Conference Call - Jan 14th 2008

[ghemminger]

HQ listened in to many of our concerns but were unable to repond, at least on the call. I will be following up in the next few days to see if we have a response.

Currently there are 3 major movements within the campaign asking for redirecting existing staff or hiring new strategists. We are bringing up the concept of an executive level board and direct communications with Ron.

Many of the concerns brought up in threads on this board were discussed and we are giving the campaign time to respond. Thanks

Menthol Patch

Senior Member
about:Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,320

The following are what I remember being mentioned. The following are NOT in order.

1) The campaign needs to communicate better with the grassroots. Many people are very upset about this.

2) If the campaign cannot communicate with the campaign for legal reasons those reasons need to be specified.

3) The campaign needs to have one person work full-time communicating within the limits of the law to the grassroots.

4) The racism issue was discussed.

5) It was mentioned the campaign needs to set a new fundraising goal and put a meter on their website.

6) They need to state when the money needs to be raised by and what it will be spent on.

7) The campaign needs to take advantage of all the talent in the grassroots. There are people who would work for free or almost free.

8) If the campaign does not address these issues then a group of people will contact Ron Paul.

9) The campaign needs to stop canceling radio interviews.



Steve Martin

The bureaucracy in this campaign is harmful. We are trying to give the grassroots a seat at the table.

I know that a letter was hand-delivered to RP this afternoon which contained many of our concerns.

We could all use a little reality check. The fact is, RP is being BLACKED out totally on the MSM now--even on CNN, who gave us a brief spurt of publicity prior to NH. That is in part due to the very poor effort the campaign has made to coordinate with the media--even in the simple things, like posting RP's events calendar in the AP date book.

They have stiffed many media people for pre-arranged interviews. That stuff is just plain inexcusable.

I would hazard to guess that 90% of those with concerns about national HQ would have agreed with 90% of what was brought up with HQ on the conference call. No one here is doing this out of any desire to "take over" or to pump themselves up at the expense of others. These folks on the call are all (to the best of my knowledge--and I've spoken to all of them many times) trying to do ONE THING AND ONE THING ONLY--Get Dr. Paul elected. They are acting out of an honest sense of patriotism, as best as I can tell.

I wish I could be sure that getting Dr. Paul elected was the #1 goal of everyone in Arlington, but, at this point in time, I can not say that...and that scares the heck out of me.


llepard

Senior Member
about:Join Date: May 2007
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Posts: 349

Stop the madness
George, thank you for the effort you are making.

The people who are responding on this thread (except SteveMartin and a few other exceptions) are vile and immature.

Read this thread and you will see why I have basically withdrawn from this forum.

And I don't want to hear about how this is an exception--just withdraw.

Almost everyone who has posted here should ask themselves, would Ron Paul respond this way to a fellow supporter?

Would he?

I leave you to your originally scheduled gratuitous immature bashing.

LWL

colecrowe

Senior Member
about:Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 616

I hand delivered that letter to Ron Paul in Carson City, NV. It was very respectful of course. It just said how we were desperate for a president like him and as a vet of the Iraq war I wanted him to stop the war so more of my buddies don't get killed in maimed in a war that is not in America's interest, and as a husband whose wife has diabetes, the economic and healthcare crises make it so we need him more than anything. Then it said I wished he would do much more than the good old "college try" and instead really set out to win this thing, and hire really effective campaign staff and improve the ads and really address the racism thing.

 

[trey4sports]

nice work george

 

[ghemminger]

nice work george

Thanks

 

[Soccrmastr]

Sweet, this is what we need!

 

[trey4sports]

Since when did we the grassroots call for more bureaucracy???

we need a direct line with ron.....

 

[Menthol Patch]

The following are what I remember being mentioned. The following are NOT in order.

1) The campaign needs to communicate better with the grassroots. Many people are very upset about this.

2) If the campaign cannot communicate with the campaign for legal reasons those reasons need to be specified.

3) The campaign needs to have one person work full-time communicating within the limits of the law to the grassroots.

4) The racism issue was discussed.

5) It was mentioned the campaign needs to set a new fundraising goal and put a meter on their website.

6) They need to state when the money needs to be raised by and what it will be spent on.

7) The campaign needs to take advantage of all the talent in the grassroots. There are people who would work for free or almost free.

