A group of fifteen people gathered in the conference room at Windsor Branch Library Wednesday evening to meet Richard Blowers, the Constitution Party’s candidate for Dist. 102 State Rep.  Acting Jefferson County Chairman Nick Ivanovich opened the meeting with words about political issues and introduced Blowers. 

     “We’re all aware that we are where we are today because our elected representatives put us here,” Ivanovich said. 

     Ivanovich listed problems he sees in various areas such as debt and immigration.  He expressed some dissatisfaction with the Republican Party, citing Sen. McCain’s (R-Ariz.) proposed amendment to the Buy American provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  He also spoke in opposition to war spending.

     “They’re about to lead us into another war in Iran and we’re broke,” he said.

     Before turning over the podium to Blowers, Ivanovich quoted Thomas Jefferson, “The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it to be always kept alive.  It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all.” 

     Blowers spoke about his decision to run for State Rep. 

     “If you’d told me a year ago that I’d be doing this today, I would have laughed,” Blowers said.

     A former Republican who ran in 1990 for State Rep in Dist. 92, Blowers said that he was introduced to the Constitution Party through a series of classes on the Constitution.  He said that during the second meeting he realized that this was where he needed to be.  

     Blowers said that one of the biggest obstacles Constitution Party faces is people who are afraid to vote for a third-party.  He hopes to be the first Constitution Party candidate elected to a Missouri state office. 

     “If we can get a small footprint, that will make a difference,” Blowers said.

     Constitution Party of Missouri Secretary, Cindy Redburn spoke about the obstacle of partisan fears. 

     “Democrats don’t vote for Republicans but they do vote for independents,” she said.

     “You have to vote for your principles,” Blowers said.  “You have to vote for the best person.”

      “This is the time for third parties,” Ivanovich said.  “We’re here tonight to make some kind of a change.”

     When Ivanovich requested three or four volunteers to help run Blowers’ campaign, five people raised their hands.

     Redburn said that the party is running at least 12 to 14 candidates with more currently in the vetting process.  She hopes for 25 candidates in the November elections.

     Attendees suggested ways to promote Blowers’ campaign, ranging from flyers on windshields and booths at area events to adopting a section of highway and hosting smaller private parties in people’s homes to meet the candidate.   Ivanovich said that the nice thing about house meetings is their informality. 

     Blowers also announced the launch of his campaign website, www.BlowersForMOHouse.com, and attendees discussed using social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook to promote the campaign.

     One attendee spoke about political offices as public service, and compared elected positions to being drafted.  Blowers responded that he had made arrangements to retain his day job before running, so that he would be able to return to his previous position when his term ends, if elected.

     Ivanovich hopes to see twice as many in attendance at the next meeting.

     In an email after the meeting, Ivanovich detailed where the Constitution Party stands on major issues.

     “We in the CP focus much of our effort to inform citizens as to the original intent of the Founders who gave us the Constitution.  We want to bring the representative government back to the hands of the people. We require government, Local, State and Federal to operate within the parameters of the Constitution, with their primary purpose to preserve the Rights of the people.  Thus we are best described as constitutionalists.”

     He also explained shared interests with conservatives and how the party differs from Republicans.

     “We resonate with conservatives, in the current sense, smaller government with limited powers, and a strong national defense, but, we do not support wars of empire. We believe all war must initiate from a ‘Declaration of War’ by the Congress. We reaffirm the unalienable right to Life, especially of the unborn.”

     “We stand for America first, bottom up control of government, emphasizing local control including education. We are a voice for independent working and small business owning Americans. We do not support Globalism, Free Trade capitalists who advocate the free flow of corporations, capital, material and labor, unrestricted across all borders. Globalists would essentially eliminate borders and nation states, and they favor top down global government of an elite.”

     Ivanovich recommends party websites, www.ConstitutionPartyMo.org
and the party’s national site www.ConstitutionParty.com for sources of further information.