A few things we can all start doing NOW to build support for Rand

[LibertyEsq]

As we near the end of 2014 primary season, I wanted to share my thoughts and ideas about things we can start doing now in order to improve Rand's chances as much as possible in Iowa, New Hampshire, and beyond (assuming he runs). Some of these things include lessons I think we can learn from the 2012 campaign. Most of these things can be extended to also support Amash, McMillin, etc.

What has always separated us from supporters of other candidates is our energy, drive, and willingness to engage in grassroots efforts. Therefore, it's important to begin contacting and re-energizing our base. Even if only 50 of us start doing the things below, we can incrementally and significantly build support ahead of the primaries in a way other candidates cannot:


(1) Build an active Twitter account targeting followers of politicians in Iowa and New Hampshire. Retweet everything Rand Paul tweets (@SenRandPaul). Try to tweet statements that sound natural about why you like Rand. Try to appeal to an anti-establishment, GOP primary audience. Do not engage in direct Twitter arguments with anyone attacking Rand - it will only highlight the attacks and is a waste of time at this point. Always remember your audience - conservative GOP primary voters. Never mention Ted Cruz.

(2) If you have friends or family that live in Iowa or New Hampshire, begin naturally mentioning why it's important to support Rand. Tailor what you talk about to what is relevant to your audience's interests.

(3) Open a savings account and deposit a consistent amount of income, however small, as a reserve to donate to Rand. He will likely have a moneybomb, and the first one should be as big as possible to generate media attention, credibility, and campaign cash.

(4) Contact or create a list of every Ron Paul supporter you know and begin talking them in to getting excited about Rand OR make an e-mail list so you can do so as we get closer to the primaries. Encourage them to check out these forums.

(5) If you have the talent, make Youtube hype videos or other media that can be posted and shared en masse on social media. This well help to accomplish numbers (4) and (1). Post them here so we can all share them. Hopefully, we can get any shares to multiply exponentially.

(6) If you have nothing left to do, go on Twitter or Facebook in your spare time and talk up Rand to Iowa and New Hampshire voters. Look to Facebook groups or tweets of high-profile Iowa and New Hampshire GOP figures, politicians, talk radio hosts, etc. Make sure any efforts you make are targeted and strategic so that you are making the most efficient use of your time. Stay positive and don't engage in lengthy and/or destructive arguments at this point.

(7) Start attending your local GOP events. Refrain from getting into debates with them - just engage in small talk and issues of agreement. Let them get to know you - not as some weirdo, but as a compatriot (thanks CaptUSA)


It has been clear from the last couple months that Rand has begun a dialogue staking his place as a potential contender in 2016. If we really want to see a President Paul as the next POTUS, we have to begin helping him do so now.

If you have any other ideas, feel free to post them here.

 

[Matt Collins]

Also - get trained on how to win.... take every course that these two organizations have to offer:

http://www.leadershipinstitute.org/training/

http://www.facltraining.org/facl2/index.htm


The more you know the more valuable you will be to the cause...

 

[Vanguard101]

Great ideas

 

[Liberty74]

All very good ideas, however, does anyone else feel limited to these social media style marketing techniques?

The only people that listens to Twitter are other Twitters. It kinda of reminds me of the the DC journalists. They all like to listen to each other's crap, hence think each other are in some special intellectual clique. Is Twitter that effective to spreading a politician? I see these social medias more so after the fact that someone has became popular (a way to communicate) or reached a level positive media industrial government complex news like what happened when Rand took a stand against drones. His FB numbers shot up. How does Rand keep that going that would allow him to stay connected and communicate?

I'm already dropping Rands name at work with luke warm and hot coworkers who are ready for real CHANGE, fed up with government and statism. Of course most of them are Independents and Republicans. Democrats are so fucking brain dead it's not worth my time unless they bring Rand up in some positive light. Some of these coworkers didn't like Ron Paul because of his foreign policy blah blah blah yet LOVE Rand (yes, weird). This ("I like Ron except on foreign policy, he's an isolationist") was no doubt due to FOX News pundit lies and such by Rush, Beck, Hannity, ORielly, Levin, etc. We didn't overcome that propaganda establishment controlled message, how does Rand overcome it this time around? These same people are already starting to push back...

