Regular readers and radio listeners of the Strident Conservative know that my central mission is to be a leading voice in the call for a return to conservatism and the Constitution. Because I place these values above political parties, I’m an equal opportunity critic, willing to hold members of every political stripe accountable for failing to uphold them.
This obviously puts me at odds with the growing number of people who are willing to compromise their principles to advance their agenda. But even those who agree with me often feel helpless when it comes to fighting back against politicians drunk with power.
This feeling of helplessness is the result of watching the people and organizations we have supported and trusted to uphold our values and work on our behalf become capitulating cowards in the name of political expediency. We have witnessed this firsthand with groups like the House Freedom Caucus where conservatism has been hijacked by Trumpservatives and with the sellout to Trump and the GOP by so-called media voices like Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, and others.
One ray of sunshine in the storm threatening the survival of our Republic has been the Article V Convention of States (COS) Project — an effort I have supported for years with my time and money. But alas, COS appears to be joining the ranks of the reprobates in Washington.
In a recent blog post, COS promoted Trump’s “deep state” conspiracy theory following the recent anonymous op-ed published by the New York Times:
“The deep state in Washington has been working against the President’s agenda since his election, and this week marked the most blatant — and, at the same time, most cowardly — instance of the resistance embedded in the White House.
“The New York Times published an anonymous op-ed written by someone claiming to be a top official in Trump’s administration. This individual explained that he or she, along with several other officials in the White House, have been actively working to thwart the President and undermine his goals.
“It’s been over two years since Trump’s election, and still the deep state seems as strong as ever. Can the President and those loyal to him weed out these individuals before the end of his first term or even before the end of his second?
Besides the obvious display of misplaced priorities and political bias, the writer is essentially offering an indirect endorsement of Trump for a second term, and appears willing to see the COS Project used to help him win.
Some may argue that the writer wasn’t endorsing Trump nor tying his Presidency to the COS, but they’d be wrong. The writer concluded:
“An Article V Convention of States can propose constitutional amendments that effectively, permanently, and safely accomplish all that Trump is working to accomplish on the deregulation front.”
Amending the Constitution to give the president more power instead of the people. Doesn’t that kind of defeat the purpose?
I reached out to COS over the weekend to express my concerns about this, especially in light of Trump’s repeated attacks on the Constitution and the COS’s mission to protect it. Their response via email was that “Maybe (I) have misunderstood (them) somewhere along the line.” Still, they said my concerns would be forwarded to “leadership.” We’ll see what happens.
The COS Project faces opposition by those who don’t understand the Constitution, and with the Democrats experiencing incredible success in state level elections, the odds of getting the 34 states necessary to pass a resolution to hold a convention are getting worse. So, it really doesn’t help the cause when the voices of COS defend the movement by promising to use it in a way that gives Trump (or any president) more power.
Meanwhile, I’m still leaning in favor of the Article V Convention of States Project, not to save Trump’s agenda but to save our Constitutional Republic. I wonder if COS feels the same.
David Leach is the owner of The Strident Conservative. His politically incorrect and always “right” columns are also featured on NOQReport.com.
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