BREAKING: Ron Paul OFFICIAL STATEMENT on DELEGATE STRATEGY

[Mini-Me]

I think this whole thing started with a misinterpretation of what happened in OK and AZ. I think the campaign just read the stupid reports that came out and listened to the establishment and thought it was Ron Paul's supporters that caused problems.

I'm not a fan of Benton, but I'm curious about the actual mistrust going on here. Has he ever actually done anything to indicate that he would deceive Ron or go "rogue," or are these insinuations popping up in a vacuum? I mean, he's a mediocre campaign manager, sure, but that's a far cry from speculating about ulterior motives and sabotage.

I also think it's worth noting that if this IS a problem, it would continue to be a problem throughout a Ron Paul Presidency: His single greatest flaw is trusting those around him with too much responsibility without oversight. It's a side effect of being libertarian: He doesn't want to micromanage, and he's not a control freak...but his delegate strategy is not the only similarity between him and Warren Harding.

 

[Crystallas]

Time spent backtracking, is time lost moving forward.

If you are in any upcoming contest, you need to continue to work your butt off. Just remember, this announcement spin should kill RMoney's turnouts, because THEY are the MSM sheep. We aren't.

 

[presence]

What if the statement is being made as a matter of "bad publicity" being better than no publicity. Its got us on page 30 in one day. Its got people who aren't RP supporters giving the "I told you so" to RP supporters; which grants lee way to correct them and discuss the liberty agenda.

Maybe its calculated; playing dead.

presence

 

[CJPrinter]

Now that we have an admission from the campaign that he cannot win the nomination, isn't it about time we talk about RP's independent run?

Seriously, what have we got to lose?

The day after the GOP convention should be day #1 of Ron Paul the Independent for President.

We can talk about it, but it's ultimately not our decision: It's something you'd have to convince Ron Paul to do, and I don't see it happening. We are more insistent than he is that he become President before he retires, because he's the man who rallied so many of us to the cause. Although Rand doesn't inspire the same revolutionary energy or draw the same cross-party support (for the general election), Ron clearly sees taking the Republican Party as the long-term way forward, and I agree.

I don't think he'd risk jeopardizing that (in the eyes of Joe Schmoe Republican Voter, not the corrupt Republican leadership) with an independent run unless he thought he had a good shot...which he really doesn't. He's currently polling 14% in a three-way matchup, which is just a hair under what it would take to get into the debates, and the vast majority of people have it in their mind that only a Republican and Democrat can win. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy, but a single run is not enough to dispel the notion and make it untrue. With all of the continued rhetoric about Obama being the antichrist (figuratively or literally), the conservative vote will mostly go to Romney, and the majority of the liberal vote will still mostly go to Obama in fear of Romney's more open corporatism, and ordinary conservative voters (even former fence-riders) would blame us for Romney's inevitable failure and be much harder to convert in the future. Furthermore, Romney WILL lose to Obama, so there's no practical need to run third party just to spite the neocons.

Don't get me wrong: I'd totally support a third-party run and risk angering "conservatives" just out of spite for the establishment, but I do see it as futile, and I believe Ron has the same viewpoint. If you can convince him to change his mind, I won't object.

I can't agree more Mini-Me! Ron Paul knows short term thinking got us into this mess. This is a WORLDWIDE issue not simply something one man can fix. We all need to realize it's going to take long term planning by a HUGE mass of dedicated people to fix it. That's what Ron Paul has been calling a r3VOLution.

IT'S OURS NOT HIS!

 

[Mini-Me]

Yesterday, I thought there was a good chance that it was calculated. Today, the chances are slimmer: Yesterday was enough to trick the media into making the Romney delegates complacent, and I don't believe they would have eaten crow loudly enough or issued a conspicuous-enough correction to really undo that damage, no matter what Benton said to supporters today. I suspect he could have said, "We're in it to win it, and we will," and many Romney people wouldn't hear it, and most of the rest would have laughed at it. The fact that he said what he said today increases the odds that he really means what he's saying...though if Benton believes the media would have corrected their mistake, all bets are off. Either way, I'd love to see us prove his words wrong, and I think it's worth trying just for the potential smug satisfaction.

