After the 2016 election many had high hopes that the establishment’s stranglehold on the levers of government power would be broken.
he election of President Trump presented many unknowns. Here was a very public figure whose first elected office was the leader of the free world. Donald Trump was a successful businessman. This was not a progression of his career. This was truly unprecedented.
When speaking to the public and even Convention of States volunteers, some questioned whether we still needed to call an Article V convention. President Trump would take office, drain the swamp, and disrupt the status quo. Both houses of Congress were in Republican control. The President would likely have a couple Supreme Court appointments.
The result could be a government that would be more accountable to the people. We’d have a Congress that would repeal Obamacare and roll back the social engineering and overreach from President Obama’s and Bush 43’s administrations. With a solid list of judicial candidates, the Supreme Court would have an originalist majority once again.
How’s that working out?
We called this being “Trump Drunk.” We cautioned our team and the public not to be overly optimistic. The Swamp was likely deeper and murkier than thought. Career politicians in Congress have been less than enthusiastic to assist a political outsider. More than 40 Republican Congresspersons decided to retire since the 2016 election cycle.
What about the courts? Relying on the court system has been risky for decades. We haven’t even discussed the federal bureaucracy!
The last three years have been a mixed bag. President Trump’s economic policies led a booming economy, roaring stock market, record low unemployment, and an unprecedented decrease in government regulations. But we have also seen an endless parade of investigations, an impotent Congress, a schizophrenic Supreme Court, and another $7 trillion in debt. The Swamp is alive and well.
This is not an “I told you so” message. I was optimistic that President Trump would be able to halt the growth of government. That has not happened. Congress can’t even pass a resolution saying the sky is blue. We certainly cannot leave it to the courts to accurately apply the Constitution as intended. The federal bureaucracy exists to serve itself. The upper echelons of our investigative agencies have abused their power, as well.
It should be more apparent than ever that we cannot rely on D.C. to solve the problems they created. This should not be a surprise. On September 15, 1787, George Mason addressed the delegates of the 1787 Convention in Philadelphia and asked, “Are we so naïve to expect that a government that has become a tyranny will take steps to restrain its own tyranny?”
The answer to that question was “No” in 1787. It's still “No” today. It will be “No” tomorrow.
It’s your responsibility to be an engaged, self-governing citizen and hold our elected representatives accountable for their votes. Each of us should have a relationship with our representative and senator, so that we can have a civil exchange of ideas.
When elected officials cast a difficult vote, you must be their support structure in your district. If they are representing you well, consider block walking, staffing a phone bank, and contributing time and resources to their campaign. If they aren’t, get involved in a challenger’s campaign. Be involved in your community.
It’s fine to be optimistic, but we must also be realistic. If our government is going to be put back into its constitutional box, it’s up to We the People to act. Missouri passed the Convention of States resolution in 2017. But our work is not done.
We must pass a resolution to remove the five-year sunset clause that was attached to our resolution in 2017. We must pass the Commissioner Selection Resolution to establish the process for Missouri to select commissioners to any Article V meeting. There are several rewarding volunteer opportunities with the Convention of States Project.
Learn about them here. I look forward to seeing you in the field.
In liberty,
Brett