Any idea when the first money bomb will start or can start by law if there is such limitation? Already dropping that too for people who like Rand. I think Ron's first money bomb was early summer of 2011? Spreading a money bomb is where something social media can play an effective and efficient tool IMO.

To win Iowa, Rand must target and appeal to two different voters 1) those Independents that are allowed to vote 2) OLD and religious GOP voters. Don't waste his time going from college campus to college campus - youth are about 15% of voters. And don't waste his time targeting Democrats. Have a solid message of liberty open to ALL and let those on the Left gravitate toward him and the generic message of change. He's got to turn the right left liberal conservative complex web thinking upside down. Mix it up a bit but for the caucuses and primaries, he must focus on the "right" side of such BS political spectrum just for the sake of it. It is what it is. Understand that!

I honestly don't know how Rand wins NH. It's a tough state for some reason who tend to support establishment crap speaking politicians. I'm going to chalk it up to being a "northeast thang." Understand that too!

I think your ideas should also include South Carolina. Rand will need a 1, 2, 3, strong punch going into that closed FL primary. And who lives and votes down in FL...say it with me everyone...OLD people. None of this "it's all about the youth vote" crap.

Now with all that out of the way. There is only so much you and I can do. The MAIN operation will have to come from Rand and who Rand builds his campaign strategy team with. Will he take the jabs, punches and threats (you know the ones that the Romney campaign did) like his father OR will Rand go all out and FIGHT back? Will Rand defend himself from the establishment talking heads - pundits and talk radio - on the right? Seriously, what will Rand's message be about? Liberty, maybe but he needs more. Idea? What about throwing the word violent around? Talk a philosophy privately but mainly publicly in generic terms - how "forceful, violent and coercion" government is to people in that they can relate (government IRS theft, promotion of abortion - tax funded, war on drugs, Obamacare, etc.) and how violent government is to certain parts of the world (should we be policing it? why aren't we using those resources for our own borders? is droning innocent people causing real blow back? be the anti-war candidate yet stand strong for defensive wars and defending America?, etc.)

Just throwing ideas out, not saying I'm right or wrong here my friends. It's going to talk all of us but in the end it's honestly up to Rand to be prepared for what's coming. Ron was not a political candidate desiring to become President. Rather a messenger only. Rand can't be that guy.

Also, I personally believe you guys here produce better TV commercials than some of these political hacks did last time around. Hoping Rand and his team opens their eyes. I didn't care much either for most of the TV spots done by other liberty political action groups. That money could have been spent more wisely than on second grade commercials.

 

[LibertyEsq]

All very good ideas, however, does anyone else feel limited to these social media style marketing techniques?

The only people that listens to Twitter are other Twitters. It kinda of reminds me of the the DC journalists. They all like to listen to each other's crap, hence think each other are in some special intellectual clique. Is Twitter that effective to spreading a politician? I see these social medias more so after the fact that someone has became popular (a way to communicate) or reached a level positive media industrial government complex news like what happened when Rand took a stand against drones. His FB numbers shot up. How does Rand keep that going that would allow him to stay connected and communicate?

I'm already dropping Rands name at work with luke warm and hot coworkers who are ready for real CHANGE, fed up with government and statism. Of course most of them are Independents and Republicans. Democrats are so fucking brain dead it's not worth my time unless they bring Rand up in some positive light. Some of these coworkers didn't like Ron Paul because of his foreign policy blah blah blah yet LOVE Rand (yes, weird). This ("I like Ron except on foreign policy, he's an isolationist") was no doubt due to FOX News pundit lies and such by Rush, Beck, Hannity, ORielly, Levin, etc. We didn't overcome that propaganda establishment controlled message, how does Rand overcome it this time around? These same people are already starting to push back...

Any idea when the first money bomb will start or can start by law if there is such limitation? Already dropping that too for people who like Rand. I think Ron's first money bomb was early summer of 2011? Spreading a money bomb is where something social media can play an effective and efficient tool IMO.

