Contact 7000 Legislators

Mark Meckler Inspires COS National Team

District Captains and other volunteers from around the country tuned in for the COS national leadership training call on Tuesday, January 16, to hear Mark Meckler speak about his goals for the organization and share his path for keeping the faith in 2024.

Ginny Rapini and Jason Girard fielded questions from the volunteers who were listening on the call, giving Meckler time to address concerns and bolster courage for the COS movement that has recently celebrated its tenth year.

On His Vision for 2024

Meckler began by saying that his big goal for 2024 is for every legislator in the country to know who we are. 

“My vision for 2024, to make sure every legislator, that’s 7,000 legislators, has contact with one of our COS Volunteers,” he said.

When Girard asked Meckler about finding elements of hope in and around the COS movement, Meckler said each person has to look for positive news and share it.  In this way, we encourage one another with real stories that are happening in our country.

“If you are a person called to lead, your job is to seek light and spread hope. We should spread around political stories that are positive. Be a bringer of light rather than a bringer of darkness,” he said.

On Building Personal Relationships 

Meckler went on to encourage volunteers to develop personal relationships with others before bringing up COS, to be genuinely interested in what matters to them and to listen and learn about them.  

“It’s about relationships. Know where people are at, so you know how to speak to someone,” he said.  

He said that by sharing COS with others, you are showing them that they are not alone, and sharing stories of the victories we gain shows others that our country is not lost. 

On Political Highs and Lows

Girard asked Meckler for his advice on dealing with political highs and lows.  

Meckler said, “In politics, you lose more than you win. But it is not on us.  All we can do is fight.” Quoting John Quincy Adams, Meckler said, “Duty is ours, results belong to God.” And if there is a victory, “All glory to God.” 

On Bringing the Far Left into COS

Some members of the audience wanted to know how to reach the far left with the COS message. 

As part of his response, Meckler noted a significant shift in the far left over the last 15 years. He said, initially, they were individuals who genuinely cared for America, who supported democratic policies because they believed them to be the best for the country. 

Contrasting that with today’s political environment where many on the far-left act as though they are enemies of our country, saying they hate America and believe we are oppressors and racists, Meckler indicated that reaching that group would be very difficult.

With that said, Meckler had this advice for approaching moderate democrats: 

“When you meet a moderate Democrat, you can relate to them and ask, ‘Wouldn’t you like decisions being made closer to home; by your state, by your county, by your community, between you and your doctor rather than the federal government mandating decisions for you?’”

“It’s not a policy argument,” Meckler said. “It’s the structure of governance. It is a fight about who decides. Does the federal government have the right to decide about your life, or do you, your city, your county, your state?”
Tuesday Training
On Reaching Democrats

Meckler said that when you live in a blue state, it is harder to get things moving legislatively. Rather than focusing on trying to appeal to people of opposing politics, focus on building your base.  

Meckler noted that political conservatives love and revere the Constitution. He said it would be dishonest to try to deceive people about who COS supporters are. Meckler described himself as a “right- wing, red neck, gun-toting, Bible–thumping, tea party Christian.”  

His message was to find those people who believe as we do and work on consolidating that base.

Ginny Rapini echoed the sentiment saying, “If we can’t get the ones who think like us, how are we going to win the rest?”

Meckler also said that because of the lack of legislative support, it is easier to recruit people to the cause in a blue state where there tends to be a lack of opportunity for conservatives to get involved. 

“We give them hope. We can engage people in a national fight. We can do tele-patriot calls in other states,” he said.

As an example, Meckler shared how the State of Illinois won COS State of the Year because of the growth of its base by doubling the number of district captains and winning democratic sponsors in the state capital despite being a deeply blue state.

“When it’s hard, you sharpen your skills,” he said. 

You can view the entire interview by clicking this link: Tuesday Training