In response to my recent “Whether to Run as a Republican” article, four-term Republican State Representative from Missouri (now running as the Constitution Party candidate for Lieutenant Governor), Cynthia Davis, had the following to say.

Robert Peck, I am incredibly inspired by your article. Thank you for taking the time to put this into print for many of us to read and use in our own states. You did a great job of covering most of the related facets, but can I add one more thought?

MONEY

Those “constitutionally minded” Republicans want us to donate to them, but they are not donating to us. If they are with us, where is their money? It takes money to communicate. The big donors are helping the Republicans get elected because their special causes will get that money back in their big government programs. The vast majority of the time the best funded candidate wins.

I have raised tens of thousands of dollars for every campaign I have run. It was easy. Most of the money came from corporations, not directly from people. The corporate donors are not there for us (Constitution Party). This is why your video ministry is so important. We have to use the new media to change public opinion because we do not have the money to buy TV or radio ads.

I have tried to get some of my Republican friends to donate to my campaign and have not been successful. I don’t understand what they are afraid of, but we need to call their bluff. If they really cared about the constitutional principles or liberty, they would put their money where their mouths are. Is anyone else having any success at getting donations? I need to find the pipeline.

Cynthia’s comments have stirred my thinking and caused me to say “Yea, that’s right. I’m continually asked to support every Republican deemed to be ‘quite Constitutional’ or ‘very conservative’, yet where are all the good Constitutionally minded, liberty movement, Ron Paul Republicans when it comes to supporting Constitution Party candidates?”

In the many years that I have been an activist for Constitutional principles and a leader in the Constitution Party, I have supported God honoring, Constitution upholding, liberty loving candidates of any party or no party.

In 2007, when Ron Paul started his Presidential campaign well over a year before the election and the Constitution Party had not yet selected a Presidential candidate, our local Constitution Party affiliate placed Ron Paul brochures in the fair booth that our supporters had paid for because we choose to place principle over politics and give recognition to the only candidate running at that time who upheld Constitutional principles.

I, and/or the local Constitution Party affiliate (Spokane County, Washington), have publicly endorsed, indicated support for, made donations to, placed a sign in the yard for, or in other ways lent support to:

• Republican State Senator Jeff Baxter’s 2011 special election
• Republican State Representative Matt Shea
• Idaho State Representative Phil Hart (R)
• Republican Candidate for U.S. Sentate Clint Didier (whose effort was thwarted by his own party’s leadership)
• Ron Paul
• And more

The Constitution Party has been a team player and participated in and even supported other local pro-God, pro-Constitution, pro-liberty, pro-limited government activities and events. We have:

• Promoted local Tea Party events to our contact list (has the Republican Party?).
• Offered free classes on the Constitution to the community at our own expense and have advertised to our supporters similar classes being offered by other organizations (has the Republican Party?).
• Informed our supporters of special John Birch Society, Sheriff Richard Mack, or similar events (has the Republican Party?).
• Publicly endorsed and promoted all recent anti sodomy-pro Biblical marriage referendums and initiatives (has the Republican Party?).
• Participated in a coalition of liberty minded organizations that promoted special events at the Post Falls Greyhound Park Event Center a few years back and even made a generous donation to help pay the bill for those events (did the Republican Party?).

Basically, the Constitution Party has bent over backwards to try to be a team player for the cause of liberty. Yet despite that fact, I am forced to echo Cynthia’s comments and ask “where’s the support from Constitutionally minded, liberty movement, Ron Paul Republicans when the Constitution Party fields a true-blue Constitutionist for office, or puts on a special event?” The answer is, “it’s nowhere to be found.”

Now I realize that many of the Constitutionally minded Ron Paul Republicans will say “oh, we’re with you, we’re for you, we’re ‘supportive’ of what you’re doing,” but it’s always whispered in my ear like some sort of secret. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been taken aside to some quiet corner in order to be told, as the person looks over their shoulder one more time to make sure no one is listening, “I voted for your candidate in the last election because he was the only one upholding the Constitution.” Excuse me, but shouldn’t voting for someone because they uphold the Constitution be something to be proud of, something to shout from the roof tops? Yet whenever I’m told such things, I get the distinct impression of a person cowering in a corner like one who is afraid their jealous lover might overhear and take retribution.

I’m sorry, but this looks to me exactly like the phenomenon of a guy with a jealous, manipulative, domineering, possessive, controlling girlfriend who demands that all his time be spent with her, that all his attention be given to her, that all his money be spent on her and if he’s caught even looking at or talking to anyone else, she’ll throw a tantrum, publicly embarrass him, make his life a living hell, and if all else fails, threaten to cut off the feminine pleasures that have brought him under her spell. There is a term that describes a man who has succumbed to such control at the hands of a woman, but since this is intended for mixed company, let’s just say “this man has been whipped.”

I realize that I am talking to some dear friends who I honestly do not want to offend, but I’ve got to be honest about what I see, and what I see is that I, Constitution Party supporters and Constitution Party candidates, are being asked to support Republican candidates, support Republican events, participate in and support every other activity and organization that is remotely associated with anything conservative, and now we are even being asked to run as Republicans rather than Constitution Party candidates. Yet at the end of the day, our candidates are offered no support in return lest your jealous lover catch us together and punish you for your faithfulness to principle above party.

I’m not saying that Constitutional, liberty movement, Ron Paul Republicans are not “supportive” of Constitutional causes and candidates outside of the Republican Party, I’m just saying they cannot do it in any sort of a way that could possibly be discovered by their jealous lover lest they come home to find all their belongings (Republican Party positions of influence) thrown out in the street. Therefore, any support offered to those candidates and causes outside the Republican fold, has to be in the form of some information here, some advice there, or an opportunity for some public exposure that I’m informed about on the QT. But public endorsement is out of the question and even the smallest financial donations would be found out as they have to be reported to the state Public Disclosure Commission (or the FEC for federal candidates) where the information is available to the public – and the Republican Party leadership.

Meanwhile, I, and the Constitution Party, continue to be asked to support every Republican candidate who is deemed to be Constitutional or even conservative. I can see now the aghast looks that I would get if I admitted that I have not given to Ron Paul’s 2012 Presidential campaign – “What! Oh my! But Bob, we thought you were a patriot – a Constitutionist – one who stands for principle!” I’m sorry, but I’m feeling a bit like the guy who spends my time and money giving a girl everything she asks for, going the places she wants to go and doing the things she wants to do, but we can’t go any of the places that I want to go lest someone see us together – all our meetings have to be in secret because I’m too unpopular and it would ruin her reputation to be seen with me.

I don’t mean to be offensive toward my Constitutionally minded, liberty loving, Ron Paul Republican friends. I love you. I appreciate you. Not a word of this is meant to be written in so much as an angry or unkind tone. I’m still going to be voting for any true Constitutionists who happen to run as Republicans, or as independents, or as anything else for that matter. I’m still going to support or promote any God honoring, Constitutional, liberty loving activities or endeavors sponsored by other people and organizations.

But please don’t act all shocked and horrified if I treat requests of support for Republican candidates, or requests for Constitution Party candidates to run as Republicans, as being extremely hypocritical.

And if you don’t like what I have to say, blame Cynthia. She’s the one that put this burr under my saddle.