Back in January 2013, IPR first interviewed Nevada Constitution Party activist Cody Quirk about his organization, the Clarion Call to Unite Committee (CCTUC). From the website, (http://www.cctuc.com): “The Clarion Call To Unite Committee is a group made up of like-minded constitutionalists from various minor parties and political independents that likewise favor the restoration of our Constitutional Republic. The goal of this group, however, is to bring all Constitutionalist and Principled-Conservative political parties together in harmony and work towards the formation, and eventual creation, of a permanent and united national party that will be successful in its efforts to restore our original Constitutional Republic.”
IPR interviewed you back in January. (That interview is available here: http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2013/01/ipr-exclusive-interview-with-cody-quirk-nevada-cp-activist-seeking-to-unite-all-constitutionalist-parties/). Since then, what progress has been made with CCTUC and it’s goal to unite all constitutionalist and right wing minor parties under one banner?
Cody Quirk Since the start of our dialogue with the other constitutionalist parties out there, we have made tremendous progress! Besides the supportive individual members and leaders of the Constitution Party that back the CCTUC and the goal of uniting the parties, we have 5 other national & state parties that want to talk about unification, with a sixth one still undecided. Only one party rejected our efforts and appeals, and the leaders and members of two others were impossible to get a hold of, or never responded to any of our emails, or calls. Nevertheless, the first hurdle for us has largely been accomplished- therefore, we have already set up a private conference with the leaders, officers, and/or official representatives from each of these parties, including the Constitution Party, which will take place in two weeks from now. I must say that bringing all, or at least the majority, of these constitutionalist/principled-conservative parties together is largely possible here; you just have to work at it and be both diplomatic, yet persistent.
Krzysztof Lesiak Can you tell us which parties said they are willing to collaborate and which party declined?- Krzysztof Lesiak Yes, the Reform Party of Kansas has a ballot line, which they gave to Chuck Baldwin in 2012, he received over 5,000 votes (more than he did in 2008 in the state). As for the America First Party, aren’t they basically a website only party? Also, what about America’s Party, Christian Liberty Party, or American Conservative Party -have you reached out to these small parties?
- Cody Quirk Yes & No: I do not understand why the Kansas RfP had Chuck Baldwin on the ballot when he wasn’t running for president then, and there was Virgil Goode as the constitutionalist choice during that election (even though Gary Johnson did pick up a lot of constitutionalist votes). However one of the rumors I heard about the Kansas RfP was that the guy running it previously (Joseph Martin), has already moved out of the state- so we don’t fully know the situation that’s going on over there, yet its not the end of the world and hopefully the matter with the Kansas RfP will soon become moot. As for the AFP, I might have to agree with that statement; out of literally all the people in their party that we emailed, or called, only Mr. Hill, Mr. Hey, and one Mrs. Romelle Winters, responded to us. They also haven’t ran any state or local candidates since 2006, judging from their website -so indeed, you might be correct in that statement. I mentioned that there was one party still on the fence about the issue of merger and in attending our conference, so all I’ll say on America’s Party is ‘ditto’. And previously, I addressed that there were certain parties that we were not going to reach out to- because either they were too neoconservative (or too moderate), or even too radical/extremist, for our taste, and to include them in our efforts would have been a serious mistake- the American Conservative Party is indeed of the former, which is simply a wannabe Republican Party in their beliefs and in their platform, while the Christian Liberty Party is of the latter and prohibits certain Christians and non-Christians in membership, along with favoring the establishment of a theocratic style (and Calvinist-oriented) American government, rather then in restoring our Constitution Republic; so to try to talk to the CLP about merging with the parties that are part of our coalition we have now is out of the question, period.
- Cody Quirk The one coming up in a few weeks is going to be both via phone & online- but again, it will be private, as, only the leaders, officers, and official representatives of each party are invited- so we basically set out invitations first to these people that we want, or expect to be at the conference. And the conference itself will be monitored as well- because of the sensitive nature of this meeting, we don’t want anything to go wrong or for anyone to cause problems there. And when this conference is concluded, the recordings of it will be publicly released soon afterwards. However, I am considering allowing one or two non-party members to join the conference, as both witnesses and honest participates that support the CCTUC and uniting the parties together.
- Cody Quirk And whether we have a second or a third meeting, or conference, later on down the line also depends on how this upcoming one works out.
- Krzysztof Lesiak Ok. Now what about the Constitution Party leadership? I assume they are away of your efforts and work with CCTUC. Are they behind this effort? Is the end goal of this effort to get these parties to merge with the CP?
