It was with profound sadness that we learned of Dr. Tom Coburn's passing over the weekend. Convention of States Action President Mark Meckler wrote a touching, heartfelt tribute to the nation's greatest living statesman, and we encourage you to read that to get a true sense of what Dr. Coburn meant to the Convention of States family.
But we also wanted to highlight another aspect of Dr. Coburn's amazing legacy: his tireless, faithful, and effective leadership as a Senior Advisor to the Convention of States Project. Dr. Coburn helped launch the nationwide Article V movement into the mainstream of American life, and we wouldn't have seen so much success in so many states without his efforts.
First, Dr. Coburn traveled the country to encourage state legislators to adopt the Convention of States Resolution. Even when his battle against cancer caused him great fatigue and discomfort, he would still maintain his schedule of meetings in states across the country.
His eloquent advocacy for the Article V movement turned many state legislators from opponents to supporters, and these votes were critical in passing our resolution in 15 states so far.
Dr. Coburn was also more than willing to use his stature as a nationally respected U.S. Senator to help the Convention of States cause. Whether it was meetings with legislators and donors or national media appearances, Dr. Coburn was happy to reach out to his contacts to spread the word about the Article V solution.
"We would never have those meetings without him," Mark said. "Because of his iconic status as a senior statesman, he opened doors that would never have been opened. He cared not personally for stature or attention, but he was happy to use it for the cause."
Check out a few of Dr. Coburn's most popular appearances for a sense of how he advocated for the Convention of States Project:
Finally, and most importantly, Dr. Coburn taught everyone at the Project -- from national staff to volunteers -- how to do politics.
"He taught us…all of us…to do politics from love," Mark said. "To love our opponents. To love our enemies. To love our fellow man. That is a legacy to live up to."
In short, we would never be where we are today as a movement without Dr. Coburn's work. Those who care about the Convention of States movement owe to Dr. Coburn a debt of gratitude we can never repay. It was a honor to work with him, and we plan to honor his legacy by continuing the Article V fight until we finally restore self-governance to the people and the states.
