Republicans are very quietly working at the state level in their efforts to bypass congress and amend the United States Constitution and elected Democrats at federal and state levels had better pay attention.  Not only should our elected officials pay attention but Democratic and Republican constituents should pay attention as well.  These constituents should pay attention because far too often our elected officials allow their political ambitions to take priority over their fiduciary responsibility to those who elected them.  This time and in this particular case, all of those who have been drawn or will be drawn into this web that these Republicans have constructed were likely or will likely be convinced to abandon their fiduciary responsibility after considering the deep pockets of those who are funding this effort.  These funders are many of the same people who fund their reelection efforts.

This effort that is being funded by the Koch brothers, Donors Trust and other rich conservative supporters is quietly moving forward, virtually beyond public notice, and is well on its way to getting the support of enough states to summon a convention of the 50 states for the purpose of considering amending the U.S. Constitution.  Efforts to amend the Constitution have been tried and failed so many times before that many politicians who do not support this effort are probably ignoring it.

But I will take this opportunity to remind all of the states, with special emphasis on Colorado since that is where I live, of the Republicans’ REDMAP effort that was extremely successful and which likely played no small part in the success that this current effort is having.  To put the gains made in this movement’s current success in the words of Michael Wines; in his August 22, 2016 article in the New York Times entitled ‘Inside the Conservative Push for States to Amend the Constitution’ he said, “But as Republicans have surged to control of state legislatures and moved sharply rightward during the Obama years, what was once a pet project of the party’s fringe has become a proposal with a plausible chance of success.  Some of the former Republican presidential candidates, including comparative moderates like John Kasich and Jeb Bush, have endorsed a state amendment convention.”

Wow!  The Koch brothers, Governor John Kasich and former Governor Jeb Bush; these are powerful people!  With people like these supporting this effort, especially quietly – after all, these are politicians who love publicity – elected Democrats at the federal and state levels had better pay attention now.  At least with REDMAP, which Democrats seem to have ignored until it was too late, it is a situation from which Democrats can eventually recover.  In the case of a successful effort by Republicans to summon states to a convention to consider amending the Constitution, the ability to recover from what transpires at such a convention could be impossible.

Although it is hard to determine what the Republican Party will look like post Donald J. Trump, whether he wins or loses it will not be the same.  Mr. Trump has managed to pull a lot of blue collar workers into his camp and many of them are likely Democrats.  However, what has already been determined is that the Republican Party has for a long time been and currently remains a party of the rich and powerful.  Most of the laws and rules that are currently in place that favor the rich and powerful were fostered and are still supported by this party.

Since Republicans have lost much of their power to pass laws, in large part due to schisms in their party, and it appears that they could lose more of their control on congress after the 2016 election and going forward, this latest effort to amend the Constitution might be their best chance at clinging to some vestiges of power.  Elected Democrats and their constituents and Republicans who have much to lose if a convention to consider amending the Constitution takes place should not take Republicans who are behind this effort lightly.

These Republicans, the Koch brothers, Donors Trust and all of the other rich conservatives behind this effort are desperate and determined to win.  If middleclass America hopes to have any chance of coming back, reestablishing its position as the backbone of America and reestablishing its rightful chance to have a fair shot at achieving the American dream, all of us must monitor this effort to amend the Constitution closely and assure that it is not successful until American citizens fully understand the true purpose behind it and the impact that it could have on all of us.

The best way for the everyday American to assure that they are not used as pawns in the political fray of those who at times are unsure as to whether they should be true to their Party and/or political ambitions or those constituents who elected them is to get and stay informed.  Armed with this, we can and should let our elected representatives know how we feel on relevant issues and hold them accountable to conduct themselves accordingly by way of their vote.  If they do not do this then we can and should replace them.

So get informed on the issues and stay that way and always exercise your right to vote.  And remember, whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it!

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line