I am also saddened by these latest 'non'-outcomes. I honestly don't think RP got into this race expecting to still be in after the first couple of debates. I think that just as Tom Tancredo jumped in just to make the others address the illegal immigration problem, Dr. Paul jumped in to make the others address foreign intervention and monetary policy. Then, a funny thing happened, the money started pouring in, the grassroots numbers sky-rocketed and he found himself at the head of a real movement in favor of Constitutional princples. He's said himself several times that we're cured his pessimism (translation: he pretty well expected to go nowhere with his campaign other than waking a few more people up). Now that the support and the money are actually there to continue, he nor the official campaign actually seem to have a game plan in place to effectively use either one. Will correcting this require a complete re-thinking of his campaign strategy? I think it does. Problem is, as has already been pointed out on this thread, the top guns in campaigning are either already taken or wouldn't be willing to come on board with a campaign with two fifth place finishes.
Our only hope, as I see it, is to run some top-notch campaign ads that concisely deal with issues AND solutions targeted to the top concerns in each of the upcoming states. One issue, whether some folks here like it or not, that has people all across the nation jumping up and down IS illegal immigration. People don't want to hear about how these poor illegals are being 'scape-goated' due to a bad economy - they want to hear what a President Ron Paul is going to do to fix the problem as oppsed to what the other candidates have actually DONE but are now SAYING:
1. Huckabee: used taxpayer dollars to help a Mexican Consulate come into Little Rock to aide the illegals already there. Wanted to give scholarships and in-state to tuition to illegal alien minors;
2. John McCain co-sponsored the amnesty bill with TED KENNEDY (how quickly people forget);
3. Fred Thompson voted for at least two bill while in the Senate that would allow employers to fire or lay off American workers and replace them with H1- and L1 visa holders;
4. Mitt Romney hired that landscaping company that he and his brother used for YEARS that hired all those Guatemalan illegals (MAYBE he didn't know about but the fact is that he still did it);
5. The Ghoul SUED in federal court to keep his sanctuary city and has made public statements about 'undocumented workers' being WELCOME in NYC.
Dr. Paul could SINK these other candidates IF he and the campaign would just do some really good ads and USE the above material, especially in South Carolina where numerous polls show that this is the NUMBER ONE issue to voters (especially the Republican BASE).
Bottom line, if HQ doesn't get the people in place who are capable of doing some professional and slick targeted ads, we'll be lucky to even get fifth in the states in the South and, without the South, the campaign is doomed to failure.
Do I LIKE having to say this? Hell no! Is it realistic? You BETCHA. Thing is, how do we convey our thoughts to HQ about this and actually get a response from someone with the power to actually address it?