 

[Mini-Me]

I just realized: Benton's message talks about having a voice in GOP rules, but he doesn't really belabor the seriousness of the matter. We absolutely, positively, 100% MUST continue fighting regardless of Ron Paul's chances, if only to ensure we have a voice in shaping the rules for the next Presidential election in 2016. If we don't, the GOP insiders will likely learn their lesson from this year and turn every state into a winner-take-all primary with bound delegates. We must stop that from happening: We're very close to taking over the party, and at this rate it will be ours in a decade (hopefully it won't be too late), but we'll forfeit any chance of that in the future if we give the establishment time to change the rules and permanently bar us.

This is still about Ron Paul 2012 for me, but failing that, it's still not about a speaking slot or anything trivial like that: It's about keeping the door open for 2016 before the current GOP leadership changes all the rules to prevent a repeat of this year. In other words, the entire medium-term future of this movement may hinge upon our performance over the next few months...

 

[hrdman2luv]

Time spent backtracking, is time lost moving forward.

If you are in any upcoming contest, you need to continue to work your butt off. Just remember, this announcement spin should kill RMoney's turnouts, because THEY are the MSM sheep. We aren't.

I think this could go either way.

 

[CJPrinter]

I just realized: Benton's message talks about having a voice in GOP rules, but he doesn't really belabor the seriousness of the matter. We absolutely, positively, 100% MUST continue fighting regardless of Ron Paul's chances, if only to ensure we have a voice in shaping the rules for the next Presidential election in 2016. If we don't, the GOP insiders will likely learn their lesson from this year and turn every state into a winner-take-all primary with bound delegates. We must stop that from happening: We're very close to taking over the party, and at this rate it will be ours in a decade (hopefully it won't be too late), but we'll forfeit any chance of that in the future if we give the establishment time to change the rules and permanently bar us.

This is still about Ron Paul 2012 for me, but failing that, it's still not about a speaking slot or anything trivial like that: It's about keeping the door open for 2016 before the current GOP leadership changes all the rules to prevent a repeat of this year. In other words, the entire medium-term future of this movement may hinge upon our performance over the next few months...

RIGHT! It's quite obvious Romney won't win the Presidency, which sets everything up for a Republican seat in 2016. If we control the party by then and the rules have been changed...well YOU do the math...

 

[tuggy24g]

 

[Tudo]

Chief Strategist

 

[devil21]

Chief Strategist

It is strange that his title has changed. I wonder why? Has he been demoted/fired and is now doing a slash and burn? I recall a Bachmann campaign manager doing that at one point when her campaign was on the ropes and he was replaced. Since it's been made abundantly clear that the campaign itself hasn't been ended why would Benton's title change?

Remember that the email from "Ron" yesterday was from a different, but similar, email address to his previous address. There is some oddness with this whole thing and that's why I want Ron HIMSELF to step up and make a video explaining what's going on.

 

[jolynna]

I'm staying.

Not concerning myself with Jesse Benton.

The people seated in county council positions where I live shouldn't even be allowed to have car keys, let alone make decisions about anything else. The days with these people in local power are numbered. Afterwards it is the Ron Paul group OR the tea party people. I'll stand with the tea party on balancing the budget, limited government and keeping our freedoms so we have a starting point of common ground.

BUT, some things our country is part of are so wrong it hurts to think about it. If I don't do everything in my power to change that, I am a participant in the wrongdoing.

I just got a new book called, The Altruistic Personality: Rescuers of Jews in Nazi Germany. The book explores what led ordinary men and women to risk their lives on behalf of others.

Ron Paul rescued me from apathy. In the future I will strive to be one of the "rescue" personality types.

