A blimp is a BAD IDEA - here is why

I have a still pic of that, and I was going to post it, but the "upload" feature is down right now.

As reprehensible as I find Collinz at this point, I won't post it to imgur just to post it here.

But you have it, and that's what's important. :D Oh wait, he's going to have Josh to ban you now. Oh wait.......he's going to sic his mommy on you.

Watch yer back.
 
But you have it, and that's what's important. :D Oh wait, he's going to have Josh to ban you now. Oh wait.......he's going to sic his mommy on you.

Watch yer back.

It would be about right that he'd try to get Josh to ban me, when Josh doesn't own the joint anymore.

:D
 
It would be about right that he'd try to get Josh to ban me, when Josh doesn't own the joint anymore.

:D

He actually "threatened" me with that once. I'm sure I don't have the PM any longer, but it was sorta like this:

Matt: YOU SHUT UP OR I'LL HAVE JOSH BAN YOU AND KICK YOUR DOG!!!!
Me: Uhhh, yeah--have at it shortcake.

It was just the dumbest "interaction" I'd ever had with anyone. I think I was messing with his plans on his dancing dwarf morphs into political "expert" chip-in, and that actually ticked him off for questioning him. One of his long-time defenders even said (not verbatim) "Matt, you're 30 years old and you can't afford a $300 conference? WTF?"
 
He actually "threatened" me with that once. I'm sure I don't have the PM any longer, but it was sorta like this:

Matt: YOU SHUT UP OR I'LL HAVE JOSH BAN YOU AND KICK YOUR DOG!!!!
Me: Uhhh, yeah--have at it shortcake.

It was just the dumbest "interaction" I'd ever had with anyone. I think I was messing with his plans on his dancing dwarf morphs into political "expert" chip-in, and that actually ticked him off for questioning him. One of his long-time defenders even said (not verbatim) "Matt, you're 30 years old and you can't afford a $300 conference? WTF?"

Matt has literally become a parody of himself. I know several 'artsy' types who would actually praise that as a high form of performance art. Caveat being that it would have to be intentional, like bxm's thing.
 
hi

This is encouraged, but relying on registering people to vote is not a winning strategy. Remember that the focus is on likely Republican voters who are already going to the polls.
"the" focus? Of whom? What I remember is that I was not registered a Republic voter and I was not likely to go and vote. Here is the mixed message that is sent by the campaign in the last 2 cycles. The campaign constantly speaks to the youth as it's strong base of support. That is clearly a strength and a POTENTIAL political advantage. Sadly, the youth do not turn out to vote. Perhaps if the campaign put some focus on turning out it's base EARLY in the season rather than wait until the last minute, the campaign wouldn't have to come across as inauthentic and make promises that it cannot keep.

One dimensional focus is a losing strategy. You need to find your base, you need to get them to the polls. If you don't have a base, you don't have a campaign. You act as if it takes some tremendous amount of effort to have the candidate come up with a strategy to support the grass roots in making new voters. That happened organically in 2008. 'Ron Paul cured my apathy' was a common refrain.

My question was, whose responsibility is it to make sure young new voters get registered for the primaries. you somehow inferred that I suggested this is the ONLY WAY TO WIN. I did not. It's another dimension that needs to be added and was sorely lacking from the campaigns of 2008 and 2012. We should learn from our mistakes, not constantly repeat them.

No, not at all. My goal is to get people trained so that they will be more effective instead of wasting time on silly unproductive things like blimps and sign waves.

You aren't going to get people trained if you dont first learn how to "get people". You are not "getting" the people here at this forum. Please point me to the thread topic you started where you offered up this "training".

Also, be more effective at what? Compromise? Pandering? If people are going to be more effective, what they need is examples, like Gunny. Not put downs like your comments on their efforts of sign waving and blimps. You sound like a douchebag for coming in here and saying stuff like that.

Is this the kind of language that goes on inside of the Paul inner circle? I doubt it, so I am just wondering when we'll get to here what Rand has to say about your comments, because I'd like to know if he would still associate with you after putting down people who use Blimps and Sign Waves to fan the brush fires of liberty.

Winning an election, for the most part, is very formulaic. Once you know the formula and understand how to implement it then you can become an invaluable asset for a liberty candidate.

This really sounds like BS Matt. Please write down the formula, this forum is populated by doctors, lawyers, engineers, and many other technical types. I am sure the formula can be known by most here. So do us a favor write down this formula.

Also, the mindset that tells you that someone has a desire to become "an asset" for some other person is twisted. Never mind tying in "liberty candidate". Treating people as assets is part of the problem, not part of the solution, Matt.


I have not attacked Gunny at all... I have merely set the record straight.

Well as you like to say, perception rules in politics. The perception is, you are attacking Gunny. I think you are attacking him because another thing we know about politics is, you don't punch down, you punch up. Gunny is not in here trashing activists activities, instead, he is setting an example and lending us all his experience.

