Mark Meckler

Last updated

Mark Meckler
Mark Meckler (cropped).jpg
Meckler in 2011
Born
Mark Jay Meckler

(1962-03-10) March 10, 1962 (age 62)
Los Angeles County, California, U.S.
Education San Diego State University (BA)
University of the Pacific (JD)
OccupationPolitical activist
Known forCo-founder of Tea Party Patriots, founder of Citizens for Self-Governance

Mark Jay Meckler (born March 10, 1962) is an American political activist, attorney, and business executive. [1] He currently serves as President of Citizens for Self-Governance and Convention of States Action, [2] [3] and is an active proponent of a convention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution. Meckler was a co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots before resigning from the organization in 2012. From February through May 2021, Meckler served as the interim CEO of social media platform Parler. [4]

Contents

Early life, education, and early career

Meckler was born in Southern California and grew up in Northridge, in the San Fernando Valley. [5] [6] He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from San Diego State University, and in 1988 he received a J.D. degree from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law. [7]

In the early 1990s, he moved to Nevada County, California, where he and his wife opened a coffeehouse in Nevada City. After selling the cafe in 1997, he started a company that made equipment for the snow-skiing industry. [8] [5] [9] For several years Meckler and his wife also worked together as distributors for Herbalife, where they qualified for the "president's team" of top sellers. [10] [11] Meckler next established a law practice focused on business law. He eventually specialized in Internet advertising law and worked as counsel for Unique Leads and Unique Lists, two closely related online marketing operations. In 2007, he worked with Opt-In Movement to create a list-generation firm that catered to political campaigns. [10] [12]

Political activism

Tea Party movement

Following a call for protests from CNBC Business News editor Rick Santelli and others, Meckler and his family began promoting the idea of a Tea Party protest in Sacramento, California, on February 27, 2009. They arrived at the planned protest location with homemade signs, but without an event permit, which they had to apply for on the spot. Approximately 150 people participated, and Meckler began planning further protests, which led him to make contact with other activists in the burgeoning Tea Party movement. [8] Meckler co-founded the Tea Party Patriots organization in March 2009, along with Rob Neppell, Jenny Beth Martin and Amy Kremer. [13] The organization became one of the largest in the Tea Party movement. [14]

As a spokesperson for the Tea Party Patriots, Meckler was often quoted by journalists in articles about the Tea Party movement. [15] Meckler was outspoken about the Tea Party being a grassroots movement and independent from traditional political parties. He said the movement was "neither left nor right", but consisted of "people of common sense who coalesce around the principles of fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government and free markets." [5] He criticized the Tea Party Express organization for being too closely aligned with the Republican Party. [16] Meckler condemned radio personality Mark Williams, then chairman of the Tea Party Express, as "vile" and "racist" after Williams made blog posts about the NAACP that were criticized as racially insensitive. [17]

Meckler and Martin co-authored a book, Tea Party Patriots: The Second American Revolution, which was published in February 2012. [18] Shortly after the book was published, Meckler resigned from the Tea Party Patriots, citing differences with Martin and other board members over how the organization was being managed. [19] On The Dylan Ratigan Show , Meckler said, "The organization had been doing things that associated it with the Republican party. I'm not a Republican, and a large number of people in the Tea Party movement—40%—aren't Republicans. So when they sponsored the Southern Republican Leadership Conference to the tune of $250,000, really it was kind of the final blow for me." [20]

In September 2015, Meckler wrote an article for The Hill noting his satisfaction with Republican John Boehner's resignation from his position as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Meckler wrote that "Boehner had a long history of selling out the American people" and "America deserves better." [21]

Citizens for Self-Governance

Meckler founded the organization Citizens for Self-Governance (CSG) to "focus on broadening the philosophical reach of the idea of 'self-governance' outside of the Tea Party movement". [22] [23] In April 2012, Meckler became an adviser to the Campaign for Primary Accountability, a SuperPAC. [24]