The old guard, the "Dick Lugars", as I said, they are at the age where they call you 6 times to give you the same message because they forget their previous calls. The openings are THERE for any and ALL that will roll up their sleeves and are willing to start on the ground floor.

In my opinion.

 

[CJPrinter]

Remember that the email from "Ron" yesterday was from a different, but similar, email address to his previous address. There is some oddness with this whole thing and that's why I want Ron HIMSELF to step up and make a video explaining what's going on.

SERIOUSLY‽ Come ON! Enough with the conspiracy BS! If you MUST have hard proof, here's a trace of the email headers:

Subject: Special Message from Ron Paul
Received: from smtp.harbin.bluehornet.com (smtp.harbin.bluehornet.com. [67.216.226.81]) by mx.google.com
Received: from [10.64.22.23] ([10.64.22.23:60291] helo=localhost.localdomain) by dc1bhmta06 (envelope-from <bounce-use=M=12000505308=echo3=0564CA854B67274504A0C6DAB1C9F17A@returnpath.bluehornet.com>) (ecelerity 3.0.28.38595 r(38597)) with ESMTP id 9B/ED-25602-93451BF4; Mon, 14 May 2012 11:51:37 -0700
IP address 10.64.22.23 was ignored because it is a Private-Use Network address.

Subject: Paul Campaign Convention Strategy
Received: from smtp.harbin.bluehornet.com (smtp.harbin.bluehornet.com. [67.216.226.81]) by mx.google.com
Received: from [10.64.22.25] ([10.64.22.25:35895] helo=localhost.localdomain) by dc1bhmta04 (envelope-from <bounce-use=M=12007144222=echo3=7B59936C23E1213C1A0A03494A029B0B@returnpath.bluehornet.com>) (ecelerity 3.0.28.38595 r(38597)) with ESMTP id 9E/27-22566-F0362BF4; Tue, 15 May 2012 07:07:11 -0700
IP address 10.64.22.25 was ignored because it is a Private-Use Network address.

For the non-tech-savy, it's simple, BOTH email's originated from separate computers within the same network through the same email server.

 

[klamath]

I've watched this race from the start and I have to say Ron did have a chance at the nomination for only a tiny window of time.

Ron had the chance when his slow and steady Iowa numbers put him on top, then them media ramped the newsletters into hysterics and pumped Santorum.

The official campaign dropped the ball right then and there when they did not have a "rational" and "media friendly" response to the newsletters. Yes Ron said over and over he disavowed them but I really felt right then and there the campaign did not really have much of a response at all.After that he placed 3rd in Iowa and 2nd in NH. If Ron had won Iowa he would have been much closer to Romney in NH and possibly could have hanged on past South Carolina as a frontrunner where we started to see some more RP friendly states.

It was an uphill battle from the start and I think the people advising the campaign were the wrong people to pick, with exceptions(Doug Wead)



Now when Ron gets some delegate wins at the conventions the campaign wants to stop it, the campaign and RNC have most likely been in talks and they do not want anything to disrupt their big party in Tampa........


Hmmmm....


So much possibility

So much wasted away!

That right there. RP was surging in Iowa until he let the media set the debate. "Paul storms out of interview after being asked about newsletters."

 

[Carlybee]

The world is watching. http://m.gq.com/news-politics/blogs/death-race/2012/05/seven-stages-of-ron-paul-supporter-grief.html

 

[Cleaner44]

I'm going all conspiracy theory now... I suspect that Ron died over the weekend and Benton and Wead are scrambling to do a Weekend at Bernie's thing by propping Ron up, but they want to keep the risk down to a minimum and that is why there will be no more campaign stops until they figure out how to connect rods to Ron's arms like on Kermit the Frog so he can be properly animated in order to keep the R3VOLITION alive as long as possible so we can keep picking up delegates all the way to the convention and eventually nominate a RoboRon, because even he could do a better job than a puppet like Obamney even if he looks strange like Mr. Burns did in the future when he was just head in a glass jar... hope you enjoy the run on sentence and pictures.

