Resistance is not a solitary sport.
This maxim holds true from revolutions to the fight to keep Mad Men on the Dish Network. So it works for the liberty movement. Reading the Tenther Grapevine at work will undoubtedly make you smarter, but it will not, by itself, shutter the U.S. Department of Education, reduce your taxes, end nation building in Afghanistan or free Californians to cultivate hemp in their backyards.
You are in good company.
As of ten minutes ago, 33,847 people have “liked” the Tenth Amendment Center on Facebook. That’s about 677 people per state, with actual numbers roughly proportionate to state population. Add to that the 1,060,615 who “liked” Ron Paul on Facebook, and the numerous other fans of pro-liberty organizations like Club for Growth, Center for Individual Freedom, FreedomWorks, and so on.
This means that unless you live in a remote forest, you are no more than a chip shot away from another liberty lover. Now go find one, or two, or twenty!
Need help? Here’s how:
1. Make a list of all libertarians, Tenthers, constitutional conservatives and grass-roots Republicans (hereafter “Liberty Lovers”) among your friends, acquaintances, neighbors and co-workers. Then share with them your interest in getting involved with the liberty movement.
2. Use Facebook, Linkedin or the FreedomWorks Network to get introductions to the more dynamic, activist Liberty Lovers in your neighborhood, town and county.
3. Join a Meetup group. There are plenty to choose from: Tea Parties, 912ers, Veterans and Patriots, Ron Paul Revolution, Libertarian, etc.
4. Attend a local Republican committee. Surprisingly many are now Tea Party infused. Ron and Rand Paul, after all, are Republicans.
Whatever organizations or social networks you join, be positive, enthusiastic, likeable and interesting. Curmudgeons and doomsdayers are dreadful to be around, no matter what the pet issue.
Avoid infighting and find common ground. Libertarians, conservatives and Tenthers all favor limited government and lower taxes. Our goal is to resurrect the Constitution and restore State sovereignty, not to weigh in on culture wars. If we stick to our script, we can gain millions of natural allies.
As your network grows, discuss with like-minded souls the need to adopt pro-liberty platforms and action plans. Focus your network on a tangible goal: circulating a petition, electing a Liberty Lover to school board or state assembly.
Once you have an organized network, the focus should be on taking over state capitals. James Madison and Alexander Hamilton both argued in the Federalist papers that the sovereign States would be the bulwark of liberty against despotic centralized government. Which is why changing out your local Congressman is like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Sure, I vote for those with a propensity for tax-cutting, i.e., Republicans, but when was the last time a Republican Congress voted to abolish an unconstitutional federal agency?
Unfortunately, the electoral process is structurally biased against third parties. This means you must take over one of the main two if you expect to win a governing majority. With Democrats firmly cemented as the public sector-nanny state party, I recommend you take over your local GOP committees. Tea Party activists have been leading the way in this regard since the mid-term elections of 2010.
Local Republican committees welcome new members. Bring a few of your Liberty Lover friends, share their enthusiasm for neutering Washington, DC, and before you know it, you’ll be chair of the party.
After your network of Liberty Lovers is in control of the local party committee, set your sights on taking over or at least significantly influencing your county committee.
At the local level, you are in charge of selecting and supporting municipal and school board candidates. At the county level, you can vet and select candidates for statewide offices. This is critical. It’s not enough to have a party majority; you must work toward a philosophical majority. And we are now seeing in a number of the more sovereign-minded states that it can be done.
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With enough state capitals on our side, we can restore State sovereignty, nullify unconstitutional laws and reclaim tax dollars that have been fleeced from our citizens. The other States will either grow jealous as we throw off the shackles of an Orwellian nanny-state and join us, or will go broke as they Thelma & Louise it with the Federal Government driving them off a cliff.
Some worry that the liberty movement might cause a constitutional crisis. I say bring it on. Our Constitution has been shredded through 80 years of judicial activism that created a social democracy out of what was once a constitutional republic. Besides, if we don’t have a constitutional reckoning, the economic one facing these United States will be much, much worse.
Now stop reading blogs and get to work.
- Anti-Nullifiers: The Grave Diggers of Liberty - May 17, 2013
- Three Futures - October 27, 2012
- Network, Organize and Take over - August 27, 2012