In mid-July, several Convention of States (COS) volunteers from three states put boots on the ground at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Led by COS Wisconsin State Director Art Binhack and his hard-working team, they set the stage for COS supporters from Wisconsin, Illinois, and Ohio to engage with convention attendees in this unique forum that drew patriots from around the country.
Spreading the COS Message
Attending the RNC offered a valuable opportunity to briefly engage delegates - and any American - about the COS mission to invoke a state convention under the authority of Article V of the US Constitution. Taking great care not to engage in partisan language, the group discussed Convention of States and passed out literature in the hopes of driving people to our web page.
“We understood delegates to be an important group of opinion leaders who are likely to transmit their opinions to the rest of the party effectively,” stated Art Binhack.
Donning COS tee-shirts, sandwich boards, and even an Uncle Sam costume, COS advocates worked the Fiserv Forum Area as a group to increase visibility and ensure safety. Below, Allison Loukanis (WI-SCW), Lance Foust (IL-RC), Kimberly Strohrigl (WI SGC) and Ed Mulholland (OH RC) gave impressive speeches touting the benefits of invoking Article V at the RNC 2024 City of Milwaukee Speakers Forum.
“The message we offered about self-governance was clear,” added Art. “Recent news in America reads more like a banana republic than a Constitutional Republic. Washington DC is desperately clinging to its power by not passing budgets, and continuing resolutions to spend, spend, spend.”
Fellowship
Fellowship among the COS contingent was another benefit of the occasion. Wisconsin Convention of States leaders Vincent Gorichan, Dean Jeffery, Katherine Skleba, and Art Binhack secured a home base at a picnic area for each day of the convention where the multi-state group could eat, drink, and exchange ideas about moving the COS mission forward.
On Monday, Barry gave a great seminar to our grassroots regarding a successful recruiting method used by COS Illinois called, “15 Minutes to Freedom.” The session was followed by an extensive question and answer period. COS volunteers in Milwaukee from out-of-state to help engage delegates was Brian Dolan (IL-DC), Ed Mulholland (OH-RC) and his wife Gretchen, Jeff Clements, Lance Foust (IL-RC), and Barry Newman (IL-SGC). Below, Ed Mulholland is interviewed by a Fox News reporter.
Forethought and Planning
This event required tremendous planning on behalf of the COS Wisconsin team. Key organizers included Dean Jeffery, Kimberly Strohrigl (WI-SGC), Mary Glaser (WI-SMW), who attended the RNC 2024 with her sister who is a delegate from Minnesota. Mary was able to access a detailed schedule of events published last-minute.
Dean served as our "Emergency Coordinator" making recommendations for local hospitals, clinics, and organizing emergency contacts. He was also our security expert which was stout in the wake of the Trump assassination attempt. Dean drove an impressive 200 miles each trip from his home in Omro, WI to scout out drop-off locations for COS engagers.
Kimberly Strohrigl volunteered to be our "Local Law Advisor," engaging with the Milwaukee Police Department so as to avoid any violations. She and her daughter Riley Strohrigl also were important contributors in setting up our home base in Estabrook Park.
Kimberly and Art had driven extensively to scout each security zone prior to the convention. Art attended the GOP Candidate Debate in the fall of 2023, and had expected similar measures. For the RNC 2024, security was increased substantially, with fences around both security zones and only a few heavily guarded gates for entry.
A Worthy Effort
Wisconsin State Director Art Binhack expressed his gratitude for all those who engaged in spreading the COS message at the RNC. While it required a lot of hard work and proved a greater challenge to locate delegates than what had been expected, it was tremendous honor to witness the teamwork, camaraderie, and fervor of American patriots so committed to the Convention of States effort.
