FAQs
- How do you guarantee that the person you elect on the TM platform will follow through on his promise to vote as Thomas Massie does?
First, no candidate has ever provided a guarantee as to how they will vote. We've always had to just take their word that they would govern according to the principles that they campaigned on. This would be a first meaningful effort to provide voters with a real assurance of both candidate intention and action.
In contract law, there is a legal remedy called "specific performance". The TM candidate would be required to sign a contract that requires him to resign from Congress if he ever fails to vote in the same way as Thomas Massie. Other parties to the contract would have legal recourse should TM not vote as required by the contract. There might be a financial penalty in the contract. More importantly, a judge has the authority to require performance as defined in the contract. If TM refuses to sign a resignation letter, the judge could write and sign it for him.
There are a number of ways this contract could be drafted. This is a key provision in persuading the public that this is a serious endeavor to give them someone they can believe in. The public needs something more solid than campaign promises to get them to the polls. They have to have confidence that if TM is elected, they will be represented by a Thomas Massie clone.
This contract could be between TM and a committee of party members. Maybe a majority of this committee would be needed to approve of suing for enforcement of the contract, should it come to that. Or, maybe any member of the committee could sue individually to have the contract enforced. Keep in mind that the only reason a civil lawsuit would be necessary is if TM fails to vote in the same way as Thomas Massie. This is essentially a recall for a single, specific cause that could be initiated by a committee of members of TM's own party, instead of having to go through a state-wide recall.
TM candidates would be the only congressional representatives who volunteer to wear a figurative noose around their necks for the duration of their time in Congress.
- What if Thomas Massie dies in office or, for any other reason, is unable to complete his term?
While highly unlikely, this is not insignificant and must be accounted for. Should this occur, the contract ensuring adherence to Massie's voting record would be voided. This possibility alone is enough to require all TM candidates to undergo a rigorous primary process to ensure they can govern independently should the need arise. Then, the public can weigh the advantage of being represented by a Massie clone against the slim chance that Massie can't complete his term in the 120th Congress.
- What if Thomas Massie loses his bid for re-election?
Same answer as above.