Getting secessionist measures on state and local ballots would be an excellent activist strategy for adherents of the pan-secessionist tactical position of any ideological stripe.

KTRH Radio

The race for the presidency in 2016 is already heating up, but one group in the Lone Star State is hoping for a bigger battle on next year’s ballot.  The Texas Nationalist Movement (TNM) is launching a tour of 21 cities across the state over the next month to build support for Texas independence.  “This tour is in support of the new initiative we’ve launched to gather enough signatures on a petition so that we can force a referendum on Texas independence onto the Republican primary ballot in 2016,” says TNM President Daniel Miller.

The push for secession in Texas is nothing new, with various groups promoting it over the years and even longtime Congressman and former Presidential candidate Ron Paul speaking out on the subject earlier this year.  Miller tells KTRH that the TNM has been around for more than a decade and is seeking to bring the movement to the mainstream.  “To place this on a ballot so that people can go to the polls and vote for it, and express their will to the politicians and elected officials here in Texas,” he says.

Miller cites a Reuters survey from last year that showed support for secession nationwide is much higher than many thought.  “The breakdowns were about 54% of Republicans, roughly 50% of independents and 35% of Democrats,” he says.  “So we know that right now support for Texas independence is higher than it’s ever been, and it just continues to grow.”

As to the question of why should Texas break away from the union, Miller turns it around and asks why not.  “Is it the skyrocketing debt, is it the lack of respect for sovereignty, is it the excessive regulations that come out of the federal government?,” he asks.  “What exactly is it that’s attractive about staying?”