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Why Constitution Day Still Matters, 223 Years Later

Author: Beka Romm | September 17, 2010

Why celebrate Constitution Day?

On September 17, 1787, our founders, the members of the Constitutional Convention, adopted our Constitution as the governing document for our brand new country. Faced with overwhelming odds against this country they fought for succeeding and thriving, they outlined a blueprint to “enable the government to control the governed, and in the next place, oblige it to control itself” (Alexander Hamilton, 1788).

Where are we today? We see videos of members of Congress forthrightly admitting that they don’t know what the Constitution says, or care about how it applies to legislation they are voting on, while we listen to a recorded voicemail of a member of Congress asking a lobbyist for money based upon her position and perceived clout. Meanwhile, the Speaker of the House responds to the question of where in the Constitution the government is given the right to mandate health care with “Are you serious? Are you serious?”

It’s easy to think that our Constitution doesn’t matter; indeed, it is what those in power would have you believe. Here is why our Constitution still matters-

For the first time in history, power was granted on the basis of the consent of the governed. Not based upon your family name, your noble title, or your aristocratic bloodline.

For the first time in history, allowances were made for government to be altered and changed by the people, through the process of amending the Constitution.

For the first time in history, a country was founded on the premise that government has a purpose, and it is founded by “We the People.”

Now more than ever, it is important to recognize the significance of our Constitution, and to realize how readily and importantly it applies to our daily lives. Take a moment today and read through our Constitution. Listen to our national president Ned Ryun’s podcast series on the constitutional convention and the process through which our Constitution was written, signed and finally ratified. Because now, perhaps more than ever before, our Constitution matters.

The Liberal Philosophy: Do as I say…But not as I do

Author: Seth Brown | July 21, 2010

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Working in politics sometimes overwhelms me. Seriously, at times it absolutely drains me.

Granted, I love constantly being aware of what is happening both in Washington and in my local community, and yes, it is very exciting to work in the political world.

But to be honest, I go home every night and purposely avoid the major news networks. I may talk to my wife about what is going on and check Twitter to get news updates, but for the most part, I turn politics off at my house.

I do my best to keep this same attitude on the weekends as well. I work in my yard and watch sports and Sundays are for church and naps with my kids.

In fact, at my church (which I would characterize as “center-left”) I purposely avoid talking about politics if at all possible. Fellow church members know what I do for a living, but for the most part politics is thankfully not a normal topic of conversation.

So you can imagine my surprise a few weeks ago when a guest speaker at our church said these things during his sermon*:

“The Pharisees in Jesus’ day, they were the first century Tea Party people. On the issue of taxes they were the radical religious right and the Christian libertarians of their day. The only system of government they cared to support was a biblical theocracy. They were adamantly opposed to paying taxes to the Romans and their puppet government.”

And this:

“The men who wrote and approved the Declaration of Independence took it for granted that there was a god….Few of them were what fundamentalists and evangelicals and most Baptists would call ‘born again Christians’.

The truth is Thomas Jefferson was a deist. Most of the founding fathers were deists. They lived in a world with a long history of Christians starting wars and killing each other trying to find a way to force everyone to believe the same things about God…

So despite all of the rhetoric from the religious right for the last 50 years, the founding fathers were not standing up against secular, atheistic humanism to announce their belief in the biblical God. The God of the Bible is a God that intervenes in time and history. The God of the bible is one who sent His son to die for the sins of the world and redeem us. That is not the god of the Founding Fathers. And it’s dishonest to pretend that it is.” (Emphasis mine)

Wait. Did that guy just equate the Pharisees (the Jewish religious leaders that had Jesus killed) to Tea Party folks? Did he just use the phrase “radical religious right”? Twice? Did he just say they founding fathers were all deists?

I always thought preachers were supposed to leave their politics at the door and not bring them behind the pulpit? Isn’t that what liberals say about conservatives?

Well, first off, the man who delivered this sermon is neither our pastor nor a regular speaker at our church. He is not on staff, but he is among those who started our church nearly 10 years ago.

He is also very well known in the community and within our church as a liberal activist. In fact, through his blog, a radio show, and as a public speaker, he is a leading advocate across the state on the issue of separation of church and state and religious liberty.

On top of that, our church also is very much in favor of the separation of church and state issue to the point that our pastor is adamant about politics and political causes not being preached from the pulpit under any circumstance. He avoids it because he hates it when “fundamentalists” and “conservatives” do it, and thus it has no place at our church.

So it is that I cannot even begin to fathom is what the response would have been in our church if someone would have gone behind the pulpit and then proceeded to rip on war protestors or unions or pro-choice advocates or other “left wing” groups while equating them with the folks in Jesus’ day that hated him and were ultimately responsible for having him killed.

What would have been the response if someone had labeled liberals…well, liberals? Can you begin to imagine the outcry?

Unfortunately, then, what this story clearly illustrates once again is the prevailing liberal thought: Do as I say and not as I do. It seems to me that this is a common attitude among those on the left.

In fact, countless times I have seen this type of hypocritical attitude from liberal political leaders and activists. By now that is my default expectation for those on the other side of the political spectrum.

But to be honest, it is truly sad to me to see that this type of “do as I say and not as I do” behavior can even be seen from those on the left who make their living behind a pulpit or as an expert on separation of church and state.

There is just no place for that as far as I am concerned.

*To listen to the entire sermon, go here.

Winning: The Art of Getting It Right

Author: Beka Romm | June 25, 2010

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Election season is in full swing even for those last-minute candidates who waited for the filing deadlines before announcing. I’ve talked to several candidates this week who are jumping into the door-to-door campaign feet first, full of vigor and excited to get out and start walking.

