As I reported earlier, Matt Collins, Vice-Chair of the newly chartered Republican Liberty Caucus of Tennessee, is in a run-off to be elected Davidson County Republican Chair in the Volunteer State. His opponent is an incumbent, establishment candidate, who he tied in a previous Convention. Yesterday, Collins was on the Mike Church Show promoting his candidacy, the Republican Liberty Caucus, and a return to basics for Republicans. You can listen to Mr. Collins via mp3 by clicking here.
On the radio, Collins advocated more individuals becoming involved in their local Republican parties to take back the party from those who believe in establishment big government policies. The RLC wishes Matt the best of luck in his April 4 run-off election.
Additionally, Will Pitts of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Northeast Florida, was on the Mike Church show yesterday. Mr. Pitts is running to become Chair of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida. He promoted the National Convention and the Republican Liberty Caucus on the radio program. You can listen here.
The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect official positions of the RLC.
As those advocating Keynesian economics and the vast expansion of the federal government continue to control our country, the grassroots movement to return American to Constitutional principles continues to expand. The Republican Liberty Caucus is leading the grassroots effort to take back the Republican Party.
As part of the RLC effort, three new state affiliates have recently chartered to provide resistance to government growth and to a GOP that has lost its core principles. Activists from across the states of Alabama, Tennessee, and Washington have come together to form new RLC chapter affiliates.
RLC members recently chartered their affiliate in Alabama.
In Alabama, the new affiliate includes former Birmingham City Council member Dr. Jimmy Blake, homeschooling mom Shana Kluck, and longtime libertarian activist Steve Gordon. The Chair of the affiliate is attorney Scott Boykin. The Alabama affiliate plans to set up a web presence shortly. According to Gordon, the group is extremely energetic and ready to recruit more members. A press release about the group’s formation is available here.
The Tennessee group came together under the skilled leadership of Dr. Joe Dumas and former Hamilton County School Board candidate Gregg Juster. The group has already established a website and is selling RLC merchandise to reach out to prospective members. Additionally, Tennessee RLC Vice-Chair Matt Collins, 27, recently tied an establishment candidate in a competitive and multiple-ballot race for Davidson County GOP Chair. A run-off will occur soon to determine the winner of the race.
The Washington RLC is now off the ground, thanks to organizer John W. Herr of Pierce County. The affiliate is hoping to expand its membership and capitalize on the 23% received by Ron Paul in the 2008 GOP Presidential primary in the state. Interested parties should visit the Washington RLC page to become involved in the affiliate.
The District of Columbia RLC affiliate recently held its re-organizational meeting, the Maryland RLC will soon be submitting its charter, and the Virginia RLC is hosting a re-organizational Conference Call this Sunday night. Across the country, the movement for limited government is alive and well — thanks to the Republican Liberty Caucus.
The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect official positions of the RLC.
Don Guymon (photo at left), a RLC activist, is running for Davis County GOP Chair in Utah. Guymon’s is running to:
(1) promote the GOP party platform. Republicans should stand for our core values of limiting government and protecting our rights (including our most fundamnental right; the right to life);
(2) Grow the party. As we promote our principles we draw people into the party;
(3) Make every person in the party feel important. Whether you attend your precinct caucus for the first time or are an elected official for years, every person has an important role to play. Every individual in the party should feel that they are important; and
(4) Ensure the party is run in the proper manner.
Mr. Guymon served as Davis County Rules Chair from 2006 to 2008 and as Davis County Elections Chair in 2001. He has been a member of the Utah GOP State Central Committee since 1999, was Vice-Chair of the Utah GOP Constitution and Bylaws Committee from 2001 to 2002, and served on the Utah GOP Rules Committee in 2000, 2001, and 2002.
In Tennessee, the Vice-Chair of the newly chartered RLC affiliate is running for Chair of the Davidson County GOP, according to The Nashville Examiner. According to the article, “Matt Collins, a sound engineer and producer at Supertalk 99.7 WTN, said the 2008 presidential election showed in rather stark terms that the GOP needs to start embracing a ‘younger, more philosophically-motivated’ brand of ‘limited-government conservatism’ of the sort Ron Paul aroused during his primary run last year.”
Collins is waging an uphill, but necessary, battle. An email from TNGOP chief of staff Mark Winslow that circulated around Tennessee Republican circles last month said the Old Guard of the Party “can do without the zealous peace and freedom-purists that Rep. Paul’s campaign so emboldened,” according to the paper.
