I believe the greatest threat to human freedom and thriving is the political class. That smirking political class infects both Washington, DC, and Jefferson City, Missouri. And I believe only one candidate has the courage, the brains, and the commitment to destroy that political class in Missouri. That candidate is Eric Greitens.

Do you want to live as a slave to that smirking political class? Or do you want to live free and thrive?

Three Republican candidates for governor have crawled to the political class for help. One has not. That one is Eric Greitens.

Some of my friends attack Mr. Greitens, even on the St. Louis Tea Party blog, which I operate and fund. I let their attacks go out, under my name, not because I agree, but because I trust the people.

We have a simple policy for the contributors to that blog: write what you believe. If other contributors disagree, they can write what they believe. The people will sort it out. So, now, it’s my turn.

Remnant No More

Many Tea Partiers want to remain political remnants. Political martyrs. Slaves to a self-imposed conformity. Self-righteous worshippers at the altar of the smirking political class. I know their feelings because I was a remnant for most of my life.

The president of the American Enterprise Institute, Dr. Arthur C. Brooks, explained the phenomenon in his book The Conservative Heart:

The Tea Party rebellion, and the conservative grassroots it has energized, thus have some choices to make: Does it want to remain at step one, settle for 19 percent support (and falling), and become a permanent political remnant— capable of setting political brushfires, but too weak to bring about real lasting change in our nation? Or does it want to make a run at majority status and build a popular social movement that changes our country forever? Do Tea Party activists want to remain little more than the guardian of fiscally conservative orthodoxy holding the Republican establishment’s feet to the fire? Or can the Tea Party become something bigger— a transformational, majoritarian force in American politics that does not simply rebel against American decline, but reverses it?

The truth is, if we want to reverse American decline, and not just rail against it, then we do in fact need a conservative majority to prevail. That requires that Tea Party patriots start thinking like a majoritarian social movement.

A vote for anyone other than Eric Greitens is a vote for permanent remnant status.

Yes, Eric Greitens began life as a Democrat, just like Ronald Reagan did. Yes, Eric Greitens applauded Democrats’ speeches, just like Ronald Reagan did. Yes, Eric Greitens wrote in support of big government programs, just like Ronald Reagan did.

But Eric Greitens has seen fit to move to the right because he’s seen the damage done by the policies he once endorsed. Sensible people would help him make those corrections. Eric Greitens is fully equipped and prepared to fix Missouri.

The more Eric sees government in action, the more he seeks to restrain government.

Just like Ronald Reagan.

And Greitens is the only Republican likely to beat the Democrat in November.

The Political Class Bleeds and Chokes Conservatism

Eric’s opponents in this race have two things in common:

1. They’re (mostly) good people who love America and recite the conservative credo by heart.

2. They’ve all pledged allegiance to the smirking political class.

As long as that smirking political class holds sway in Jefferson City, our limited-government movement will remain a remnant, a faction, of frustrated grassroots activists waving signs that no one else reads or understands.

That’s why I believe Americans have a duty to blow up the political class first.

Combat First Aid

In military first aid class, we learned a three-step system for treating seriously injured shipmates:

1. Stop the bleeding.

The smirking political class is a sucking chest wound on this country. It’s bleeding us dry. Until we stop that bleeding, nothing else helps.

Crony capitalism sits on the chest of the American economy, suffocating growth. Until will corral crony capitalism, our solutions will fail.

And government-first thinking has shocked our constitutional, limited government system, almost beyond recognition. But our solutions will be wasted on a patient who’s bleeding, not breathing, or dead.

If your priority is anything but blowing up that smirking political class, then you’re going to kill the patient. He’ll bleed to death.

If you tolerate crony capitalism, then you’re going to kill the patient. He’ll suffocate.

The only way to save the patient is to stop the bleeding by blowing up the political class, start the breathing by destroying crony capitalism, and then start the breathing of limited government.

All four Republican candidates say they’ll treat for shock, but three of the candidates would be performing mouth-to-mouth on a corpse. Only Eric Greitens will follow the proven, lifesaving method of field first aid.

Without reservation or purpose of evasion, I wholeheartedly and proudly repeat my endorsement of Eric Greitens for governor of Missouri. And I ask you to join me in saving our country.