Election Integrity, Second Amendment Rights, and the Battle for American Values

On April 26, 2024, Jody Hice, Allen Thomas, Nephi Cole, Rick Rome, and Jim May joined the show. Former Georgia congressman discusses how COVID became a pretext for election law changes, the importance of clean voter rolls, and citizens’ responsibility to demand fair elections from state officials Political commentator explains the Overton window concept and argues conservatives must take incremental policy steps rather than demanding all-or-nothing positions that. Protecting the Sacred Trust of Elections Start listening at 86:12 – Hour 2 Jody Hice, former Georgia congressman and author of Sacred: Election Integrity and the Will of the People, reveals how COVID-19 became the pretext for sweeping election law changes across America. Hice recounts his experience on the House Oversight Committee where, within weeks of the first U.S. COVID case, Democrats began pushing for federal election takeovers through hearing after hearing. The former congressman explains that mail-in ballots were once considered problematic by both parties, citing the 2005 Carter-Baker Commission’s warnings about fraud vulnerabilities. He emphasizes that clean voter rolls form the foundation of election integrity, noting that 10 to 20 percent inaccuracy rates make accurate outcomes impossible. Hice argues that elections exist solely to reflect the voice and will of the people, and when that sacred trust is compromised, citizens lose their capacity for self-governance. States like Florida and Georgia have made significant strides in election reform, Hice notes, creating pressure on states like Colorado that have not taken similar action. He encourages citizens to continue demanding fair elections from their elected officials. “Elections are not about who wins or who loses. Ultimately, elections are only and solely about the voice and the will of the people being accurately heard and accurately counted.” Jody Hice, Former Georgia Congressman Understanding Political Strategy and the Overton Window Start listening at 02:15 – Hour 1 Allen Thomas joins Kim in studio to discuss his upcoming essay, “A Muted Speaker of the House is a House Destroyed,” while providing crucial insight into effective political strategy. Thomas explains the Overton window concept, describing how public opinion creates boundaries within which politicians feel safe to operate. Thomas argues that conservatives often fail by demanding all-or-nothing policy positions rather than taking incremental steps like progressives have mastered. Using abortion policy as an example, he suggests heartbeat bills represent pragmatic steps that shift public opinion while saving lives, rather than demanding complete bans that fall outside current cultural acceptance. The political commentator also addresses the Speaker of the House controversy, explaining that the founding fathers never envisioned the Speaker as a power position but rather as a parliamentarian serving the institution. Thomas warns that grinding the House to a halt through repeated vacate threats undermines the government’s ability to function as designed. “The Overton window is a constantly shifting window between these two extremes. And it’s where the public generally falls. And the Overton window is really the safe zone for any politician to have a policy within.” Allen Thomas, Political Commentator Colorado’s Constitutional Crisis on Firearms Start listening at 19:26 – Hour 1 Nephi Cole