A funny thing happened recently in Spokane County, Washington. Conservatives took over the Republican Party! For those who are shaking their heads in disbelief that either (a) such a thing could happen, or (b) such a thing needed to happen (what? Non-conservative Republicans?), we should briefly take note of the landscape in which we find ourselves.
The crumbling cultural agreement
Not so long ago, we Americans possessed an abiding sense of security. We lived in a nation whose institutions (political, cultural, and business) almost universally professed allegiance to the natural rights protected by our Constitution. For example, one could “speak their piece” in the public square.
We paid this price willingly, seeing it as fruit of at least two virtues: the personal virtue of humility (my opinion might be wrong, or based on error), and the civic virtue of respect for others (I might be right, but I don’t get to hog the megaphone).
Debate made us better people: we had respect for “hard but fair” blows. We had a cultural agreement - we were expected to rise, as a people, to the ideals expressed in our founding documents.
Quicksand
The cultural agreement we had is now constantly questioned, “re-framed,” and mocked by a politically powerful group of our fellow citizens (critical theory says those ideals are just instruments of “white supremacy”).[1] As a result, conservatives are only lately realizing how the battleground has shifted.
This war against America from within is not being fought with well-honed arguments. No, this war is against reality itself. If anyone doubts the truth of that sweeping statement, think about the question posed by Matt Walsh in his 2022 documentary “What is a Woman?”[2] Not ten years ago, a question like this was for deepening a conversation, an invitation, perhaps, to contemplate femininity.
Now, that very question has unmasked an agenda on the Left to decouple biology from reality. The very ground on which we stand has turned to quicksand.
The Constitution is “a parchment barrier,” said James Madison,[3] and its collapse, said John Adams, could only be prevented by a moral and religious people.”[4] New meanings, a new history, and a new origin story[5] are throwing acid against that parchment.
Coming, as they do, at a low point in public morality and religiosity, these attacks seem to be succeeding. The news anchor gets to opine that the riots burning our cities to the ground are “fiery but mostly peaceful.” The Vice-President gets away with bailing these same rioters out of jail[6] due to “systematic oppression.” And the collapse of our southern border[7] barely makes the nightly news.
Fracturing
All this helps to explain the sense we are breaking apart, even within the Republican Party. The Left, with a brilliant long-term strategy, has (1) monopolized our media (both news and the incredibly powerful entertainment media), (2) seized the reins of education via the public schools, and (3) imposed big social wealth-shifting programs that erode our esteem for virtues we once held dear.
And most Americans have gone along with the flow. With our freedoms seemingly secured by the huge price in blood and treasure paid by our forebears, we were content to think all the good fruits of Americanism would perpetuate themselves. Few paid attention to the real and difficult truth. And few realized that as we stopped taking an interest in self-governance, we would lose the ability to self-govern.
Now, some Americans are being stripped under color of authority of their basic Constitutional rights by other Americans, under a “payback” model for past wrongs. It’s so outrageous and unbelievable, many don’t believe it, or are unwilling to believe it.
Our political class ends up colluding in the deal because no one wants to solve a problem at the cost of their own political career. The shameful slide since 1960 into a $31 trillion-plus national debt, each time with only a token wince from Republicans, is a case in point. But, as we should all know now, denial is functionally a surrender to the Left, who is playing for keeps.
Finding Traction: The Self-Governance Movement
Fortunately, the conservative revolt within the Republican Party, starting even before the Tea Party movement of 2009, has only gathered steam ever since. If current trends continue, the Convention of States movement, begun by Tea Party founder Mark Meckler in 2013, will in three years be within striking distance of the number of states required (thirty-four) under Article V of the U.S. Constitution to send delegates to a convention of the states, where delegates can hammer out proposed amendments to the U.S. Constitution to limit federal spending and other overreaches.[8]
Writer and attorney Dan Schultz adds immediacy to the mix, showing everyday citizens that they have tools available to them now. His “Precinct Strategy” seeks to inspire and recruit local citizens to become precinct committee officers (“PCOs”) in the Republican Party.[9]
The Precinct Strategy aims to empower us to (1) influence the policies and direction of the Republican Party, (2) decide who represents the party when running for office, and (3) elect representatives to the party who will “truly represent the people.[10] PCOs are elected officials whose role is to elect district, state, and county party officers, and they also vote on delegates to the presidential convention and to the RNC.
Being the Resistance: Kim and Brenda’s Story
You can win a fight. You can’t win a surrender. – Andrew Klavan, author, commentator.
Kim De Lisle, the grassroots organizer behind the success in Spokane County, and Brenda Dutton, participant (and now Vice-Chair of the Education Committee of the Spokane County Republicans), sat across from me at our recent Zoom meeting. Kim’s voice trembled slightly as she spoke.
“I’m the fourth great-granddaughter of Roger Sherman of Connecticut, who signed all four founding documents.[11] I grew up with this legacy. It’s tangible, it’s real to me. How they (our forefathers and foremothers) sacrificed, what they gave up, so that we can have this wonderful country.
“When I first became a PCO, I was welcomed. But there were some red flags. I could tell they wanted to kind of keep us in a little box. They didn’t want to hear us say “RINO” (Republican-in-name-only), didn’t want us to either applaud or to comment on the campaign after the primaries.
