Phyllis Schlafly looms large in any history of the conservative movement. Schlafly didnt just galvanize women whod been historically sidelined in policy debates, she also brought the ideas of limited government into the mainstream of Americas national conversation. Her self-published 1964 manifesto, “A Choice Not an Echo,” sold 3 million copies and helped fuel Barry Goldwaters rise to national prominence, planting the seeds of the Reagan Revolution.
As the leader and founder of the Eagle Forum, Schlafly was at the forefront of every conservative cause – from the pro-life cause to missile defense – for the better part of half a century.
Nearly nine years after Schlaflys passing, Eagle remains positioned to build on its past successes. Its grassroots influence could set the stage for the attainment of another long-time conservative goal: congressional term limits. The time is ripe.
As youre reading this, only 32% of U.S. voters approve of how congressional Republicans are doing their jobs. The news is worse for Democrats in Congress, with 21% approval.
Worse, for a national political class that has often shamelessly turned “public service” into a lifetime vocation, voter disdain for career politicians grows by the day. Over the last 14 months, legislatures in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana, Louisiana, and South Dakota have passed resolutions in favor of a constitutional convention to powerfully limit Congress through term limits. And the term-limit train isnt stopping with the states mentioned. Ohio and Arizona are also poised to do as the other states have done.
All 27 existing constitutional amendments were measures passed by Congress and then ratified by two-thirds (or more) of the states. But Article V of the Constitution lays out another method, a constitutional convention, which requires affirmative votes from two-thirds of the states. Which brings us back to the importance of Eagle Forum. Its grassroots presence could help pull more U.S. states into the mix on the way to the 34 needed for an amendment-proposing convention – the forum in which a congressional term limits amendment would finally get a vote.
The near-term challenge, oddly enough, involves the Eagle Forum itself to some degree. Full of patriots doing the essential work of reviving constitutional governance, Eagle doesnt support an Article V convention, at least not yet, and many conservative state legislators hold the organizations perspective in high regard.
Notable about Eagles stance is that the organizations lack of support isnt so much rooted in opposition to term limits as it is rooted in a fear of other, potentially freedom-limiting amendments that could emerge from just such a gathering of the states. Fear of a runaway convention, as opposed to actual disdain for term limits, is an important distinction. Judging by state and national polls, Eagles activists are on the side of state and national majorities about the importance of limiting terms for congressmen and senators.
To address Eagles concerns, its important to understand that the convention itself will never happen – and doesnt need to.
The mere momentum toward a convention is what forces Congress to act first, proposing its own term limits amendment in order to retain some control over the process and protect sitting members through grandfathering in incumbents. State legislators wont offer that protection in a convention setting, and Congress knows it. Thats why the real power of the Article V process is in the pressure – not the convention itself. Theres nothing to fear and everything to gain.
This all matters a great deal precisely because theres no limited government without term limits. Since the ability to get things done in Washington (meaning, growing the federal government) is a direct effect of time spent there, limiting lawmakers tenure is essential.
This result would better serve all Americans – and is a cause precisely in the wheelhouse for patriotic groups like the Eagle Forum that have done so much for so long in the cause of liberty.
John Tamny is editor of RealClearMarkets, President of the Parkview Institute, a senior fellow at the Market Institute, and a senior economic adviser to Applied Finance Advisors. His next book is “The Deficit Delusion: Why Everything Left, Right and Supply Side Tell You About the National Debt Is Wrong.”