Through his work with CSG, Meckler has helped to file a class action lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, alleging violations under the Privacy Act as well as violations of constitutional rights guaranteeing free expression and equal protection under the law. The lawsuit stemmed from IRS targeting of conservative groups for more scrutiny as they applied for tax-exempt status. [25] [26] In March 2016, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit made a unanimous ruling rebuking the IRS and giving the agency two weeks to produce the names of organizations it targeted based on their political leanings. [27]

Meckler has also been an active proponent of a convention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution. [28]

After Marco Rubio endorsed CSG's plans for a convention of states to propose amendments, Meckler said he was glad to see the Convention of States Project "enter the mainstream of presidential politics." [29] [30]

In September 2016, CSG held a simulated convention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution in Williamsburg, Virginia. [31] Of the simulation, Meckler said: "People from all states gathered, proposed six amendments and ran a simulated convention. It has never been done before in American history. The point was proof of concept." Meckler said an Article V convention would have three focuses, including imposing financial restraints on the federal government, limiting the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and imposing term limits on officials and members of Congress. [32]

Parler

Meckler sits on the executive committee of Parler, [33] an American alt-tech microblogging and social networking service popular with supporters of former President Donald Trump. [34] On February 15, 2021, Parler announced that Meckler was interim CEO of the company, after the board fired the previous CEO and Parler founder John Matze. [4] George Farmer took over Parler from Meckler in May 2021. [35]

Personal life

Meckler is married and has two children. [22]

In December 2011, Meckler attempted to check in a hand gun prior to a flight departing from New York's LaGuardia Airport. He was arrested and charged with second degree criminal possession of a weapon. Meckler had a permit to carry the gun in California, but it was not valid under the gun laws in New York. Meckler was released following arraignment. A spokesman for the Port Authority Police said Meckler "had a misunderstanding of the law. He had a permit to carry in California." An attorney for Meckler said Meckler was "in temporary transit" through New York and the gun was "lawful" and in a safe approved by the Transportation Security Administration. [36] After the incident, Meckler said he believed his constitutional rights had been violated. [37] [38] [39] Meckler paid a $250 fine and his gun was destroyed. [40]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nevada County, California</span> County in California, United States

Nevada County is a county located in the U.S. state of California, in the Sierra Nevada. As of the 2020 census, its population was 102,241. The county seat is Nevada City. Nevada County comprises the Truckee-Grass Valley micropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the Sacramento-Roseville combined statistical area, part of the Mother Lode Country.

A convention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution, also referred to as an Article V Convention, state convention, or amendatory convention is one of two methods authorized by Article Five of the United States Constitution whereby amendments to the United States Constitution may be proposed: on the Application of two thirds of the State legislatures the Congress shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which become law only after ratification by three-fourths of the states. The Article V convention method has never been used; but 33 amendments have been proposed by the other method, a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress; and 27 of these have been ratified by three-fourths of the States. Although there has never been a federal constitutional convention since the original one, at the state level more than 230 constitutional conventions have assembled in the United States.

In the United States, Tax Day is the day on which individual income tax returns are due to be submitted to the federal government. Since 1955, Tax Day has typically fallen on or just after April 15. Tax Day was first introduced in 1913, when the Sixteenth Amendment was ratified.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patriot movement</span> American conservative political movement

In the United States, the patriot movement is a term which is used to describe a conglomeration of non-unified right-wing populist and nationalist political movements, most notably far-right armed militias, sovereign citizens, and tax protesters. Ideologies held by patriot movement groups often focus on anti-government conspiracy theories, with the SPLC describing a common belief that "despise the federal government and/or question its legitimacy." The movement first emerged in 1994 in response to what members saw as "violent government repression" of dissenting groups, along with increased gun control and the Clinton administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine O'Donnell</span> American Tea Party politician and former Republican Party candidate

Christine Therese O'Donnell is an American conservative activist in the Tea Party movement best known for her 2010 campaign for the United States Senate seat from Delaware vacated by Joe Biden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Tea Party (political party)</span> Former American political party