To win Iowa, Rand must target and appeal to two different voters 1) those Independents that are allowed to vote 2) OLD and religious GOP voters. Don't waste his time going from college campus to college campus - youth are about 15% of voters. And don't waste his time targeting Democrats. Have a solid message of liberty open to ALL and let those on the Left gravitate toward him and the generic message of change. He's got to turn the right left liberal conservative complex web thinking upside down. Mix it up a bit but for the caucuses and primaries, he must focus on the "right" side of such BS political spectrum just for the sake of it. It is what it is. Understand that!

I honestly don't know how Rand wins NH. It's a tough state for some reason who tend to support establishment crap speaking politicians. I'm going to chalk it up to being a "northeast thang." Understand that too!

I think your ideas should also include South Carolina. Rand will need a 1, 2, 3, strong punch going into that closed FL primary. And who lives and votes down in FL...say it with me everyone...OLD people. None of this "it's all about the youth vote" crap.

Now with all that out of the way. There is only so much you and I can do. The MAIN operation will have to come from Rand and who Rand builds his campaign strategy team with. Will he take the jabs, punches and threats (you know the ones that the Romney campaign did) like his father OR will Rand go all out and FIGHT back? Will Rand defend himself from the establishment talking heads - pundits and talk radio - on the right? Seriously, what will Rand's message be about? Liberty, maybe but he needs more. Idea? What about throwing the word violent around? Talk a philosophy privately but mainly publicly in generic terms - how "forceful, violent and coercion" government is to people in that they can relate (government IRS theft, promotion of abortion - tax funded, war on drugs, Obamacare, etc.) and how violent government is to certain parts of the world (should we be policing it? why aren't we using those resources for our own borders? is droning innocent people causing real blow back? be the anti-war candidate yet stand strong for defensive wars and defending America?, etc.)

Just throwing ideas out, not saying I'm right or wrong here my friends. It's going to talk all of us but in the end it's honestly up to Rand to be prepared for what's coming. Ron was not a political candidate desiring to become President. Rather a messenger only. Rand can't be that guy.

Also, I personally believe you guys here produce better TV commercials than some of these political hacks did last time around. Hoping Rand and his team opens their eyes. I didn't care much either for most of the TV spots done by other liberty political action groups. That money could have been spent more wisely than on second grade commercials.

Lots of very good points here and I think being better able to target likely primary voters and particularly an older voting bloc will be key. It will also be very important to focus on South Carolina as well like you point out. That said, I think it is absolutely vital to mobilize the younger base that was behind Ron (just look at how Obama overthrew the Clinton machine in 2008), and a few of the points I listed are specifically geared at that. And the northeast probably presents one of Rand's best opportunities; Ron performed very well in NH and Maine, and Rand has been ahead of Christie in the (very early) NH polls.

Also, the Facebook and Twitter ideas are not so much geared to convincing people to vote for Rand (although I'm sure it will help incrementally) as opposed to building a network with which we can promote moneybombs and volunteer efforts in a quick and efficient manner. With twitter, we could make a link to one of Rand's moneybombs visible to millions of people nationwide throughout the day or alert people who are already supporters to online phone banking efforts, etc.

 

[CaptUSA]

Start attending your local GOP events. Refrain from getting into debates with them - just engage in small talk and issues of agreement. Let them get to know you - not as some weirdo, but as a compatriot.

 

[jct74]

bump

 

[Okaloosa]

Being electable in a swing state will help determine who wins the primary. We need to get more people voting for Rand over Hillary in Florida, Ohio, and Virginia.

 

[metamars]

All very good ideas, however, does anyone else feel limited to these social media style marketing techniques?

Egg-Zactly right. It just so happens that an anti-Fed movement has recently sprung up in Europe, and is growing like all get-out, judging by number of cities involved. And the means of interfacing is primarily face-to-face, and in public. Therefore, there are low cost opportunities for recruiting, galore.

See my post: Anti-Fed, Populist Movement Growing Explosively in Europe; US version could make Rand Paul