It didn’t take an act of God to get Arizona as our 29th State, but it’s almost like we couldn’t have done it without Him. The most strident, pig headed, and determined opponent of Article V in the country is Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona’s 5th District. He wrote the Bible of opposition, The Con of the Con-Con. He was the President of the Arizona Senate until last year, and an Article V bill would pass the Arizona Legislature over his dead body. There are powerful and vengeful powerful Presiding Officers, and Biggs was one of them. He would use every tool at his disposal to stop us. Arizona was a lost cause, but we had to get Arizona.
Matt Salmon represented the 5th District from 1994-2000, when he honored his pledge to serve no more than three terms. In 2002 he ran for Governor against Janet Napolitano, and lost by 12,000 votes, a heart breaker. The guy who took over his House seat, Jeff Flake, ran successfully for the Senate in 2012, so Matt went back to Congress from his old district, winning easily. It’s one of the most conservative Congressional districts in the country.
He was only 58 years old last year, serving his fifth term in Congress, in a life time seat. For some reason, he retired. Biggs ran to replace him, and won the Republican primary in a recount. The new President of the Arizona Senate is a believer in Article V, and with new House Speaker J. D. Mesnard as our sponsor, we passed the Senate today, 17-12, one vote to spare. We even got Senator Dave Farnsworth, after Biggs, the strongest opponent we had.
We had the same problem in Wisconsin, with a State Senator named Glenn Grothman. He was blocking us in the Senate, and there was no way around him. Then a Congressional seat opened up, which he won, and his replacement in the Senate is with us. Quite a coincidence, really. As a result, Senator Kapenga has clear sailing in getting us through this year. The sooner, the better. 30 is a lot better than 29. It starts with a three, meaning it’s in the third decade. And the third sounds and reads quite a bit bigger than the second. At least that’s the way it seems to me. So, on Wisconsin!
We’ve got the same kind of problem in Idaho, with Senator Bart Davis. But he’ll be gone next year, so we hear, when he’s appointed the United States Attorney for Idaho. Thank you, Jesus. When Rep. Zinke got appointed to Secretary of the Interior, I hoped Senate President Scott Sales might get his seat, and be out of our hair. But he didn’t make it, so the Good Lord wouldn’t go that far for us.
I’m not sure, it may take a similar sort of divine intervention to get past Senate President Hugh Leatherman of South Carolina. He’ll celebrate his 86th birthday in a couple weeks. Maybe they’ll give him a little party. Nothing happens in the South Carolina Legislature without Leatherman’s say so, and right now, nothing’s happening, because he wants a gasoline tax, and nobody else does. So nothing happens. I thought the new, vigorous Senate Majority Leader, Shane Massie had figured out a way around this guy, but maybe not. On the other hand, he may be just biding his time, waiting for pressure to mount on Leatherman before he makes his move.
My understanding is that there is a great deal of corruption in the South Carolina Legislature. The person to do something about it is the next United States Attorney for South Carolina. Investigating corruption in a State Legislature is the legitimate business of a U. S. Attorney. Maybe we don’t need divine intervention. Maybe we need a federal investigation.
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