They say that a day in politics is like a year. Often times, we forget what happened yesterday. Mired in the confusion and captured by the kerfluffles of the moment, we treat each instance in politics as if it existed in a vacuum, oblivious to the long logical chain of events which led to the moment by moment political posturing and positioning with which we are forced, daily, to digest. So, as we watch Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, play legislative games with regard to tens of thousands of Syrian Refugees, I’d like to take a moment to say, “We Told You So”. I would also like to thank Congressman Dave Brat for his courageous and principled vote against Ryan as Speaker. Like so many of us, Congressman Brat understands the nature of Washington D.C., and isn’t easily fooled by rhetoric or unaccountable promises.
Originally drafted by Ron Hedlund, on behalf of the prescient, the following is our open letter to the House Freedom Caucus, requesting that they refuse to bend to pressure to vote for Paul Ryan as Speaker of the House. It was published by Zach Werrell, the Bull Elephant, and here at Virginia Right.
AN OPEN LETTER TO MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS
FROM SUPPORTERS OF CONGRESSMAN DAVE BRAT
Paul Ryan
Just Another Eric Cantor/John Boehner?
Why a move to elect Paul Ryan Speaker of the House is a slap in the face of the Freedom Caucus’ constituents
June 10, 2014 was the day a shot was heard ‘round the political world. That day saw the take down of the pre-ordained Speaker of the House, and eventual presidential hopeful, Eric Cantor.
Still to this day, Eric Cantor proclaims that his loss was a fluke, the result of an outlandish (23,000+ theoretically impossible and indefensible) number of Democrats voting for a cartoonishly-portrayed, liberal college professor. If you accept this delusional premise, desperately pedaled by the Cantor team (BTW, the then, most powerful GOP force in Virginia), how does one explain the unparalleled sequence of “fluke” occurrences that bring us to the present?
The man who reluctantly and surprisingly played the role of spoiler is our freshman congressman, Dave Brat. Since being nominated in the 2014 primary, Dave Brat has consistently and admirably represented the grassroots and all constituents of the 7th District of Virginia.
The newly released political thriller, How to Bag a RINO details how a disparate group of average citizens, long dismissed by the party elites, took up the torches of liberty and idealism to wage war on a very unlevel, if not mountainous, playing field, and how we refused to accept disingenuous offers of compromise and negotiation with self-anointed lords of power and patronage. The will of the people in the VA 7th was clearly and unambiguously revealed on June 10, 2014. Even a blind man can see that the state we presently find ourselves in was foretold nearly a year and a half ago.
Read How to Bag a RINO and you will realize how Mr. Cantor’s unforeseen fall from grace portended the pathway that has brought us: the inevitable resignation of John Boehner the hand-picked, Establishment replacement, Speaker of the House candidate, Kevin McCarthy, and then his subsequent, shocking withdrawal and now, the forced, ill-conceived, last minute, scramble to salvage the stranglehold of power with none other than, Eric Cantor’s fellow Young Gun, Paul Ryan.
If you want to stick your head in the sand and witness the continued decline of the American Experiment, then cast your vote for Paul Ryan and the crony capitalists of the GOP Establishment and be done with us, “we the people”. If you discount our claims, how do you explain the, in-your-face, announcement that a US Chamber of Commerce lobbyist will become Ryan’s Chief of Staff upon assuming the Speakership? And just as Eric Cantor pretentiously planned an elaborate and lavish victory celebration for the expected coronation, Paul Ryan finds himself doing the same.
If on the other hand, you acknowledge the shift in the angry, disaffected GOP electorate to party outsiders, as evidenced by the unprecedented support of Donald Trump and Ben Carson, then support the only candidate for Speaker to sign off on Dave Brat’s 10 commitments, Daniel Webster.
Dave Brat has been the voice for regular order by which the House engages in the work of the people, not the will of the elites, the lords of big government, big business, and crony, corrupt capitalism. Congressman Brat’s 10 Commitments are reflective of Virginia’s Republican Creed. Five items address policy concerns and five more pertain to process of performing the work of the House.
Policy
- Facilitate a budget that balances within 10 years and seek to enforce it through the authorizing and appropriations process.
- Encourage committees to advance market-driven health care reforms to replace Obamacare.
- Support policies that secure the border and enable interior enforcement while opposing amnesty for illegal immigrants.
- Urge all committees to advance agendas based on limited government, economic opportunity, and fiscal responsibility.
- Enforce the rule of law and separation of powers against executive (presidential) overreach.
Process
- Seek reforms of the Republican Conference Rules so leadership committees better represent the American peopleAdhere to the majority-of-the-majority principle for bringing legislation to the floor.
- Support changes to the budget process to promote fiscal responsibility, particularly regarding mandatory programs (70% of current spending).
- Empower committee members to choose chairs and craft reform legislation without fear of retaliation.
- Broaden opportunities to offer amendments and legislation on the House floor with full debate.
Ben Carson and Donald Trump can only be explained by the national movement mirrored and forecasted by what occurred on June 10, 2014 when the future Speaker of the House, Eric Cantor was not just toppled, but humiliated and ridiculed by an 11 point margin, never before seen in American political circles for a sitting House Majority Leader.
