Red State: Making Congress Aware, A little Sam Adams Two-step

[Patricia M. McBride]

Posted by Vassar Bushmills (Profile)

Friday, November 19th at 6:29AM EST

The Set-Up

First we make them afraid. Check

Then we make them aware we’re still watching. We didn’t just vote, then walk away. We’re still watching.

That’s next. Now, we need to remind them we’re not just watching but we’re closely watching. No more Mr Nice Guys. The Left needs to know we’re not going away, and our own Congressman need to know we’re not going away.

The Hook

From now til 2012, and beyond, we need to establish a trend, a continuing expression of public attention, approving and/or disapproving, of Congress’ conduct.

I’ve just spent two days on the phone with people all over the country who want to express this very sentiment, starting on Swearing-In Day, January 3, 2011*.

This is their gig, as I plan to be in DC that very day to shake a few hands and what they have up their sleeves will rearrange my travel plans by about fifty bucks. These guys are from all over the country, with an impressive resume of putting together small events. Sam Adams kinds of events.

The Tale

Their idea is to gather a few thousand drivers in the District on that day, just before the morning rush hour, who will then drive around pre-selected routes, only below the speed limit, but not unlawfully below, stopping at every yellow light, being just a little slow to start on the green, throwing everything off by a few seconds, which, in the aggregate will get and keep DC traffic at a crawl-to-near-standstill for as long as they care to stay…simply by letting nature take its course. After all, nothing is more cranky than an bureaucrat who is still stuck in traffic when he should working on his second cup of coffee down at Agriculture.

The Shut-Out

I’m not the logistics guy, and only carry a megaphone here. As it stands, I now have to park my car at a hotel a few miles from the Metro, take a cab to the Metro, then from there into the district because of this event.

If you’re in the east-midwest, and would enjoy having a little piece of history, go to their home page and sign up and volunteer.

http://theamericandrivein.com/ (see below for site information)

And please, let’s make this a trend as well: Adopt a decent name, nothing like “BadApple”. I wouldn’t mind if you all signed up as Sam Adams, 1 thru 10,000 if necessary.

The Sting

Now I’m sure a lot of you have already sat back and wondered, How will Congress know 1) that we’re doing this at all and 2) what is point we want to make?

I expect the Sam Adams have a few tricks, maybe a newspaper ad, but if you tweet, tweet “They’re coming” in as many clever ways you can. Congress need to know they’re coming. And why.

And all the other Americans across fly-over country need to know they’re coming, too.

Keep the chatter up for the next five weeks. You’ll hear more here on RedState as time goes by, but keep up the chatter. Let Congress know we’re still watching. Let them know that once again, just as we did on election day, that we have postponed all other forms of recreation to see this matter through.

* The official convening on Congress is Jan 3, but actual Swearing-In may be the 4th or 5th. The event planners will make you aware of kick-off dates/times as schedules become more firm.

Driving Miss Liberty

The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew.
Abraham Lincoln

Our Purpose:

Encourage new House Republicans and existing conservatives by letting them know we are behind them. Let the Establishment House Republicans know that we will give them a chance but we don’t trust them, we will be watching them, and we are prepared to hold them accountable.

We Insist:

That House Republicans force the total repeal of ObamaCare. We do not accept any excuses about what the President or Harry “Man Up” Reid will or will not allow. The House has the power and the right to stop all other legislation until this has been accomplished. We expect them to exercise that power even if it means a government shutdown of whatever duration. We specifically exempt defense and border control spending, Social Security and a permanent extension of ALL of the Bush Tax Cuts from this requirement provided they are passed in “clean” bills that reduce or maintain current funding levels and add no new taxes or regulations.

Our Method:

Produce a rolling slowdown protest in DC on the day(s) marking the beginning of the next session of Congress. The level of traffic DC already deals with will, combined with our efforts, likely bring traffic to a standstill. The 112th congress is scheduled to begin on Weds, Jan 5, 2011. The precise response we receive pre-event will help us to determine whether the effort should be one day or as many as three. 10,000 would have great effect; 50,000 might bring the city to a standstill. We do not ask that anybody violate any traffic law or any other law for that matter as part of this effort. We also do not ask for permission to peacefully assemble and petition for a redress of grievances. Anytime compromise is on the horizon, we will be prepared to repeat this effort.

Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories.
Thomas Jefferson

Why is this Necessary?

In 1994 we handed a similiar victory to the Republicans. It did not take long for politics as usual to overwhelm the Republican Revolution. Yes they did a few things and they had a few votes to show they were doing their part but that darn Clinton just wouldn’t cooperate, so they began to capitulate. When we see Gingrich consorting with Hillary on Climate policy and other members of the 1994 Revolution spending and expanding government right though 2006, it is easy to think they never really intended to change much in DC. Clinton was a convenient scapegoat so Gingrich and company could say, “Sorry, we tried.”

Today there is little to nothing left of the 1994 Revolution and it was little enough to begin with. Until the Immigration debate, there was virtually no attempt to hold Republicans accountable from the right and never a sane attempt from the left.

There were a few from the class of 1994 who attempted to keep the faith, they kept their self-imposed term limits a few years later. They were overwhelmed by the corruption in DC and by the good ole boy politics of their own party. In truth, WE, the people back home who put them there, did little to back them up.

Why is this necessary? If we do in 2010 as we did in 1994, this election will be a last, final, squandered opportunity to restore the Republic at a time when the Republic is literally sliding over a financial and moral cliff from which it may not survive. Yes, the real estate will be here but the liberty enjoyed, and preserved, by our fathers will not.

We did our part in November? Battles are not won by men who did their part leaving the rest for somebody else. We each have our part in this battle, some write, some teach, some donate time, others money, some vote but at the root of it, before we specialize, we must all be continuously about the business of winning the battle.

Let us be sure that those who come after will say of us in our time, that in our time we did everything that could be done. We finished the race; we kept them free; we kept the faith.
Ronald Reagan

The crushing debt, the smothering regulations, the courtly corrupton of DC, the evils of ObamaCare, the Republic is dying.

Our contest is not only whether we ourselves shall be free, but whether there shall be left to mankind an asylum on earth for civil and religious liberty.
Samuel Adams

We may never again have a chance such as we have now.