Friends,
The State Freedom Caucus Network has grown rapidly over the last three years, so we thought it would be a good idea to introduce ourselves to all the new supporters and followers. If you missed last week’s post, we did a short Q&A with the Network’s President, Andy Roth. This week is the Network’s Senior Vice President Justin Ouimette (pronounced “Wee-met”). We tease him as the Network’s only Ivy Leaguer, but his wisdom and experience is a big reason why we’re so successful. Enjoy!
Where are you from originally? Where do you live now?
I was born in Providence, Rhode Island and raised in Mauldin, South Carolina. Jim DeMint was my Congressman growing up! I live in Silver Spring, MD, right outside of DC. It's not like home, but at least it's one of the 13 original colonies.
Tell us about your family! And pets!
No pets. Alison and I have been married for 12 years but have been together since we were juniors in college. We have two daughters--Ruth is 7 and Greta is 4. The girls are really great. They take us places we would have never thought to go ourselves.
What's the best part of your job?
The best part of the job is that it's important. The lawmakers that we work with are desperate to preserve and protect their unique ways of life in their home states. There is a real, tangible sense that we are at a moment in our shared history as a nation where ground lost can never be regained. The stakes are real, and they are as high as they can possibly be and I love helping them organize, strategize, and meet those challenges. In addition, being able to spend time in states all across the country has been a blessing. There are a lot of great Americans out there.
How did you come to SFCN? What did you do before?
The short version of the story is that after studying History and International Relations at Brown University then doing my Master's in International Affairs at Boston University, I had to choose between heading to the deep state or the resistance. I chose the latter. I worked as a legislative director in Congress for 2 years then became the Policy Director for the newly formed House Freedom Caucus in 2015. After 9 months, I became the Executive Director of HFC and served in that role under the leadership of Jim Jordan, Mark Meadows, Andy Biggs, and, briefly, Scott Perry before heading to the State Freedom Caucus Network with Andy Roth. The HFC Members wanted a footprint in the states--they knew that's where many of the big battles would play out--and I believed I was well positioned to help inculcate the brand and its values. Learning over a dozen sets of state chamber rules, state constitutions, electoral systems, committee and floor structures, and political cultures has been a lot of fun.
Who or what most shaped your political philosophy/ideology?
I don't like being told what to do. That reflex led me to "self-radicalize" in college as I continued my study of economics and history and found that what I really objected to was being told what to do by people and organizations that had no right to do so. The biggest offender on this ledger was government. And thus, the misapplication of government power against people became my biggest target. The flip side of this ungovernable impulse is knowing who to obey. I am faithful to God. He provides my strength and my limits.
What’s Your Favorite Quote?
To be successful, we have to figure out what tool to pick for the job and often, how to be the right tool for the job. I keep these quotes in mind as I go about our shared work.
Against defenseless people there is not much that nuclear weapons can do that cannot be done with an ice pick. - Thomas Schelling, from the Preface to Arms and Influence
Listen more and talk less. Watch all and trust none, demand your respect. And be ready to die for what you believe in. And ride all the time not just when convenient. - from the song "Revolutionary Warfare" by Nas
Keep fighting,
Dana Parish
VP of Development
State Freedom Caucus Network
P.S. Your help is critical in building out a network of patriots and freedom fighters throughout our nation’s state capitols and in your home state. Please consider a contribution and join us as we work to advance the cause of liberty.
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