Perhaps Rand Paul would like to come on board and make a comment in this forum. It's probably time for that to occur. Maybe you could see if he will let you create and account with his name here and post on his behalf? Make it official, have him stamp his name on whatever you say.

I think that would clear up some of the confusion that you are injecting here.


That was a specific messaging strategy so that Rand would not be saddled with excess baggage in the future.

Yeah, I get it. Problem is, he will be saddled with excess baggage in the future anyways. How about going back to being genuine, authentic, truthful, honest? You all worry so damn much that people might think there is something quirky or silly about the truth.

That is so weak and inconsequential to the larger effort that is going on outside of your inner circle. Focus on exposing the truth and let the people out here worry about shaping the opinion of our friends and neighbors.

Seriously, when I spread the ideas of freedom and liberty and point to a politician, that politician needs to be consistent so that my effort is genuine, otherwise, screw your politician he's just as fake as the next bastard who wants to get paid with my labor for delivering less that 5% of what he promises.


Not at all... 2012 was MUCH more successful than 2008... our % were up and the amount of delegates Ron won to the RNC was a massive increase too.

no, the numbers were abysmal Matt. going from 1% to 2% is a 100% increase. It still is paltry and no where near where it needs to have been. The big projection was that "numbers" were growing exponentially. That didn't pan out. If the attitude about success you are taking on is coming from the inner circle, the the inner circle isn't paying attention.

Success is not some insurgent delegate strategy. That farce is going to play this time around. YOU NEED POPULARITY. PERIOD. You get that by being disruptive. Not by going along with the status quo. Ron Paul struck a chord with people and that reverberated.

You are a music guy, you want to be in harmony with the grassroots or with the establishment, Matt?


People support a candidate that they like and best fits them... the candidate doesn't take cues from his supporters... you have that backwards.

so that's the lesson? cause I'd like to see you back that up with some facts. I think you've got some kind of feudalistic view of politics going on there. In the united states of america, the idea is that representatives represent the people who vote for them.

if you think american's take their queue from a candidate you are sorely mistaken. I really hope this attitude is not coming from the inner circle Matt. i am going to need to get Rand's take on this before I lift a finger for him.


No, it showed that some people didn't know how to win an election and were distracted by something shiny.

Speak for yourself, Matt. Speak for yourself.
 
In Jefferson county Iowa we networked and reached out to independents and Democrats. Our county was the only county Ron Paul won in 2008 and won with nearly 50% of the vote in 2012. If independents could have had their own primary Ron would have run away with it. Perhaps my county is an outlier but what we did hear worked, plain and simple, it worked. And it felt good to win.

On a grassroots level we'll probably have the same strategy for Rand. Look to Jefferson county during the Iowa caucus and see how we do. I think we'll outperform every other county in the state. I would bet on that.

You know, it's interesting that Matt seems to be internally split on the value of the type of person to person outreach that you did. On the one had "We must do it for likely republican voters." (I did it for likely republican voters in 2008 and 2012. For the most part it didn't work.) On the other hand, when you do it and have success....oh that was just a fluke. He feels the same way about mass market. It's important to do. But when AntiFederalist did mass marketing on his on....it was just a fluke. Matt's all for stealthily running for public office. He ran for chair of the TN Davidson Co. GOP. He didn't quite make it. Gunny got elected to public office. In both cases the establishment caught on, rigged the game in the aftermath so that it will be difficult to pull of again, but only Gunny's success was a fluke.

Matt...are you able to see your own logical fallacy here?
 
LOL Ron Paul, allegedly. That's what "Netroots Coordinator" means today, you see. :p

The bold being the operative term.

We'd better ALL be in charge of it. It's the leaving it in someone else's hands that has lead to the American devolution from least restrictive Empire nation-state to the outright fascist police state we now so thoroughly enjoy.

If we ever wrest this thing back and regrind it into that which it ought be, I hope like hell the coming generations will have learned the lessons and will keep the faith and trust of freedom. Because if they don't, I swear by God I will come back and bitch-slap the stoopid out of every last one of them.
 
This is encouraged, but relying on registering people to vote is not a winning strategy. Remember that the focus is on likely Republican voters who are already going to the polls.

The Democratic Party spends millions on registering new voters and GOTV efforts every cycle. And strangely enough, they wound up with a lion's share of young voters. Which wasn't the case when Reagan was president.

Have any idea what the word 'hidebound' means, Matt?

Indeed, on ABC's This Week they're talking right now about how Republicans suck at getting the youth vote--except for Rand Paul. Is this why you aren't working for the campaign? Because they value GOTV efforts and you don't?

No, not at all. My goal is to get people trained so that they will be more effective instead of wasting time on silly unproductive things like blimps and sign waves.