The bad part? They hadn’t done their homework. I understand that crunching numbers to understand the historical voting results in your precinct or district, which voters historically turn out to vote, which precincts you must win in order to be victorious- well, it’s all pretty tedious stuff. There’s nothing overly exciting about it, I’ll admit. But it is oh-so-necessary.

Here’s an example: I spoke with a candidate yesterday who was reluctant to give up some door-to-door time on a Saturday for our campaign training. When I asked about his door-to-door strategy, he was planning to start at the geographical “top” of his district, and work his way down. He had no idea how many votes he needed in order to win, because he hadn’t checked historical vote totals. He had no idea which precincts tended to be more aligned with the issues and values he championed, because he hadn’t looked into those voting results. And he had no idea which voters living within those precincts turned out to vote in primaries- the race he’s currently running in. Walking door-to-door without a good plan is like stumbling through the darkness.

Sometimes candidates think they will win on virtue of their good ideas and hard work. I believe strongly in good ideas. Every positive change in our country began as a good idea. I also believe strongly in the value of hard work- I know what it’s like to walk door-to-door in the hot Kansas sun and thick humidity until your jeans stick to your legs, your shoes stick to the pavement, and you don’t think you can do it anymore. Campaigning does take hard work. But here’s the thing- no matter the strength of your ideas or the dedication with which you’re willing to work, implementing any part of a campaign without a strategy or plan is a recipe for disaster.

Bad ideas with good implementation will always beat good ideas with bad implementation. Whether it’s attending a campaign training, sitting down with trusted advisors, or simply taking an hour to sketch out a plan on a pad of paper, planning is as important as doing. Should the candidate I described earlier make it to our candidate training, he would learn how to understand the precincts within his district, which precincts he should target, how many votes he needs to win, which voters are most likely to turn out and to vote for him, and how to target those voters in necessary precincts effectively. He would learn how to organize and implement a strong door-to-door plan that would allow to multiple contacts with each voter.

He would learn how to fundraise effectively, communicate strongly, network efficiently and campaign victoriously. As it is today, he is wondering through precinct after precinct, without a clear goal in mind, and without a means to attain it.

Winning is ultimately the art of getting it right. Before one can implement those good ideas in the form of policy as an elected official, he or she must first win their campaign. If you are running for office or volunteering for someone who is, now is the time to get trained. At the very least, take a moment to listen to a few podcasts and check out some presentations on running effective campaigns. We’re all fans of good ideas, and we want to equip individuals within the community with every tool and resource available to help them implement those ideas in a strong campaign.

Asking for Help

Author: Beka Romm | May 21, 2010

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My friend in the Texas office of American Majority, Andrew Kerr, wrote a great blog post about the importance of running to win- after all, those good ideas you have as a candidate will never be implemented if you do not first get elected.

He’s right- you do need to raise money, walk door to door and use traditional tactics such as yard signs to increase name identification in your district. Here’s another thing some candidates- particularly first-time candidates- make mistakes with: asking for help.

As a candidate, you should realize that you need three things to win: people, money and time. You can always find more people, you can always raise more money, but you can never find more time. It’s the one thing Congress hasn’t figured out how to legislate yet. You will not have enough time to meet every voter, make every debate, contact every donor, or knock on every door. This means that you need help.

The two places I find many candidates shy away from asking for help are volunteers and funds. I have personally walked many blocks and worked many parades in hot Kansas July weather for people I believed in. Often, they were friends. Each candidate should look to their own networks of friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, church and community group members. In these networks, locate the individuals who have either the expertise or the time to help your campaign. Maybe there is an individual who organizes the Vacation Bible School every year. I guarantee you, if that person can wrangle a bunch of kids with sugary drinks, that person can coordinate your volunteers. Perhaps there is an individual who’s never done anything political before, but you trust them and they have time to help. That’s your ideal person for phone banks, organizing walk lists (once you teach them how) and driving a vehicle while you walk door-to-door.

I know it can seem as though you’re burdening people by asking them to give up their time to help your campaign- or to donate to your campaign. To some, it seems unimportant- I’ve recently had a candidate tell me that he was thinking of bankrolling his own campaign so that he wouldn’t have to “waste time” on fundraising. But look at it this way: getting a candidate elected who believes in individual liberty and limited government will make our country better. You’re asking your friends and neighbors to invest in their country through your campaign. I look ahead to my future, where I want to own a home with my husband, raise a family on streets that are safe, in schools that are solid and in a nation that is free- because of that, I’m willing to invest in candidates who will help make that possible. View your requests for help in this manner- let’s face it: you will not have time to run an effective campaign if you’re the only person involved in your race. And your fundraising is the same- you are asking individuals to support your campaign because it is an investment in their own futures and in our country. By engaging them in funding your campaign, you are shoring up a base of support and winning the trust of the individuals who will influence how others in the community perceive you.

Asking for help can be difficult. But if you’re serious about running a campaign for office, you need to realize that you simply cannot be everywhere and do everything, and engage people you can trust and turn to when you need them. For more on engaging volunteers in your campaign, check out Ned Ryun’s Running for Office podcasts episode 7 and 8.

If you’re not running for office, now is the time to find a local or state campaign to volunteer your time for. It is an incredibly rewarding experience where you’ll learn new skills, meet new people, and have a hand in shaping the immediate future of your community, state and nation. To learn how to be an effective campaign volunteer, attend an activist or candidate training coming up in your area soon.

Activism Tips: Precinct Work 101