The article continues: “Outgoing Davidson County GOP chairman Tom Lawless told Examiner.com he won’t officially endorse a favorite in the race to succeed him. But Lawless said he’s long believed expanding the party base to include new voters and new demographics will require new leaders with new visions. Collins appears to fit the mold, said Lawless.”
“Continued Lawless, ‘(Starnes) is clearly a status-quo candidate, and she’d be the pick of the older generation that currently has the reins of power. But you’ve got to pass those reins at some point. I recognized very early in Matt the strength of his energies and of his traditional conservative beliefs that go back, not just to the ideas of Ronald Reagan, but to the ideas of the Founding Fathers. Matt has exhibited to me some extremely good leadership qualities in a very, very short period of time’,” concluded the outgoing Chair.
The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect official positions of the RLC.
The Indiana RLC has been lobbying hard on behalf of that states’ resolution. It was introduced by RLC-friendly Senators Walker and Stutzmann, who recently attended the Indianapolis-area “RLC Callout” event (see photo, right).
The online information for Indiana’s 10th Amendment Resolution has been updated to represent that State Senator Mike Delph (district 29) was indeed one of the co-authors and initiators of this legislation along with Senators Greg Walker and Dennis Kruse. Not only that, but the list of Senators now listed along with them on this bill has grown to fourteen.
In Kentucky, RLC-friendly legislator Stan Lee of Fayette County is a co-sponsor of the resolution, HCR 168. I received an e-mail this week from Rep. Lee’s office in response to a message I wrote to him, saying, in part, that “Rep. Lee shares [the RLC's] vision of limited government.”
In Tennessee, RLC-endorsed State Rep. Susan Lynn (left) introduced the resolution, HJR 108 (pdf). At her blog, Rep. Lynn says: “State sovereignty is a big deal to state legislators; hopefully, it is to you as well. It is what keeps the federal government from over stepping its constitutional bounds.”
The Kansas resolution was introduced by a Republican Senator. Kevin Patrick, a RLC ally in West Virginia, has set up a website in support of that state’s resolution.
The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect official positions of the RLC.
As more governors declare their opposition to the Stimulus Bill — which is now estimated to include more than $1 trillion in unfunded mandates for the states above and beyond the initial $800 billion cost — more and more state legislators across the nation have been introducing bills to assert state sovereignty under the 10th Amendment in an effort to assert the rights of their citizens and the authority of state governments against unwarranted interference by the federal government.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour and Idaho Governor Butch Otter stated their support for the position against the stimulus taken by Texas Governor Rick Perry and South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford this week. Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska has been speaking publicly against the bill and when it passed her office issued a statement praising Alaska’s congressional delegation for voting against it:
“Congressman Young and Senator Murkowski did their best to achieve the right balance in the bill, but in the end the majority allowed the spending to balloon and encompass support for programs that don’t respond to the problem at hand.”
Meanwhile, Governor Palin made the bizarrely optimistic suggestion that President Obama should Veto the bill to five lawmakers a chance to at least read the bill and specifically citing the problem for the states in the huge amount of unfunded mandates in the bill.
The push for state sovereignty laws has really gone nationwide. Texas has gotten on board with a bill submitted this week with six sponsors. It is basically the same as the Oklahoma resolution rather than the more radical New Hampshire resolution, which gives it a better chance of passage. Texas is a big state, and having it in the fight adds a lot of serious weight.
Although it is not yet confirmed on their legislature’s website, the story is circulating that Tennessee is the first state to pass a sovereignty resolution through both of its legislative houses, in only 2 days from its introduction on Wednesday. Their version is a non-binding resolution which doesn’t require the governor’s signature or have the force of law, but it is a significant statement nonetheless.
In Pennsylvania, State Representative Sam Rohrer is leading the charge, and has made a very impassioned video statement which lays out exactly what the problem is and urges other states to join him in reasserting their sovereignty and rejecting federal mandates, stressing the very real concern that the spendthrift federal government will take the fiscally responsible states down with them.
There’s also news from Oklahoma, where a quick phonecall to State Representative Charles Key confirms that the sovereignty resolution which he got through the house last year was approved unanimously by the rules committee and on Wednesday was passed by the Oklahoma House by a 83-13 majority and may be voted on by the state Senate as early as next week, with high hopes of passage.