The Boston Tea Party (BTP) was a United States libertarian political party named after the event known as the Boston Tea Party of 1773. It was founded in 2006 by a group of former Libertarian Party (LP) members, who criticized the LP for its "abdication of political responsibilities", saying that "Americans deserve and desperately need a pro-freedom party that forcefully advocates libertarian solutions to the issues of today".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tea Party protests</span> 2009–2010 series of protests in the US

The Tea Party protests were a series of protests throughout the United States that began in early 2009. The protests were part of the larger political Tea Party movement. Most Tea Party activities have since been focused on opposing efforts of the Obama administration, and on recruiting, nominating, and supporting candidates for state and national elections. The name "Tea Party" is a reference to the Boston Tea Party, whose principal aim was to protest taxation without representation. Tea Party protests evoked images, slogans and themes from the American Revolution, such as tri-corner hats and yellow Gadsden "Don't Tread on Me" flags. The letters T-E-A have been used by some protesters to form the backronym "Taxed Enough Already".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tea Party movement</span> American fiscally conservative political movement

The Tea Party movement was an American fiscally conservative political movement within the Republican Party that began in 2009. The movement formed in opposition to the policies of Democratic President Barack Obama and was a major factor in the 2010 wave election in which Republicans gained 63 House seats and took control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Tea Party Nation is a conservative American group considered part of the Tea Party movement. Their official website describes them as "group of like-minded people who desire our God given Individual Freedoms which were written out by the Founding Fathers. We believe in Limited Government, Free Speech, the 2nd Amendment, our Military, Secure Borders and our Country!"

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tea Party Patriots</span> Right wing American political organization

The Tea Party Patriots is an American conservative political organization founded in 2009 as part of the Tea Party movement. It is known for organizing citizen opposition to the Affordable Care Act during the presidency of Barack Obama, and more recently for supporting Donald Trump.

The Tea Party Caucus (TPC) was a congressional caucus of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives, consisting of its most conservative members. It was founded in July 2010 by Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann in coordination with the Tea Party movement the year following the movement's 2009 creation. Bachmann served as the Caucus's first chair.

<i>Republic, Lost</i>

Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress—and a Plan to Stop It is the sixth book by Harvard law professor and free culture activist Lawrence Lessig. In a departure from the topics of his previous books, Republic, Lost outlines what Lessig considers to be the systemic corrupting influence of special-interest money on American politics, and only mentions copyright and other free culture topics briefly, as examples. He argued that the Congress in 2011 spent the first quarter debating debit-card fees while ignoring what he sees as more pressing issues, including health care reform or global warming or the deficit. Lessig has been described in The New York Times as an "original and dynamic legal scholar."

Rootstrikers is a nonpartisan grassroots activist organization run by Demand Progress and created by Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Lessig and political activist Joe Trippi for the purpose of fighting political corruption in the United States and reducing the role of special interest money in elections. According to Lessig, the idea is not to hack at the branches of the problem but rather focus on its root, which Lessig views as a corrupt campaign finance system, and hence he named the organization rootstrikers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 United States Senate election in South Carolina</span>

The 2014 United States Senate election in South Carolina took place on November 4, 2014, concurrently with a special election for South Carolina's other Senate seat, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenny Beth Martin</span>

Jenny Beth Martin is the co-founder and national coordinator of the Tea Party Patriots, and a columnist for The Washington Times. In February 2010, Time magazine named her as one of its 100 Most Influential Leaders. She is the co-author of Tea Party Patriots: The Second American Revolution. She is a member of the Council for National Policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IRS targeting controversy</span> 2013 American tax administration scandal

In 2013, the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS), under the Obama administration, revealed that it had selected political groups applying for tax-exempt status for intensive scrutiny based on their names or political themes. This led to wide condemnation of the agency and triggered several investigations, including a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) criminal probe ordered by United States Attorney General Eric Holder. Conservatives claimed that they were specifically targeted by the IRS, but an exhaustive report released by the Treasury Department's Inspector General in 2017 found that from 2004 to 2013, the IRS used both conservative and liberal keywords to choose targets for further scrutiny.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lois Lerner</span> American attorney

