The other day Erick provided his thoughts on the severity of our current economic circumstances and the games that are being played by some of our representatives in congress. Erick essentially threw down the gauntlet and said ‘no more’, calling for conservatives in congress and activists throughout the nation to take the pledge below.

I pledge that if any Republican votes to increase the debt ceiling without first cutting, capping, and balancing using Lee-Cornyn-Hatch, I will work like hell to beat the hell out of him/her in a primary, even if their election is 2014 or 2016.

The importance of this trade-off for raising the debt ceiling is, in my view, the BBA that Sen. Lee brings to the table. Binding the hands of those who control the purse strings, by limiting spending to 18% of GDP, is a fundamental reform that must be achieved. We must replace anyone who will not stand strong on this. No free passes, no appeals, no redemption.

The only question is do we as activists really have the will to follow through, or are we really just mirror images of our effeminate opposition on the left… full of bluster online, but knowing in their heart who owns them and to who they’ll come home?

I will be blunt, I worry that we will fail. I worry that activists will spend time writing on blogs, tweeting, and making connections with people they see twice a year at political conferences, in lieu of walking their precinct. If you aren’t a Precinct Committeeman[PC] yet, you are missing the boat.

As a Precinct Committeeman you become one of the few who is responsible for electing party leadership. In addition to electing leadership, you may also be able to vote on candidate endorsements in the primaries and elect delegates to the RNC. On the national level when you call your representative in Congress, you have a better chance of getting through if you are a PC.

While these responsibilities alone are an attractive tool for enforcing the Erickson pledge, the most powerful tool for the PC’s are the voters they represent. As a PC you will have the ability to organize your own political neighborhood, elect other conservative PC’s, and eventually reform not just your own local party, but the RNC as well.

If you want to be a conservative activist and help provide teeth for the pledge Erick laid out above, then you need to join your local party now. For training and resources that you can use as a PC you can check out Freedomworks* and American Majority. You may need to work for reform, but you will be surprised by the number of allies you will find.

I hope that the conservative movement proves my fears to be absurd.

Aaron B. Gardner

* Here is the guide for the FreedomConnector and a volunteer handbook. Seriously, what are you waiting for?