My phone and inbox lit up all morning.
Missouri Republicans are FREAKING OUT that Speaker Apparent John Diehl could go down to defeat at the hands of conservative/libertarian grassroots activists. The freak-out is over a press conference in Queeny Park at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 30.
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I heard of the Stop Diehl project last week. On Saturday, mostly Republican volunteers began a door-to-door campaign in Diehl’s district to block re-election. That door-to-door effort continues through the election. According to Missouri Leadership Project’s press release:
These Republicans want a change in the process by which House leadership is selected because the current method consolidates power and invites corruption. John Diehl’s actions as Floor Leader illustrate clearly how such power can be abused.
John Diehl is the Missouri House Rep from the 89th district. He was designated by GOP leadership several years ago as the next Speaker of the House. Sort of the way crime families identify future Dons. The process disenfranchises incoming House freshmen.
So John Diehl got the nod as the next Don of the House. Or Speaker. Whatever.
The trouble is, the way you get to be Speaker is you raise a LOT of money. Then you spread the money around to other House Republicans in exchange for their promise to vote for you for Speaker. Again, very similar to the mob.
In raising all this money, sometimes Republicans have to cut deals with anti-liberty, anti-freedom, anti-conservative cronies. Examples: the companies that make touchscreen voting machines, the companies that make red light cameras, and the publishers who make billions from Common Core. According to Missouri Leadership Project:
The “Speaker Presumed” solidifies his official election by distributing money he received from special interests to the campaigns of other representatives, who then feel beholden to him. The result is a “pay-to-play” political insider environment that squeezes citizen involvement out of the legislative process. Clearly illustrating this political pay-to-play environment is the fact that Diehl’s campaign receipts swelled to around $1,000,000 since he became the heir apparent to the Speaker position.
Those crony capitalists have low expectations for the politicians they buy. The politicians rise to positions where they can block legislation, and they block it. They never have to go on the record as supporting the crony companies. They just protect their cronies from competition. For example, on the issue of paper ballots:
As Floor Leader, Diehl blocked the passage of bills with broad popular support – bills that enhanced liberty, election integrity, and the property rights of Missourians. Instead he pushed through bills that increase taxes and benefit special interests. According to Laura Hausladen, with Missouri’s Coalition for Transparent and Secure Elections, Mr. Diehl emphatically stated that he would never allow a paper ballot bill on the floor of the House for a vote, even though that bill had passed the Senate with a large majority.
I believe Mr. Diehl’s words were, “I don’t care what the people want.”
If this strategy works to deny Diehl his term in the Speaker’s throne, Missouri Leadership Project may upset Missouri’s crony capitalism system for a long time to come.
Here’s the press release:
Grassroots Republicans against John Diehl (R-089) to hold press conference Tuesday
ST. LOUIS COUNTY: Grassroots Republicans across Missouri have begun to work against the re-election of Rep. John Diehl (R-089), the current House Majority Floor Leader and presumed Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives for the next two legislative sessions.
A press conference is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 30, at Queeny Park, in Diehl’s St. Louis County district. (South end of the main parking lot reached from the Weidman Rd. entrance)
Leaders of various movements ranging from stopping Common Core, ending red light cameras, election integrity, as well as 2nd and 10thAmendment issues will be available to field questions and explain their concerns about a Diehl speakership.
Rep. Diehl has been the majority Floor Leader the past two years and is the pre-selected pick for Speaker of the House in the 2015 and 2016 legislative sessions.
Volunteers began going door to door this past weekend in the 89th District to let voters know why Diehl as Speaker would be bad for Missouri, and ask them to do what only voters can do—see that he does not receive enough votes to win back his seat.
These Republicans want a change in the process by which House leadership is selected because the current method consolidates power and invites corruption. John Diehl’s actions as Floor Leader illustrate clearly how such power can be abused. As Floor Leader, Diehl blocked the passage of bills with broad popular support – bills that enhanced liberty, election integrity, and the property rights of Missourians. Instead he pushed through bills that increase taxes and benefit special interests. According to Laura Hausladen, with Missouri’s Coalition for Transparent and Secure Elections, Mr. Diehl emphatically stated that he would never allow a paper ballot bill on the floor of the House for a vote, even though that bill had passed the Senate with a large majority.
House Republicans pre-selected Diehl as Speaker more than a year ago, so newly elected Representatives are effectively denied a voice in the election of the Speaker they are expected to serve under. The “Speaker Presumed” solidifies his official election by distributing money he received from special interests to the campaigns of other representatives, who then feel beholden to him. The result is a “pay-to-play” political insider environment that squeezes citizen involvement out of the legislative process. Clearly illustrating this political pay-to-play environment is the fact that Diehl’s campaign receipts swelled to around $1,000,000 since he became the heir apparent to the Speaker position.
The Republicans mounting this effort believe that stopping John Diehl from becoming Speaker would give the Missouri House, the legislative body that is designed to be closest to the people, the chance to choose a Speaker who could lead the body to find and implement changes in the power structure of the House, and to eliminate the present concentration of power which they believe has corrupted the legislative process.
The citizens engaged in the effort against John Diehl fully agree with this Thomas Jefferson statement: “It is not by the consolidation or concentration of powers, but by their distribution, that good government is effected.”
For more information see www.MOLeadershipProject.org
More than 20 organizations are