremely valuable resource, almost as significant as the Tea Party.

In his parting statement Senator Johnson admonished us to cooperate with one another, and after the event I introduced myself to Mark Meckler and we exchanged cards.  Apparently there’s been a bit of conflict between his organization and ours, which serves no one well.  He is acquainted with Lew Uhler, and we agreed to meet at Lew’s Roseville, CA office on Dec. 16 to iron things out (if Lew’s available).  Mark believes, based on his extensive experience, that volunteers can be more easily organized if the Convention of States has a broader mandate than just a balanced budget amendment,  He also thinks that we will face lengthy court delays before we can convene a Convention of States, because the various state resolutions which we’ve gathered are not identical.  We believe, based on the opinion of Professor Rob Natelson (the foremost legal expert on Article V) that these legal concerns are unfounded.  We also think that unless the subject matter of the state resolutions is strictly confined to one subject, the fears of a “runaway convention” will prevent success in the state legislatures.

Mark and his group are unconvinced, and want a Convention of States to have the authority to propose a range of amendments designed to rein in the federal government.  We agreed to disagree, and that whichever idea proves most successful should be the one to focus on.  The fact that we have 18 resolutions in hand, and that his group (which only formed a few months ago) has none, suggests to me that we have the better approach.  Time will tell.  We, of course, have the advantage of having been specifically endorsed by Ronald Reagan, and can draw on the vast experience and contacts of old Reagan hand Lew Uhler.  But we certainly don’t want to burn any bridges with Mark and his group.  They have resources which could prove extremely valuable to the cause.  As they encounter resistance to their concept in the state legislatures, they will hopefully come around to our way of thinking, and can become part of the Article V coalition.

 

The DC American Legislative Exchange Council meeting begins today as legislators and those working on the BBA Task Force begin arriving.  Hopefully, the lawmakers will be receptive to our message.  The Task Force is making a “presentation” of sorts this evening at 5:00.  There is a lot of enthusiasm, and momentum, from our recent success in Ohio.  Gov. Kasich is totally on board, and is writing personal letters to other Governors urging them to push this.  Typhoon Lou Marin and Lauren Enns of Iamamerican made a pitch last night to the most organized of the national Tea Party groups.  Getting them on  board would provide a large influx of ground troops as the effort proceeds from state to state.

Lew Uhler has arranged a meeting today from 2:00 to 4:00 with some leaders of conservative organizations.  At least I think that’s what it is.  We’ll find out.  Tomorrow at 10:30 the members of the Task Force will go to Grover Norquist’s weekly get together of conservative activist types in DC.  I gather our effort is the scheduled topic of discussion for this week’s meet.  I believe I am expected to summarize the state of play.

This whole exercise is based on the belief that Obamacare is such a political catastrophe for the Democrats that the people of this country are ready for structural change.  Every morning’s news, including today’s, is confirmation.

The Reagan Project website www.reaganproject.com goes live on December 1st 2013.  The Reagan project also launched on Facebook and Twitter.

Two reasons.  First, because, as the debacle of Obamacare unfolds before us, the American people are finally waking up. The danger to our well being and liberty from the statists in Washington is now so obvious that most Americans are aware of it.  And, I believe, they are ready to take action to preserve their country and way of life.

Second, the internet.  It’s revolutionary.  The ease of communication provided by the internet gives us a means by which we can organize.  The Tea Party rebellion of 2010 wouldn’t have been possible without it.  The Reagan Project, a natural offshoot of the Tea Party, provides
the American people a mechanism, a channel for their determination to do what is necessary to defend and restore our freedom.

Back to the first point.  The wake up call of Obamacare is heard most clearly by the women of America.  They’re angry, and when the women of this country get pissed off, there is hell to pay. Wives and mothers feel responsible for the health of their families, and they’re passionate about it. As Obamacare destroys our health insurance industry, the women feel the danger most acutely. And they’re not about to put up with it.

I’ve seen this first hand in my own political career.  When the Mothers Against Drunk Driving start lobbying a state Capitol, the best thing to do is get out of their way.  Resistance is futile.  You can’t reason or argue with them.  They have lost family members to drunk drivers, they’re determined to do something about it, and they have the moral authority to get it done.

Anyone who’s ever been involved in grass roots political activity knows that such movements are only possible with the involvement of committed women.  They’ll do the work, as they always do. The most successful grass roots political organization in American history was the Women’s Christian Temperance Union.  They not only got a hard drinking people to outlaw alcohol, they put it in the Constitution!  All women.  Political amateurs. In many states they didn’t even have the right to vote.   But they were like Terminators.  They wouldn’t quit, they just kept coming, and for the first time in American history a constitutional amendment was adopted which was essentially a law, not a general rule.

In the spirit of the WCTU, we find our inspiration and hope.  Prohibition was a terrible idea, but the fact that those women, of 100 years ago, were able to pull it off means we’re capable of succeeding as well.

reganproject.com