According to a new poll from Convention of States Action (COSA) and the Trafalgar Group, Americans are ready to put the out-of-control federal government back in its place. President Biden’s dismal approval rating should provide a not-so-subtle hint that Democrats need to back off the far-left agenda that started with a pile of executive orders on January 21, 2021.
Instead, there are reports that Biden is preparing to declare a national emergency on climate change. If he proceeds, the regulatory state will invade every aspect of your life, from what fuel sources power the grid to the length and water temperature of your morning shower. The relentless intrusion of the federal government may be one reason that almost 67% of likely 2022 voters support an Article V Convention to propose constitutional amendments that address four specific issues:
- Term limits for Congress
- Term limits for unelected federal officials
- Federal spending restraints
- Constraining the federal government to its constitutionally mandated authority
Among Republicans, opposing a Convention of States is now a fringe minority position. Only 6.7% of GOP voters indicated they do not support one. Mark Meckler, President of Convention of States Action, says that 81.3% of Republicans supporting a Convention of States is not surprising. Leading Conservatives, such as Mark Levin and Glenn Beck, have endorsed the idea for some time. Additionally, opponents of a COS include George Soros, Planned Parenthood, LaRaza, MoveOn.org, and Hillary Clinton. “There’s never been a single day in my life on a single issue, never, ever, ever, where I woke up and found myself on the side of those baby-killing, America-hating, Communist, Marxist organizations,” Meckler asserted.
Related: Dear Republican AGs: Stop Providing Bipartisan Credibility to People Who Hate You
Support for the measure to address those four issues is bipartisan. A majority (63.3%) of unaffiliated voters support a COS, and so do 50.3% of self-identified Democrats. Meckler sees these results in the context of what he calls the Great Decoupling. In Meckler’s opinion, the most pressing issue driving Americans’ desire to reign in the federal government is divergent values. “The split on this issue is between what I would call normal or regular people versus our ruling elites,” Meckler said.
“So you have the ruling elites who hate most of the rest of us. That includes Republicans and Democrats if they believe in fundamental things like the nuclear family, going to church, and God,” Meckler continued. He noted recent polling that showed Americans hold these kinds of traditional values across racial and ethnic lines. “In difficult times, people are more likely to turn to God. So people who believe in the Western concept of God are turning to Him, and you see the ruling elites essentially attacking God and religion. I think that’s [a] radical schism taking place in the American body politic right now,” he added.
The other disconnect is over economics. “If you are a member of the ruling elite and gas is $6 a gallon, you might notice it costs $200 to fill up your Escalade. But it doesn’t change how you live your life,” Meckler asserted. ” Average people are suffering really badly right now. I talk to people all the time, and inflation is really hurting them,” he said. Meckler notes this disconnect is global, citing recent events in the Netherlands. “Farmers are dropping loads of cow manure in government offices,” he said.
A recent survey from Primerica puts the disconnect Meckler sees in stark relief. The record inflation hits middle families hard, and 75% report their earnings are falling behind the cost of living. Our ruling elites respond to concerns over the price of gas with a suggestion to buy an electric vehicle. That sounds eerily similar to “Let them eat cake” to people choosing between groceries and filling their tank to get to work.
Related: Why Democrats Are Losing Ground With Hispanics
Perhaps Americans see a Convention of States to rein in government power as a more attractive option than storming the Bastille. Meckler agrees that restoring a more robust federalist system — one where state and local officials impact Americans’ daily lives more than the federal government’s one-size-fits-all solutions — through an Article V convention is the most peaceful and expedient method.
However, he notes there is an interesting parallel going on in the Supreme Court. “The Supreme Court has proven themselves wholly in West Virginia v. EPA,” Meckler observed. “They have taken direct aim at the non-delegation doctrine. They’ve taken direct aim at the major questions doctrine. But that’s not expeditious. Getting a Supreme Court decision requires the right case, with the right posture, at the right time, through the right circuit, and the right plaintiff. It’s very difficult to get the right case with the right posture in front of the Supreme Court,” he explained.
While SCOTUS slowly and methodically curtails the powers of the administrative states, Meckler believes a Convention of States will act more like a sledgehammer to the foundations of the bureaucratic regime. “All we have to do is reinforce the non-delegation doctrine. Nope, sorry. There is no EPA anymore. Department of Education, gone. No Department of Energy. No Health and Humans Services. Those departments are fundamentally unconstitutional,” he asserted. ” We need to take that position as soon as possible.”
Join the conversation as a VIP Member