Maturing
baby boomers... Wouldn’t be too unusual if you knew a few who dedicated their growing years to intense
political involvement. It would
be fairly unusual, however, to find a core of
boomers who look back on years of
intense work with a political
leader and still carry him in the
highest regard. Time, history and subsequent knowledge tarnishes traditional political giants.
Ed Koupal, People’s Lobby founder, was not
traditional, and time hasn’t tarnished the memories of those who worked
with or learned about him.
Koupal believed in the initiative so deeply
that 20 years ago he convinced
two boomers to take the seeds he
sowed in their heads onto an old yellow
school bus and plant them
along the back roads of
America until they sprouted in a Senate Judiciary hearing room.
Author David Schmidt, whose Citizen Lawmakers, The Ballot Initiative
Revolution, this year went into its second printing, studied and
learned about the Koupals’ People’s
Lobby by living with initiative
gardeners John Forester and Roger Telschow.
“Roger and John were constantly
telling stories about Ed. Referring to
him as a genius who knew how to put
politicians on the run... Ed was
the center piece of the book. It
started with the conclusion that Ed and
Joyce Koupal and the Lobby revived the initiative process and supported that
conclusion with lots of evidence.”
A book can tell you some of a man’s deeds, but working next to him
increases the odds that his green thumb
or magic madness might rub off. John
Forester is a broker now where he “must stay
up on current affairs,” reading
at least three newspapers a day.
It’s a habit he watched Ed and Joyce practice daily, one that rubbed
off. “My People’s Lobby training and
thinking is still the same. I’m still a
Koupal guerrilaist, “ Forester says in broker’s gear..
John isn’t
as political as he and Roger were yellow bussing through the states and setting in motion the 1977
Senate Judiciary hearing on
implementing a National Initiative.
But he still enjoys dispensing
“Koupalisms” learned during
People’s Lobby crusades. Weeks ago a
Coloradan called, frantically explaining how some of his state legislators were, “Trying to take the initiative
away. Trying to make it so the only way
an initiative can pass is with a super majority vote, like 75%.”
John rattled off how they might organize
political opposition, including reaping
high praise upon the Anti-Initiative
Legislators. “Maybe announce that since they are such great legislators, your people will be proposing that they need a
75% majority for re-election.
Legislators as outstanding as they
are should have no objection to seeking election under that process. ”
“You know,”
John continued, “I was just using
Ed’s philosophy that people have total
power. These guys are
nothing. I just did what Ed would
do. I just figured how to cut them down
to size, which is what Ed taught us, isn’t it?”
As a District of Columbia resident, John may soon plug into an initiative campaign with more than just phone advice.
In the 70’s Roger and John spent 18 months amending the Washington DC
home rule charter and passing the bill that established their Initiative,
Referendum and Recall process. Now as
poverty and crime pregnant DC flounders
along without the right to choose a federal representative, and the Federal Control Board administers the
bankrupt city, Republicans and Democrats offer proposals ranging from
spending less to making DC a tax free zone.
John and some boomers think DC’s best
choice is aborting the District and
returning it to Maryland. Will
Congress propose that? If not, these boomers may soon birth an initiative
delivering DC citizens choice -- thanks to the initiative of a one-time used
car salesman and jazz band leader who
had two boomers carry initiative seeds east to someday give the nation direct choice.