Lois Gail Lerner is an American attorney and former United States federal civil service employee. Lerner became director of the Exempt Organizations Unit of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in 2005, and subsequently became the central figure in the 2013 IRS targeting controversy in the targeting of politically aligned groups, either denying them tax-exempt status outright or delaying that status until they could no longer take effective part in the 2012 election. On May 10, 2013, in a conference call with reporters, Lerner apologized that Tea Party groups and other groups had been targeted for audits of their applications for tax-exemption. Both conservative and liberal groups were scrutinized. Only three groups—all branches of the Democratic group Emerge America—had tax exemptions revoked. Lerner resigned over the controversy. An investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation, completed in 2015, found "substantial evidence of mismanagement, poor judgment and institutional inertia" but "found no evidence that any IRS official acted based on political, discriminatory, corrupt, or other inappropriate motives that would support a criminal prosecution".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Citizens for Self-Governance</span>

Citizens for Self-Governance (CSG) is a conservative American nonprofit political organization. In 2015, it launched a nationwide initiative calling for a convention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution to reduce federal spending. The group's efforts are focused on imposing fiscal restraint on Washington D.C., reducing the federal government's authority over states, and imposing term limits on federal officials. As of 2024, the organization's resolution had passed in 19 states. A total of 34 states would need to pass such a resolution in order for a Convention to Amend the Constitution to be called per Article V. The organization funded and won a class action lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the agency's politically oriented targeting of conservative organizations. The group is based in Austin, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H.Res. 565 (113th Congress)</span>

The resolution H.Res. 565, "Calling on Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr., to appoint a special counsel to investigate the targeting of conservative nonprofit groups by the Internal Revenue Service," was passed by the United States House of Representatives during the 113th United States Congress. The simple resolution asks U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint a special counsel to investigate that 2013 IRS scandal. The Internal Revenue Service revealed in 2013 that it had selected political groups applying for tax-exempt status for closer scrutiny based on their names or political themes.

