I’m glad Saturday came and went. “The First Hundred Days” is a nice gimmick for talking heads on television, but it means nothing in the real world. Pundits say that the first three months set the tone for what’s to come in a Presidential administration, but politics have been so volatile and unpredictable, it hardly seems like a good indicator of, well, anything. With President Trump, it’s safe to say that there’s no guarantee that the first hundred days will bear any resemblance to the next, or the next after that.
Though I don’t care about any false litmus test, I do care about our nation and the grassroots activists that truly make America great already. I wish you had a chance to meet them like I do as I go all over the country, from state to state. These people aren’t just “likely voters,” they’re 100% voters. They’re the ones who get up early and knock on doors for a candidate or a cause. The ones who donate their hard earned money to a candidate, hoping the politician won’t cause them to regret it. They’re the ones who influence their friends, family, and community with their well-developed political ideas. The people who talk most eloquently at the dinner table about the news, the ones who keep tabs on what our leaders are doing versus what they are saying. They’re the Americans who might have patriotic bumper stickers on their cars, and definitely have patriotism in their hearts. Even though people in their communities pay a disproportionate amount of attention to these “grassroots activists,” the media doesn’t. Maybe that’s why almost media outlet was shocked and confused at the outcome of the 2016 Presidential contest.
Due to the massive grassroots network the Convention of States and Citizens for Self-Governance has activated, I was able to find out how thousands of real American, grassroots activists feel after Trump’s first hundred days. The grassroots are generally pleased with the President’s attempts to keep his promises, but they believe he’s been thwarted by an implacable Congress, out of control courts, and unaccountable career bureaucrats. They believe he’s dramatically and quickly repositioned the U.S. as a force for good in the world, appointed an outstanding Supreme Court Justice, rolled back strangling regulations and worked to return power to the states. His staunchest supporters are pleased, and his more reluctant supporters seem to be coming his way. They want the wall built; nothing short of actual brick and mortar will satisfy that expectation.
Here are the actual numbers:
- 55% gave Trump an “A” in terms of keeping campaign promises to grassroots; which is down from the 67% that gave him an “A” at the 50 day mark
- 32% gave Trump a “B” – which is up from 23% that gave him a “B” at 50 days
- 34% gave Republican leaders a “C” for working with President Trump to keep his campaign promises – which is down from the 41% at the half way mark
- 34% gave Republican leaders a “D” grade after 100 days – which is up from 21% at 50 days
- 31% gave Republicans in Congress a “C” on their ability to fulfill legislative priorities; which is down from 37% at the half way mark
- 85% gave an “F” to the media when it comes to covering the new administration; which is up from 79 % at the 50 day mark
- 76% of respondents believe Democratic leaders refuse to accept the results of the election; a significant increase from 50% after the first 50 days
After the first fifty days, the number one priority of the grassroots activists was “appointing constitutionalists to the courts.” (Trump really delivered on that one.) After the first hundred days, their number one priority is “repealing and replacing Obamacare.” Of course, the President has already suffered a major set back on that repeal, and these grassroots activists aren’t naïve. They know electing a president whose party controls both the House and the Senate is not enough to fix the federal government. It never will be. They realize it’s going to be up to them to restore the balance of power. Real reform will never come from Washington, D.C.
Even in such a politically dynamic world, the grassroots activists I know aren’t looking to Washington, D.C. and asking, “Haven’t you fixed this yet?” They want Trump to keep his promises, but they’re relying on a promise our Founders gave us in Article V of the Constitution. They gave us a way out, in case the government ever grew too big, corrupt, and inept. And the good thing about that Constitutional promise is that we don’t have to sit around and see if DC keeps it. By giving us the ability to call a Convention of States, average Americans can work through the states to change the Constitution without permission of the President or Congress.
Though I doubt the Founding Fathers could’ve envisioned the past year of political drama and intrigue, they gave us a solution to political overreach that the grassroots activists are ready to use. As the media breathlessly reported on what they saw as the victories or shortfalls of the Trump administration, they missed the real story. Only two thirds of the states are required to pass an application to call a Convention of States; ten states have already done so.
That’s why the grassroots activists that I talk to all over this nation have hope. With politics, there’s no guarantee that the first hundred days of a Presidential administration will bear any resemblance to the next. But if the people demand to restrain the federal government, liberty will reign no matter who’s in the Oval Office… no matter how many days have passed.
Mark Meckler is the president of Citizens for Self-Governance