8) If the campaign does not address these issues then a group of people will contact Ron Paul.

9) The campaign needs to stop canceling radio interviews.

 

[SteveMartin]

I can vouch for that! The bureaucracy in this campaign is harmful. We are trying to give the grassroots a seat at the table.

I know that a letter was hand-delivered to RP this afternoon which contained many of our concerns.

 

[Ronin]

Did they have answers for what you guys talked about last week?

 

[ghemminger]

Did they have answers for what you guys talked about last week?

No answers directly from the campaign but we are learning all we need to know through indirect means of communications

 

[SteveMartin]

We also discussed what happened in Michigan, and the miserable staff that was hired there, the lack of advertising, availability of materials, etc.

We also discussed the need to get Big "L" Libertarians out of their current dominant role within campaign HQ and into a shared-power arrangement with other RP supporters not of the big "L" Libertarian persuasion.

LLepard also made it very clear that we CAN know who was behind the semi-racist comments found in the newsletters, and that this person must come forward and "fall on his sword" and that RP should cut all ties with that person(s).

 

[dante]

No answers directly from the campaign but we are learning all we need to know through indirect means of communications

care to pass along to the rest of us what you have learned indirectly?

 

[Soccrmastr]

This is looking to turn out very good!

 

[ghemminger]

care to pass along to the rest of us what you have learned indirectly?

In a nut shell - something you don't reallly want to hear.... The top level executives in this campaign need to be replaced....with high level competent national campaign strategists......

 

[SteveMartin]

Do whatever you want guys. The bottom line is, if we do poorly in MI tomorrow changes MUST COME, and you will all need to wake up and smell the coffee and join those of us who are TRYING to make improvements, or not...But leave George alone. None of us are perfect, but some of us have way too much invested in this movement to just let it fade into a footnote in history.

 

[Dlynne]

In a nut shell - something you don't reallly want to hear.... The top level executives in this campaign need to be replaced....with high level competent national campaign strategists......

Yes, yes, yes!!!! We want to win...we need to win! I just hope "strategists" include top notch, experienced media coordinators or relations people.

Thank you ghemminger, and anyone else who made this contact with the Paul campaign happen! Thank you.

 

[LukeNM]

I was not invited to be on a conference call -- who else was on this call and how were they chosen to represent me. Maybe I do not agree with your issues. I am 100% supportive of Ron Paul and HQ.

 

[free.alive]

ghemminger, I don't know you, nor do i intend to quibble. but it is much better to engage those who disagree with you than try to smear their character or just dismiss them, especially when their concerns are valid.

By the way, when was this conference call and who was invited?

 

[MayTheRonBeWithYou]

Did you ask them where are our anti-war ad is?????????????????????????

 

[ghemminger]

ghemminger - i'm sure your intentions are noble, however I concur with Troyhand.

If certain people among the grassroots had their way we'd be focusing on pointless newspaper ads, limos, firing the campaign staff, funding pointless recounts, protesting and chasing the media and funding extremely bland, uninformative ads that offer no strategic value such as the jeremiah Black ads - all INSTEAD of canvassing and signing up as precincts leaders. The logic is lost on me.

I don't support a grassroots executive central planning management committee. We have a representative with the campaign. They're working hard. It's now time for us to get focused on the couple things we should be doing to spread the word, identify voters and plug them into the database.

Thanks Free - I am involved with opening multiple offices for the campaign - but there are many things you are not privy too - and blind faith will not let us win - have you seen the fundraising numbers? You are in the minority of the RP base....

 

[akalucas]

One way or another we need good communication NOW. No communication is what is slowing this movement down, causing confusion and unnecessary speculation. I guess if people don't want a few people speaking for them that can be fixed by having a section in this forum where the campaign can only post threads in to ask for feedback and based on that feedback they can make a decision. They could also use this section to make statements and what not. Hopefully from here the info can spread throughout the internet.

I feel them posting stuff in ronpaul2008.com is not having the effect they want cause people cant post feedback. They have posted numerous times about precinct captains and how important it is for success but I dont sense the urgency here or other places like youtube that november 5th did or tea party had. Maybe having them post it here and allow feedback will motivate people somehow. Having Paul post here and him replying would do wonders with motivation. Maybe it would take an hour of his day but it would be a well invested hour.