You keep saying that, over and over, the very way a propagandist makes people think a lie is true through repetition. And it's true getting your candidate name recognition isn't part of the Official Establishment Play Book--or if it is, it says, 'Tell Fox you're running.' But you have yet to prove that someone--anyone--would have heard of Ron Paul if we hadn't shoved his name through the blackout.

Winning an election, for the most part, is very formulaic. Once you know the formula and understand how to implement it then you can become an invaluable asset for a liberty candidate.

Isn't it a better thing to make a valuable contribution instead of becoming hidebound and accomplishing nothing but making the campaign look orthodox?

I have not attacked Gunny at all... I have merely set the record straight.

Never have so many insults failed to constitute an 'attack'. Never have so many lies set any record straight.

He didn't run for reelection to the House so he could run for the Senate, but he 'wasn't reelected'. You're trying to set the record straight as a coil spring.

You're so obviously burning with jealousy of Gunny it's hilarious.

Not at all... 2012 was MUCH more successful than 2008... our % were up and the amount of delegates Ron won to the RNC was a massive increase too.

2008 took Ron Paul from ignored and unheard of to the second highest delegate total at the convention. 2012 took us from second highest delegate total to second highest delegate total.

Not exactly soul-stirring.

People support a candidate that they like and best fits them... the candidate doesn't take cues from his supporters... you have that backwards.

Is that how Romney got a reputation as a flip-flopper? Or does he have it backwards too?

No, it showed that some people didn't know how to win an election and were distracted by something shiny.

Um, blimps have a matte finish.

And, no, matte finishes aren't named after your megalomaniacal ass.
 
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That did absolutely nothing to help us electorally....

The idea is not to help you and the mouse in your pocket Matt. The idea is to HELP OURSELVES. If that means I can be a part of pulling off an anti-status quo/ anit-establishment coup, great. If not? OH WELL!

"We" helped OURSELVES by getting the blimp in the air. "WE" were part of the "education campaign" of Ron Paul. "WE" will have a great story to PASS ON to future generations about how "WE" started the fight to take back "OUR" country.

If you want to win on the battle field of IDEAS, you need to show up on that battlefield. The blimp won over hearts and minds. It was an idea that succeeded based 100% on the principles that RON PAUL was encouraging us all to espouse at the time.

It was proof for MANY of us that what we were doing was REAL and not just some spoof or political ploy to pawn us into the hands of the establishment. It gave us courage and strength and taught us how to stand TOGETHER for a big idea.

Not one of us could have made that BLIMP fly on it's own. BUT DAMMIT, we worked TOGETHER and made if fly. 2008 WASN'T about electoral victory. The fact is and you ought to know this, MOST STATES electorate is DESIGNED to be representative of the POPULAR vote.

PRETENDING that you and the mouse and your pocket can WIN ELECTORALLY without POPULAR SUPPORT is what fails. Over and over and over and over again apparently.

I don't buy it. The grassroots isn't going to be sneaking up on anyone. Rand Paul isn't going to be sneaking up on anyone.

If YOU and the mouse in your pocket want an electoral victory in 2016, you are going to need to start working on a "messaging style" that unites the grassroots. Your electors need to rise up from the grassroots and be supported by the grassroots.

Don't cut off your nose to spite your face, Matt. Who is this mouse in your pocket?
 
Bud Kennedy of the Star-Telegram said:
Once, commentators asked if Paul would move to the mainstream.

Since Nov. 4, they’re asking whether the mainstream moved toward Paul.

Matt: Is the above...

1) ...a bad sign?

2) ...the product of conventional tactics such as targeting supervoters and low-hanging fruit?

3) ...a sign we're so far out of the box that there's no point in even talking to us about the box--and a greater sign that this is a very, very good thing?

Looking forward to seeing you completely ignore this question. Thanks for nothing.

No one ever furthered his or her political career by sticking his or her head in the ass. And neon passes through latex like water through cotton twill.
 
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No, it means you shape your message so that the audience doesn't boo you.
People support a candidate that they like and best fits them... the candidate doesn't take cues from his supporters... you have that backwards.


Is it just me, or does anyone else see inconsistencies between the above two statements?
 
The campaign did not release our internals.

Then don't talk about them. Seriously.

It's okay. Matt is just trying to "set the record straight" - and in his selflessly noble quest to "set the record straight" (about this issue, or the Tom Woods thing, or etc.), Matt gets to invoke the existence of secret "evidence" to which he has access, but that no one else is allowed to see.

If you object to this, well, then, you must be part of the "riff raff" who are throwing sand into the "liberty movement apparatus" ...
 
It's okay. Matt is just trying to "set the record straight" - and in his selflessly noble quest to "set the record straight" (about this issue, or the Tom Woods thing, or etc.), Matt gets to invoke the existence of secret "evidence" to which he has access, but that no one else is allowed to see.

If you object to this, well, then, you must be part of the "riff raff" who are throwing sand into the "liberty movement apparatus" ...

This is sig worthy for sure.
 
Rofl2-1.gif
 
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