Anything conservatives wanted to do was met with their opposition. I certainly wouldn’t call them ‘America First’ Republicans.”
Kim, a para-educator with the West Valley School District, had seen firsthand the terrible toll masking requirements took on schoolchildren, keeping them in a state of depression and anxiety.
At one point, she took off her own mask at school. The school district fired her.
Meanwhile, Brenda, a special education teacher, had also been trying to channel her growing concerns into productive action. She became the State Grassroots Coordinator for Convention of States Action Washington[12] to try to get legislators to pass an Article V resolution to rein in the scope and power of the federal government.
Brenda also attended the local GOP meetings, where she had experienced the subtle (and not so subtle) sidelining of people like her – emails that went unanswered or were only responded to after deadlines had already passed.
She attended Department of Health meetings online, testifying to the adverse effects of masking special needs children. She worked on an affidavit campaign. Finally, as nothing seemed to work, she recalls thinking, “That’s it. I’m going to have to fight this locally. I’m going to be mentally ill if I don’t do something.”
For several months, Kim had been holding meetings in her home. The meetings were to educate fellow conservatives who, like her, felt the GOP wasn’t responding to their concerns, and to train them up in local politics.
What started as a meeting of seven people that first week grew rapidly. Kim changed the venue to fit the attendance.
Then she had to change it again – they outgrew the space. And again.
Finding a venue big enough to hold everyone who wanted to come was a problem. But it was a great problem to have!
Before long, Brenda was a regular (and enthusiastic) participant. “When I first started coming, I just knew I was angry. I knew I wanted to do something. I didn’t even know what a PCO was! And you guys (referring to Kim) were so organized. You had an agenda, a video, a five-minute limit to speak. I felt so proud to know all of you.”
At their last meeting, Brenda said, there were about 150 people present. Kim and the other leaders offered training in Roberts Rules of Order, they studied flow charts and learned about state government and party leadership, and they watched training videos on mobilizing the grassroots.
We Can Win
As a direct result of the meetings that started so modestly in Kim’s home, in the Spokane County Republican Party’s most recent election, a stunning 100% of leadership positions were turned over.
What characterized the turnover depends on who you talk to: they were dubbed “far right extremists” by some of the ousted, but simply as “more conservative” by others.[13]
Many of the newly elected were brand-new to politics. For example, the new leader of the party, pastor Brian Noble, has a political resume dating only from 2022 when he ran for Spokane County Commissioner against an incumbent Republican.
One might view the Spokane County takeover as an aberration, except that it isn’t. We are seeing a groundswell. For example, a slew of America First conservatives took over Legislative District 15 in Arizona (Maricopa County), ousting the original PCOs.[14] In Palm Beach, CA, applications for PCOs are “flowing in,” many of these are America First Republicans as well.[15]
The 3.5%
A well-regarded study of resistance movements[16] has demonstrated that successful non-violent uprisings occurred when only 3.5% of the population became mobilized. We should remember that we are not limited to protests, useful though they may be. We also have available to us:
- laws which have not (yet) been repealed,
- a state Constitution (still) guaranteeing our natural rights, and
- a long tradition of American gumption.
We need not feel that sick sense that we have surrendered not only our past, but also our children’s future, without a fight.
But – and this is a big one – we’d better start attending school board meetings, showing up at city hall, meeting with our legislators, and talking to our pastors about the role of the church in a disintegrating society. Our window to act is vanishing, but it is not yet gone.
Kim has the last word:
“Eighteen months ago we were just a small handful of people in my living room. It exploded! People are wanting to be heard, have their values respected, our founding values.
“We can’t just sit – we have to fight. What is our option, really, if we want to continue to be free?
[1] Smithsonian, “Talking About Race,” accessed February 6, 2023, Being Antiracist | National Museum of African American History and Culture (si.edu)
[2] https://www.dailywire.com/videos/what-is-a-woman
[3] James Madison, The Federalist Papers: No. 48, accessed February 6, 2023, The Avalon Project : Federalist No 48 (yale.edu)
[4] From John Adams to Massachusetts Militia, 11 October 1798,” Founders Archives, accessed February 6, 2023, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/99-20-02-3102.
[5] See The 1619 Project - Wikipedia
[6] Kamala Harris on Twitter: "If you’re able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota. https://t.co/t8LXowKIbw" / Twitter
[7] There were 2.4 million migrant arrests in 2022 as of October that year. Border Patrol reports record-breaking migrant arrests this year | The Texas Tribune, October 22, 2022.
[8] Thirty-eight states will need to ratify any proposed amendment prior to becoming part of the Constitution. See https://conventionofstates.com/(accessed 2/14/2023)
[9] Sydney Fowler, loneconservative.com/2021/07/07/dan-schultzs-precinct-strategy-is-creating-a-new-grassroots-movement/
[10] “How to Get Into the Real Ball Game of Politics Where You Live to Help President Donald J. Trump Make America Great Again,” (September 17, 2017).
[11] The Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution.
[12] As of January 2022, Brenda is now a State Director for Convention of States Action Washington.
[13] Colin Tiernan, “Crashing the party: Spokane County GOP moving to the right, Republicans say,” The Spokesman Review, (Dec. 19, 2022).
[14] Fowler, supra.
[15] Id.
[16] Chenoweth, Erica and Stephan, Maria J., “Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict,” New York, NY: Columbia University Press (August 2011).