 

[Eisenhower]

^lmfao

 

[CJPrinter]

I'm going all conspiracy theory now... I suspect that Ron died over the weekend and Benton and Wead are scrambling to do a Weekend at Bernie's thing by propping Ron up, but they want to keep the risk down to a minimum and that is why there will be no more campaign stops until they figure out how to connect rods to Ron's arms like on Kermit the Frog so he can be properly animated in order to keep the R3VOLITION alive as long as possible so we can keep picking up delegates all the way to the convention and eventually nominate a RoboRon, because even he could do a better job than a puppet like Obamney even if he looks strange like Mr. Burns did in the future when he was just head in a glass jar... hope you enjoy the run on sentence and pictures.

+Rep for creativity & injecting a bit of humor into a thread that DESPERATELY needed it. LOL

 

[CJPrinter]

From the very beginning, my campaign for the White House has been about REAL change and true reform.

It’s been about changing the Republican Party – and more importantly, changing the direction of our country.

It’s been about renewing respect for the founding principles of limited constitutional government, free markets, and sound money.

This has never been just a campaign. This is a R3VOLUTION – and so far, it’s been a very successful one.

And for that, I have wonderful supporters like you to thank.

But our job isn't over yet. We still have some important work to do.

To help me make as much of an impact in Tampa - and beyond - as possible, my grassroots supporters are holding a "Rise for Liberty" Money Bomb on May 17.

This is likely to be the last Money Bomb of my campaign, so I would truly appreciate your contribution.

Already, thanks to the efforts of good folks like you, my supporters and other liberty-minded folks are now in positions of power within the Republican Party in Alaska, Nevada, Iowa, and elsewhere.

Tens of thousands of liberty-minded young people are now active in politics and working feverishly for a better tomorrow for our country.

As much as some in power may not like it, these young people are not going anywhere.

And liberty candidates are filing to run for office all across the nation at seemingly every level of government.

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of folks like you, we are the future of the Republican Party.

But there are many State Conventions set to take place soon throughout the country.

What happens in each one could have MASSIVE ramifications for years to come.

For example, the Minnesota Republican Convention is this weekend.

Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, and Washington will all soon follow.

Combined with what we’ve already accomplished, all of these conventions will help determine just how much of an impact you and I can make at the Republican National Convention in August.

They will determine our influence on the direction of the Republican Party, including the platform and the rules, which – as many of my supporters have learned – will be absolutely critical to the success of future pro-liberty candidates.

But for my efforts in the remaining State Conventions to be successful, I need you to continue standing with me.

By maximizing the number of delegates we take to the Republican National Convention, you and I can send a loud-and-clear message to the Republican Party and the national media that our R3VOLUTION is here to stay!

So I hope I can count on you to make your most generous contribution to the May 17 Rise for Liberty Money Bomb.

Your contribution will go directly toward winning as many delegates as possible at the remaining State Conventions.

I truly believe you and I are the future. And I know we cannot be stopped!

Our work over the next few months will not only determine the level of our success in August, but it will be absolutely essential to ensuring we keep making history beyond Tampa.

So please plan now to make the most generous contribution you can possibly afford to the Rise for Liberty Money Bomb this Thursday!

Let’s finish what we started and continue our work to Restore America NOW!

For Liberty,

Ron Paul

P.S. Thanks to all of your hard work over the past year, there’s no denying you and I are now the future of the Republican Party.

But our job is not done.

To help me make as much of an impact in Tampa - and beyond - as possible, my grassroots supporters are holding a "Rise for Liberty" Money Bomb this Thursday, May 17.

I hope you will plan to make your most generous contribution to this effort!

How much more clear can he make it?

 

[neverseen]

He's just saying what everyone here doesn't want to hear because they know it's the truth. At least he's being up front about it and not asking for money with out telling us what's going on. It's the honest thing to do.