Missouri, as always, is marching to its own radically conservative drummer, with a state sovereignty bill up for consideration which is unique in that it specifically takes exception to the pro-abortion proposed federal Freedom of Choice law. This is conceptually similar to the bills being considered in Indiana, Wyoming and Oregon which reassert state sovereignty with a special emphasis on gun owners rights in response to a bill currently being considered in the House of Representatives to require licensing of all firearms nationwide.
Because of these articles a lot of concerned citizens are contacting me from various different states about what their states are doing. Sources in Maine inform me that they have also had a sovereignty bill proposed, but because of the structure of their legislative session it likely won’t even be looked at for months. A sovereignty bill was introduced in Minnesota on Thursday as HF997. Arkansas joined in with a bill in its state House of Representatives on Friday morning as well.
Some states have yet to get state legislators on board and are trying alternative methods. In Florida there is a pettition which will be submitted to the state legislature, which may not sit terribly well will stimulus-embracing Governor Charlie Crist. In Massachusets under a provision of their state constitution any citizen can request that a legislator submit a bill on their behalf. Ron Bokleman is struggling to get his bill, which is a version of the New Hampshire bill, past bureaucratic red tape so that it will actually be considered by the legislature. One correspondent also pointed out that a number of states passed or at least considered sovereignty bills in the past, starting with the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions authored by Madison and Jefferson back in 1799, but with some much more recent, like Utah’s 1995 bill which passed their House, a reminder that concern over unfunded mandates isn’t new, though it’s growing ever more critical.
It now looks as if at least half the states will have some sort of sovereignty bill up for consideration this year. Combine that with governors and legislators who are worried about how they’ll ever be able to pay for the massive unfunded mandates included in the so-called stimulus bill, and you have a volatile rift developing between the relatively fiscally responsible and citizen-friendly state governments and the incredibly fiscally irresponsible and increasingly autocratic government in Washington, DC. If we stand together and make our voices heard, we can stop further federal stimulus and bailout spending. If we can reassert control by 2010 we can stop at least two thirds of the current stimulus money from ever being spent. It’s time to storm the gates of power and let our elected leaders know that we do not want to see our country bankrupted and driven into socialism out of desperation and expediency.
The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect official positions of the RLC.
“It’s gratifying to see term limits continue to spread across the country a city and county at a time,” said Philip Blumel, RLC activist and president of U.S. Term Limits, a Virginia-based advocacy group. “And also that another state affirmed their existing term limits in South Dakota, where over 75% of voters voted to retain term limits on the state legislature.”
“Yes, there is a backlash against term limits in New York and elsewhere,” said Blumel. “But only among politicians and lobbyists. The voters continue to reaffirm their support for limiting political power whenever they get the chance.”
South Dakota (J)–repeals term limits on state legislature.
YES: 87,361 (24.27%)
NO: 272,551 (75.73%) TERM LIMITS WIN!
Memphis, TN (1)– Places a maximum of two terms on the city council, mayor and other constitutional offices.
YES: 177,571 (78.23%) TERM LIMITS WIN!
NO: 49,420 (21.77%)
Shelby County, TN (365)– Places term limits on various city charter offices to match limits on county commission and mayor
YES: 273,107 (78.59%)TERM LIMITS WIN!
NO: 74,409 (21.41%)
San Antonio, TX (1)–Extends term limits for city council
YES: 190,417 (51.6%)TERM LIMITS EXTENDED FROM 4 TO 8 YEARS
NO: 178,611 (48.4%)
Tracy, CA (T)–Places a 2 four-year term limit on the city council and mayor
YES: 12,613 (67.21%)TERM LIMITS WIN!
NO: 6,154 (32.79%)
What’s next for term limits? With Congressional approval ratings at historic lows of about 10%, the focus is turning on Congress. To sign a petition for Congressional term limits, please see www.termlimits.org.
The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect official positions of the RLC.
According to The Chattanoogan, the Republican primary challenger to incumbent Congressman Zach Wamp of Tennessee’s Congressional District 3, Teresa Sheppard of Luttrell, was mistakenly left off of the Aug. 7 primary ballot in Hamilton County.
The mistake marked the second time in less than a week that it was necessary to reprint some of the ballots.
The total bill for the taxpayers: $33,000. Oh, yes, let’s put the government in charge of health care.
The first error, which required the reprinting of 140,000 ballots, was that the U.S. Senate race did not appear on the ballots.
