The following was written by Tamara Colbert, Public Relations Director for Convention of States.
This week, pollster and political wunderkind, Scott Rasmussen wrote in one of his daily columns, “The Constitution is Not the Problem.” This really fired me up and prompted my call to Scott to ask a few other follow up questions.
The premise of his commentary was “Why do some Americans oppose the Constitution?” Something that many of us volunteering with the Convention of States Project address on a regular basis with those we have termed “anti-constitutionalists”.
Rasmussen’s article locked in on something that writer Ryan Cooper mentioned in an article for The Week that stated, “America’s Constitution is terrible. Let’s throw it out and start over.”
What I found inspiring was the rejection of this premise and the vigor to which Rasmussen championed not just the Constitution, but the role that American’s must play in governing our nation.
The tremendous grassroots growth within the COS Project affirms the premise, as we have had more than a million Americans sign-up since President Trump was inaugurated.
Scott writes, “Politicians aren’t nearly as important as they think they are. Positive change in America almost always begins far from the halls of power in official Washington.”
For the 3.3 million of us volunteering and supporting the Convention of States Project, no truer words have been said.
Right now volunteers are tirelessly sharing the truth about Article V and the duty that we have as citizens to actively participate in government. Article V is the tool for permanently draining the swamp, fixing the federal structure, and reminding Americans that their duty as citizens is to be vigilant and engaged in the self-governance process at large.
TLC: "How can we, as volunteers, better communicate the Constitutional relevance as we spend time in our state capitols?"
SR: “You’ve got to show that you get positive results by focusing on the larger picture. The fight is not about the Constitution being written 200 years ago, but how we can use it to create a better place to live, [a better America]. No one cares about ‘limited government’, but citizens do care about the society they live in and every single one of us has a role to play in government.”
TLC: "Is there a ‘secret sauce’ that we are missing in our message?"
SR: “Everything we do as Americans plays a role in governance, our relationships are a key component—with spouses, family, associations, job where we spend our time. Most people do not spend the day thinking about rules and procedures for governing. What we do need to start thinking about is the bigger picture, what is going on with the actions that government is doing [both in our states and in Washington].”
Scott’s example was that Harvard was illegally started as a college. Great story, but you’re definitely going to have to buy his latest book, Politics Has Failed: America Will Not, to get all the details.
TLC: "Relationship building is a foundation that America was built on how do we expand on that?"
SR: “Pragmatic community problem solving is our deepest American tradition, deeper than any other tradition. If we build up the private sector, the non-government sector of the nation, we reduce the need for government.”
TLC: "Is there a way to go around the anti-constitutionalists and make them irrelevant?"
SR: "Don’t worry about the [anti-constitutionalists], focus on convincing the public. If we want to fix things then we need to engage in a massive campaign of community problem solving. If you are doing politics alone you are not doing enough.”
There is a ‘secret sauce’ to combat the left’s desired purge of the Constitution. We the people. We the volunteers for the Convention of States. We are the ‘secret sauce’ of governance. Pretty cool, right?
Convention of States grassroots be heartened as we lead the culture back to self-governance. On days when the resolution doesn’t pass or the committee hearing doesn’t go our way, it is important to remember that we are re-educating the American culture on a part of the Constitution never taught in school. A daunting, but not insurmountable task. We can and will fight on!
A final word that is a poignant reminder for each of us as we work with legislators. Scott points out, “Government is supposed to follow the people not rule over them. Politicians are to perform a modest role of giving voice to the decisions that have already been made by the American people.”
Thank you, Scott Rasmussen, for a few minutes of your time today to inspire those in the trenches!
We the people can return politicians to their modest place by calling a Convention of States to permanently rein in Washington.