We respectfully implore you to refuse to cast your vote for Paul Ryan, as he continues to refuse to sign off on the Brat Commitments.
Consider the will of the people you were elected to represent and vote for the integrity of the process. Vote Daniel Webster.
The Freedom Caucus is the last line of defense in the fight for liberty and justice for all Americans. The Freedom Caucus owes its very existence, in no small part, to the voters of the 7th District of Virginia and to our representative, Dave Brat. The Freedom Caucus will set the stage for its eventual dissolution and become just another bump in the road toward the oligarchy we are becoming if you vote for Paul Ryan.
The betrayal will be irreversible.
An alternative path to pursue, should the inevitable crowning of Paul Ryan occur, it is imperative, for the protection of your incumbency, that each and every member of the Freedom Caucus perform your due diligence and personally hold Mr. Ryan accountable for any and all actions he may take as Speaker of the House.
The grassroots across the nation, not just the VA 7th, are absolutely fed up with the continued deception, misdirection, and outright lies fed to us as pabulum. To move beyond this point and have any hope of future strength and leadership in the name of “we the people” thrive, you must demand and obtain written assurances from Mr. Ryan that what he agreed to, in private with the Freedom Caucus last week, he will abide by in the future.
It is not sufficient to dismiss the grassroots as inconsequential observers to the shenanigans of a select contingent of powerbrokers. It is no longer acceptable nor is it even fathomable that we will be placated with assurances and even heartfelt promises of accountability. The Leadership has proven time and again there is not even a semblance of accountability remaining in Washington. Any accountability that may exist is to interests beyond the reach of the voter.
Our belief is that once the Ryan Speakership commences, the aim of the establishment leadership regime will continue unabated, to further marginalize and eventually dissolve the Freedom Caucus from further existence. Once that occurs, any remaining vestiges of hope for the reinstatement of regular order disappears.
An alternative path to pursue, should the inevitable crowning of Paul Ryan occur, it is imperative, for the protection of your incumbency, that each and every member of the Freedom Caucus perform your due diligence and personally hold Mr. Ryan accountable for any and all actions he may take as Speaker of the House.
The grassroots across the nation, not just the VA 7th, are absolutely fed up with the continued deception, misdirection, and outright lies fed to us as pabulum. To move beyond this point and have any hope of future strength and leadership in the name of “we the people” thrive, you must demand and obtain written assurances from Mr. Ryan that what he agreed to, in private with the Freedom Caucus last week, he will abide by in the future.
It is not sufficient to dismiss the grassroots as inconsequential observers to the shenanigans of a select contingent of powerbrokers. It is no longer acceptable nor is it even fathomable that we will be placated with assurances and even heartfelt promises of accountability. The Leadership has proven time and again there is not even a semblance of accountability remaining in Washington. Any accountability that may exist is to interests beyond the reach of the voter.
Our belief is that once the Ryan Speakership commences, the aim of the establishment leadership regime will continue unabated, to further marginalize and eventually dissolve the Freedom Caucus from further existence. Once that occurs, any remaining vestiges of hope for the reinstatement of regular order disappears.
Our bottom line is that the Eric Cantor Young Gun aristocracy cannot EVER be trusted with simple verbal assurances. Evidence their continued secretive support for amnesty for illegal aliens. Even a written contract holds little weight in an era where the rule of law is no longer an accepted paradigm.
Do what you must, but “we the people” will forever remember the words of Dr. Benjamin Franklin, when asked by Mrs. Powel what form of government had the Continental Congress given the people: “a republic, if YOU (emphasis added) can keep it.” We are not going away. We are not giving up. We are going to hold YOU accountable for YOUR vote. We will do what we must to keep the republic.
Respectfully submitted and mutually pledged:
Ron Hedlund, Former Chairman, Alleghany County, Covington & Clifton Forge Republican Party
Zachary Werrell, Former Dave Brat Campaign Manager & Author, How To Bag A RINO
Gray Delany, Former Dave Brat Deputy Campaign Manager & Author, How To Bag A RINO
Fred Gruber, 7th District Chairman, Republican Party of Virginia
Ben Slone, Chairman, Goochland County Republican Party
Susan Lascolette, Chair, Goochland County Board of Supervisors
Brandon Howard, Chairman, Hopewell Republican Party
Wayne Cunningham, Chairman, Prince George County Republican Party
(Note: titles used for identification purposes only, no organizational endorsements implied)
Additional Dave Brat supporters:
Dewey McDonnell
Mark & Anita Hile
Suzanne Ircink
Pete & Irene Churins
Cindy Pitt Kinney
Lynne Tally
Ken Davis
Dan Szabo
Brad & Alice Morgan
Lance Morgan
Keith Drake
Steven Brodie Tucker (Virginia Right)
Carol Stopps
John Dixon
Tom White (Virginia Right)
Craig Johnson
Daryl Carr
Carol Ann Carelli
Annette Truelove
Joe Cacciotti
Curt Diemer
Originally published on VAright.com