Zach Wamp, the Republican incumbent, signed the Contract with America in 1994, but has gone way off course in recent years. As a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, Wamp has worked hard to increase pork-barrel politicking for his district. In 2006, he worked to secure a $4 million appropriation for a methamphetamine task force in Tennessee.
Wamp is a term limits pledge breaker, voted to allow electronic surveillance of U.S. citizens without a warrant, and has sided with the Administration on most issues most of the time. Sheppard is a sound alternative in District 3.
The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect official positions of the RLC.
There’s a lot going on in RLC-land. Some updates from the states:
Arizona: Roy Miller of Phoenix has replaced Bennett Kopp as the new Arizona RLC State Chair. Roy can be reached via e-mail.
Arkansas: Jim Martin of Eureka Springs is the new RLC State Contact. Jim can be reached via e-mail. Illinois: The state RLC has established a new website at http://www.rlcil.org. The new state Co-Contacts are W. Guy Finley in Round Lake and Robert M.W. Stanford in Normal. Guy and Robert can be reached via e-mail.
Iowa: Roger Barr of Boone has been appointed the new RLC State Contact. Roger can be reached via e-mail.
Louisiana: Aaron Andrus was appointed the RLC state contact in March. Aaron and his wife Jill have four children, ages 8 years to 4 months old, and reside in Lake Charles. Aaron graduated with a BS in Finance from McNeese State University and a Masters in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University New Orleans (2006). He is the Assistant Operations Manager for Seabulk Towing Services, Inc and has been a registered Republican since 1996. We are excited to have Aaron on board. He can be reached via e-mail.
Nevada: RLC National Board member Daniel Rego has moved to Las Vegas and is the new RLC State Co-Contact in the state. Dan can be reached via e-mail.
North Carolina: RLC National Treasurer Jeff Palmer reports: “Spearheaded by the Triangle-Area (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill) RLC Meetup group, which held its largest organizational meeting to date on March 20, the North Carolina RLC approved bylaws, elected an interim Board, heard from our local congressional candidate (who’s now a Board member), and increased its paid membership by more than 50%. A RLCNC rechartering application will be submitted to national shortly. New members came all the way from Wilmington where the Cape Fear Republican Liberty Caucus was founded and promises to absorb the 150+ member Wilmington-Area Ron Paul Meetup group. Seeds have also been planted for local RLC groups in Charlotte, Asheville, and the Triad (Winston-Salem/Greensboro/High Point). Interestingly, three of our new members — including one of our most promising — were libertarian Republicans who just happened to being playing pool in the room where we were about to have our meeting. When it rains, it pours! North Carolina has a delegate selection process separate from and parallel to our upcoming presidential primary and, as the state’s Ron Paul movement has switched gears to the GOP ‘inside-baseball’ that the delegate selection process entails, the RLC here has enhanced its reputation as the putative expert on the process and on working within the GOP.”
Pennsylvania: Shawn McArdle of Erie has been appointed the new RLC State Contact. Shawn can be reached via e-mail.
Tennessee: The state RLC has a new contact, Dr. Joe Dumas of Signal Mountain in Hamilton County. Dr. Dumas is a Professor of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He is a volunteer for Bachman Community Center and Mountain Arts Community Center. He is a rated chess player and is the Senior Tournament Director of the U.S. Chess Federation. The RLC is thankful to have Joe as our state contact. He can be reached via e-mail.
Dr. Joe Dumas
Virginia: A statewide Republican Liberty Caucus chapter meeting is taking place at 3:30 pm on Saturday, March 22 at the Snow Memorial Library in Spotsylvania (north of Richmond and south of Fredericksburg). The featured speaker with be State Senator Ken Cuccinelli, one of the few libertarian-leaning Republicans in the state legislature.
Utah: A statewide Republican Liberty Caucus chapter meeting is taking place at 2:30 pm on Saturday, March 22 at the Sandy Library in Sandy. This is the first official organizing meeting for the RLC in Utah. The state RLC contact is Lowell Nelson, who can be reached via e-mail.
Wisconsin: The state RLC has a new contact, David Baumgardner of La Farge in Vernon County. David is an Eagle Scout who is currently completing his goal of obtaining a Law Degree. He is involved with Boy Scouts of America, the Vernon County Republican Party, GOPAC, the NRA, the Midwest Renewable Energy Association, and the Federalist Society. We welcome David’s enthusiasm to the RLC and look forward to a Wisconsin chapter. David can be reached via e-mail.
