Randi Shannon, the former Republican candidate in Iowa Senate district 34, was a guest on yesterday’s edition of the Fallon Forum webcast. During the program, she explained her decision to accept an appointment to a shadow U.S. Senate rather than run for the Iowa legislature. I’ve posted the YouTube video of the program after the jump. The relevant part of the conversation begins around the 11-minute mark and continues for about 15 minutes.
Republicans in Senate district 34 will select a replacement candidate to face Democrat Liz Mathis during the next few weeks.
George Templer, one of four “Congressmen” from Iowa in the Republic of the United States, was also a guest on the program. Templer said an assembly of about 50 people in July 2010 elected the four members of Congress in the “de jure” republic. He did not explain how these four men can represent the whole state of Iowa, given that three of them live in Scott County, and the other lives in neighboring Muscatine County. But in an odd way, it does make sense that the state’s would-be Congressional delegation selected Shannon as senator. Citizens of this “republic” reject everything the federal government has done since 1871 as illegitimate. The constitutional amendment providing for direct popular election of U.S. senators took effect decades after that point.
UPDATE: During the radio program, Templer lectured Fallon about studying U.S. history. I would advise Templer to read up on the 1842 Apportionment Act. Since President John Tyler signed that act into law, states with multiple representatives in the U.S. House have been required to elect those representatives from single-member districts (as opposed to choosing several people in one statewide at-large election). Accordingly, even in the pre-1871 republic, the state of Iowa could not have legally elected three U.S. House members from Scott County and one from Muscatine County.
SECOND UPDATE: Here’s another legitimacy problem for the “Republic of the United States of America.” As of 1871, there were only 37 states in the union (not including Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, or Hawaii). But the website of the self-styled Republic appears to recognize all 50 states as part of of the U.S. The “Republic President” James Timothy Turner visited New Mexico and Arizona last month as part of his “State of the Union Tour 2012.”
Note: These will be closed private meetings. Only confirmed members of the Republic are invited to attend. Please make sure to bring a copy of your signed paperwork to verify that you are a Republic member. No electronics of any kind will be allowed in the meeting room.
No electronics? Very pre-1871. The “show your papers” idea sounds more like a recent innovation, though.
4 Comments
anticlimactic
I was on after Shannon and she was a tough act to follow…
jdeeth Wed 18 Jul 1:03 PM
next time use more Latin
George Templer was attention-getting with his explanation of the difference between a shadow government and the “de jure” government Shannon joined.
I wish Ed Fallon had asked Shannon about women’s suffrage in the Republic of the United States of America. That was a couple of generations away in 1871.
desmoinesdem Wed 18 Jul 1:36 PM
There was some uneasy tension
between Fallon and Templer. Templer was clearly offended by the Scott County comment. I thought there might be a few more fireworks.
moderateiadem Wed 18 Jul 4:45 PM
I expect more of the same
Why the surprise? The political parties are increasingly viewed as illegitimate. They ignore majority opinion on all issues unless opinions coincide w/ wishes of large donors. It’s the rise of NOTA, although this will just be a temporary holding pattern.
In no particular order, over recent weeks:
1. A USW worker prominently featured in anti-Romney ads is now making the youtube rounds as a NOTA.
2. Quoting Ian Welsh, former contributor to the now defunct OpenLeft:
The key point here is “passed over their dissent.” Welcome, new IRS agents and other enforcers.
3. Popular support for increased CAFO regulation — ignored.
4. WI — lack of support for public sector unions. Quoting Welsh again:
As long as the union movement is about a few people keeping higher wages, it will continue to fail.
So true. This is a good example of pols pretending to pay heed to majority opinion in the interests of large donors.
5. Iowa opposition to executive policy on immigration. Perceived as illegitimate.
These various movements, whether Tea Party, Ron Paul! or shadow US Senates are all about rejecting our current form of government as illegitimate and in most cases, defunding it. I wouldn’t laugh or snicker. The Tea Partiers did quite well in 2010 and the RP types have taken over the state GOP in IA and NV. Every person who is opting for (now) mainstream to fringe options that reject the status quo have a louder voice than the go-along-to-get-alongs.
On the “progressive” side, we have the Dems who migrated over to Ron Paul!, the Donnie Boxes:
and voter suppression. I don’t just mean the Voter ID efforts in multiple states across the country. Telling people that all you’ve got for them is that you’re “fighting the other side” so they can vote (for your fav candidates) is just the other side of the voter suppression coin.
The John Edwards show trial took place for one reason: to prop up lagging confidence in government.
Sure, some of these folks sound kooky, but I don’t think we have far to go before there’s a complete breakdown in public confidence unless you believe the “dueling ads” are inspiring Americans to a greater purpose.
albert Wed 18 Jul 1:57 PM