References

  1. ↑ Frumin, Aliyah (April 8, 2015). "Meckler: Jeb Bush is 'loathed' by the tea party". MSNBC. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  2. ↑ States, Convention of. "Media Inquiries". conventionofstates.com. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  3. ↑ Lee, MJ (February 24, 2012). "Mark Meckler, Tea party co-founder quits". Politico. Archived from the original on January 5, 2014. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Robertson, Adi (February 15, 2021). "Parler is back online after a month of downtime". The Verge. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 Ackerman, Jeff (February 26, 2010). "Local attorney seeks return to founding principles in government". The Union . Nevada County, California . Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  6. ↑ Weiss, Gary (2012). Ayn Rand Nation: The Hidden Struggle for America's Soul. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp.  148–160. ISBN   978-0-312-59073-4. OCLC   740628885.
  7. ↑ "Mark Meckler". Aspen Institute. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  8. 1 2 Meckler, Mark; Martin, Jenny Beth (2012). Tea Party Patriots: The Second American Revolution . New York: Henry Holt and Company. pp.  4–11. ISBN   9780805094374.
  9. ↑ Kellar, Liz (February 27, 2010). "Local lawyer emerges as face of Tea Party movement". The Union . Nevada County, California . Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  10. 1 2 Mencimer, Stephanie (October 19, 2010). "Is the Tea Party Movement Like a Pyramid Scheme?". Mother Jones . Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  11. ↑ "President's Team: Mark and Patty Meckler" (PDF). Business Today. Herbalife. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 25, 2005. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  12. ↑ Roth, Zachary (March 2, 2010). "Tea Party Leader Was Involved With GOP-Tied Political Firm". Talking Points Memo . Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  13. ↑ Blackmon, Douglas; Levitz, Jennifer; Berzon, Alexandra; Etter, Lauren (October 29, 2010). "Birth of a Movement". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
  14. ↑ Burghart, Devin; Zeskind, Leonard (2010). "Tea Party Nationalism: A Critical Examination of the Tea Party Movement and the Size, Scope, and Focus of Its National Factions" (PDF). Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 24, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  15. ↑ Meares, Joel (January 11, 2011). "There is no 'The Tea Party'". Columbia Journalism Review . Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  16. ↑ Hindery, Robin (March 24, 2010). "GOP operative transforms into tea party strategist". Omaha World-Herald . Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  17. ↑ Magin, Kyle (July 22, 2010). "Meckler: No place for racism in Tea Party". The Union . Nevada County, California . Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  18. ↑ Renda, Matthew (February 16, 2012). "Mecker co-authors 'Tea Party Patriots' book". The Union . Nevada County, California . Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Meckler resigns from national Tea Party Patriots". The Union . Nevada County, California. February 24, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  20. ↑ Ratigan, Dylan (February 28, 2012). "Mark Meckler: 'We Have to Get Rid of Labels Like Left and Right'". Dylan Rattigan Show. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  21. ↑ Meckler, Mark (September 25, 2015). "Ding, dong, John Boehner is gone". The Hill. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  22. 1 2 "About Mark Meckler". MarkMeckler.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  23. ↑ Easley, Jonathan (March 14, 2017). "Tea Party leader: Trump risks losing base over healthcare push". The Hill. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  24. ↑ Renda, Matthew (April 15, 2012). "Meckler joins new organization". The Union . Nevada County, California . Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  25. ↑ Bohn, Kevin (May 20, 2013). "First lawsuit filed against IRS". CNN. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  26. ↑ Raymond, Nate (May 20, 2014). "Tea Party group sues IRS over inappropriate targeting". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on June 13, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  27. ↑ Chakraborty, Barnini (March 24, 2016). "Federal appeals court slams IRS in Tea Party case, demands documents". Fox News. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  28. ↑ Roller, Emma (December 4, 2013). "Conservatives' Improbable New 'Convention of States' Project". Slate. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  29. ↑ Haberman, Maggie; Barbaro, Michael (December 30, 2015). "Marco Rubio Endorses Idea for Constitutional Amendment to Set Congressional Term Limits". New York Times. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  30. ↑ Weigel, David (December 30, 2015). "Rubio endorses a new constitutional convention, winning praise from the right". Washington Post. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  31. ↑ Harris, Andrew (September 23, 2016). "Tea Party co-founder holds convention in Williamsburg for amending Constitution". Williamsburg Yorktown Daily. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  32. ↑ Tinsley, Anna (September 30, 2016). "Is Texas ready to join a movement to rewrite history?". Star-Telegram. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  33. ↑ Paul, Elizabeth Culliford, Katie (February 4, 2021). "Parler CEO John Matze says he was fired by board". Reuters. Retrieved February 4, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  34. ↑ Nicas, Jack; Alba, Davey (January 11, 2021). "How Parler, a Chosen App of Trump Fans, Became a Test of Free Speech". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  35. ↑ "New Parler CEO George Farmer on reviving the 'free-speech-minded' social media platform". Fox Business . June 29, 2021.
  36. ↑ Esposito, Richard (December 15, 2011). "Tea Party Member Brings Gun to NYC Airport, Gets Arrested". ABC News. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
  37. ↑ Zambito, Thomas (December 15, 2011). "Tea Party big Mark Meckler pinched for gun possession at LaGuardia Airport Thursday". Daily News . New York. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  38. ↑ "Tea Party's Mark Meckler Arrested on Gun Charge". CBS News. Associated Press. December 16, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  39. ↑ Mencimer, Stephanie (January 13, 2012). "Go Ahead, Make Mark Meckler's Day". Mother Jones. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  40. ↑ Renda, Matthew (January 12, 2012). "Meckler cops to disorderly conduct in connection to gun charges". The Union . Nevada County, California . Retrieved January 4, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.