Honestly, I first started this effort on my own- without any form of encouragement, or direction from the leaders of the CP whatsoever, yet it quickly grew- people flocked to it and later became officials with the CCTUC. Of course the Young Constitutionalist Chairman, Joshua Fauver, is helping me out and he has been a great help and certainly is a experienced patriot and has a heart of gold. A few other CP leaders, and even leaders of the National IAP support the CCTUC in principle… But then again, there are also other leaders of the CP that are a bit ‘clannish’ and highly skeptical in their mindset about reaching out to the other parties on the issue of merger, and still think that the CP is doing great and doesn’t need any improvement at all, when in fact it does, and certainly is still going through a rough time internally since the 2012 elections. We’re still trying to reach out to such people and to all leaders in the CP and make then understand that the nonexistent or petty differences, past animosity, and complete distrust of the other constitutionalist parties out there must come to an end! Obama got re-elected, our Second Amendment rights, and many other constitutional rights we once cherished are now in danger like no other time in our history- and with the GOP moving more to the Left then ever, the CP and the other ‘rival’ parties out there need to bury the hatchet on any feuds, or rivalries that may have been going on previously, and unite together as one national entity that would be stronger, more organized, and a thousand times more politically powerful then the CP, and any other constitutionalist party is by themselves. And I greatly fear that for any CP’er to reject this Clarion Call To Unite, that not only would they be hurting their own party, but would also be hurting the cause & goal to bring back constitutional government in our nation. Honestly, to reject such an incredible, political opportunity that has never been available before in modern American political history, yet is available now, would not only be selfish and petty, but outright simpleton- we cannot put party above principle here! We have a goal of restoring our Constitutional Republic, and to start making the major breakthroughs in state and even national elections that the CP is still currently struggling to reach that point since it first came into existence 20 years ago. With a unified constitutionalist party, however, not only will we reach that point, but we will put an end to the two-party system.- Cody Quirk On the matter of merging the other parties into the CP- in a way, yes, but only if certain conditions are met and the merger is done in a way that is fair and considerate to all of the political parties, their leaders, and their members which would be involved in the merger itself
- Krzysztof Lesiak What do you envision the future to be, do you think you’ll be successful, how long will it take you think for unification? Also what are your plans with the Constitution Party, and more specifically the Nevada IAP?
- Cody Quirk I’m a firm believer of the saying that “God Helps Those That Help Themselves” -the future only looks bleak and damning if we do nothing to change it or even prepare for it. And unlike the current mindset that many CP’ers and constitutionalists do hold, we need to start looking at the glass being half-full instead of half-empty; I believe that if we’re simply more motivated and more driven to restore our constitutional government, then things will change for the better and we will become blessed due to our relentless, dedicated work. With the CCTUC, I believe this ‘work’ is going to indirectly get the ball rolling back in our, and the nation’s favor; if we can bring the parties together as one and form a unified constitutionalist party, then the political dominoes will soon start to fall and give us bigger opportunities that are yet to come. What we intend to create, I firmly believe, will began a political, and even a social effect similar to what the Republican Party had on the American landscape back in the late 1850′s- only with our goal being the restoration of our Republic and our Constitution instead of then abolitionism and modernism -we will gradually start to move mountains we never thought we could have moved before, and that lies on the individual patriot and the drive, or resolve that’s within him/her to not accept the status-quo and to do something about it, regardless of any disadvantages or obstacles that might be in his/her way. You see, the more you keeping pushing yourself, the more motivated you become- the more motivated you become, the more relentless you become- the more relentless you become… The more successful you will be afterwards. That’s how I am personally- I just cannot accept things the way they are, or the way they’re going to end up- and if I want to see that changed and no one else is going to do it, then I’ll get up and do the job myself, regardless of how difficult it is; I’m going to do something about it. I admit I’m a little surprised in how far we’re gotten on this, and while I don’t know what the outcome will be, yet if we still keep pushing hard and moving forward, no matter what, then we will certainly move one big mountain out of our way, and while it largely depends on how things go with such efforts, but no matter what, we are going to unite these parties, regardless; we’re not taking ‘no’ for an answer. The fate of constitutionalism, and our own nation, is in our own hands, even if we don’t realize it- we will decide that fate ourselves, it is up to us if our nation slips entirely into darkness, or if we work hard to bring it back into the light- we are only powerless in the bleak outcome if we simply do nothing, or do little. Yet if we work hard to unify the parties as one, then I imagine we can both start electing candidates into the state legislatures, even a few into congress, and maybe a governor or two. But we will also develop a tremendous influence on our own federal government where I believe that some of the goals and views in the CP national platform, and the platforms of the other parties, can actually be accomplished, through government reform and legislation at the state and federal level. I do firmly believe that with such a scenario becoming a reality for America -we will then be a firm redoubt against the socialistic & totalitarian tides that could sweep throughout the world as they’re starting to now. Those are my goals for the CP, even if it means the CP itself must transform into something more incredible & effective in order to get to that point- it is possible, but again the members of the CP themselves are the ones to decide such a outcome. As for the Nevada IAP, well, with the current strategy we’re using here, which is starting to bear us fruit- we simply need to keep at it, and to better develop the IAP itself in many ways- yet that is already happening. So I can confidently say that we will be a permanent fixture (and hopefully a bigger one, later on, then we are now) on Nevada’s political landscape for many generations to come. You know Chris, its really is something what one individual could do if he/she had the willpower or determination to do it- to make great changes happen for the better, or for worse- especially if that one person can inspire others to do the same as well. I do hope to continue to be a positive inspiration to other constitutionalists & patriots out there that want to change the status-quo, as I am trying to do myself. But regardless, the Almighty has left the future of our country in our own hands- and we better not sit idly by and allow it perish.
