Do you want Jesse Benton involved in any capacity in Rand Paul 2016?

[Matt Collins]

Wow wow wow.

so, during the campaign in which Matt was paid by those donations to create several alternate accounts to properly represent the level of deception the campaign was willing to stoop to, anybody who DARED assert the campaign was perhaps not actually trying to win the presidency was blasted by him and his little socks.

And now you have the audacity to stand here and call the people who actually believed the charade stupid for believing it.

Holy freaking mother of....


This is the House the Benton built.

Nice try, but not even close.

 

[angelatc]

I'm not. Ron never ran to win. If Benton has any power withing Rand's campaign, I'm not wasting my money. Rand isn't running an educational campaign like Ron did so there's no point in hiring amateurs.

There is a very good possibility that if Rand decides to run in 2016 that he might not be expecting to win. Look, he's trying to change the law in KY so that he can run for 2 offices simultaneously. That speaks volumes to me. And I do not necessarily disagree with that assessment. Reagan ran 3 times before he won the nomination. But having a Plan B (building the base, improving name recognition, tailoring messaging, all those things) is exactly that - Plan B.

 

[Rocco]

See, this is the kind of stuff that irks me. Say what you want about some of his decisions Deborah, but you screwed yourselves with PAUL Fest when you made people like Gigi Bowman (who is an open 9/11 truther) and Tracy Diaz major organizers and invited the Libertarian Party to have a major presence at a festival that was taking place during the GOP convention. The simple fact of the matter is that when Benton spoke of a fringe element he was correct. Not everyone involved was fringe, but there was a fringe element that made it impossible for the campaign to endorse the festival in any capacity. Benton cannot be blamed for this.

The only bad decision I have seen Jesse make was sending out the email stating that Ron couldn't win, but who knows if Rand's arm was being twisted to endorse for an RNC speaking slot. He might have done us a favor. Can anyone point to other specifics?

I don't have time to rehash all the damage Benton has done to the movement. I met him in '07 when I was organizing Revolution March. I dealt with his bullshit when I was organizing P.A.U.L. Festival in '12. I have enough personal knowledge to convince me of his disdain for the grassroots. But there's a ton more shit on the guy - google it and see for yourself.

 

[angelatc]

Nice try, but not even close.

Come Matt, tell me which part I'm wrong about.

You were on the campaign payroll: check.
You had several accounts here: check.
You insulted people who didn't think Ron was trying to win: check

And now you're here insulting the people who did think Ron was trying to win: check

You need to go spend some more time in spin class, son.

 

[fr33]

There is a very good possibility that if Rand decides to run in 2016 that he might not be expecting to win. Look, he's trying to change the law in KY so that he can run for 2 offices simultaneously. That speaks volumes to me. And I do not necessarily disagree with that assessment. Reagan ran 3 times before he won the nomination. But having a Plan B (building the base, improving name recognition, tailoring messaging, all those things) is exactly that - Plan B.

If he hires Benton, I'll know how insincere he is being, and act accordingly. Another barometer is to look at the first "yes" voters on this poll, and recognize those co-opters among us.

 

[MRK]

Why does this matter? No one here has any input on this subject.


And yall should be grateful for Jesse because he was the driving force to get Ron to run in 2012. I doubt he would've if Jesse hadn't had pushed him to.

 

[jjdoyle]

Wasn't Jesse Benton the campaign manager for Rand Paul's 2010 Senate campaign? 23.4% margin primary win and 11.4% margin general election win. Maybe this is relevant.

I wouldn't give Jesse Benton credit, for what the grassroots did. EVER.

 

[RonPaulFanInGA]

You continue to fail to grasp the concept that "winning" an election does not always equate to electoral victory.

Sorry, but no. American politics does not reward losers. Barack Obama sitting in the White House is not "winning".

 

[Maltheus]

And I say this with a heavy heart because I would love to knock on doors and phone bank for Rand in 2016.

Rand, PLEASE do not make the mistake of making Benton your #1 guy.

Exactly! I want to do this. I'd like to help get peoples' asses back off the couch to help support this. I love working with liberty minded people. But eight years of this guy was enough. I can't do it again. I won't. He's incompetent at best. And he's usually not at his best.

 

[Peace&Freedom]

See, this is the kind of stuff that irks me. Say what you want about some of his decisions Deborah, but you screwed yourselves with PAUL Fest when you made people like Gigi Bowman (who is an open 9/11 truther) and Tracy Diaz major organizers and invited the Libertarian Party to have a major presence at a festival that was taking place during the GOP convention. The simple fact of the matter is that when Benton spoke of a fringe element he was correct. Not everyone involved was fringe, but there was a fringe element that made it impossible for the campaign to endorse the festival in any capacity. Benton cannot be blamed for this.

There was no fringe element at PAUL Fest, nor are the persons/groups you mentioned in that zone---it was a representative sampling of the entire grassroots liberty movement, free of the thin skinned, artificial marginalization so typical of the Bentonite control freaks, who smear anything not officially cleared by the official campaign as "fringe." Such folks have been trying to use the Paul cause to 'purge' the movement of non-Republicans, populists, truthers and others for years, to no avail (give it up folks, we've been a major part of it from the start, and aren't going anywhere). This attempt to sow needless division within the movement is one of the ongoing problems the grassroots have had with the Bentons from the official campaign.

 

[twomp]

See, this is the kind of stuff that irks me. Say what you want about some of his decisions Deborah, but you screwed yourselves with PAUL Fest when you made people like Gigi Bowman (who is an open 9/11 truther) and Tracy Diaz major organizers and invited the Libertarian Party to have a major presence at a festival that was taking place during the GOP convention. The simple fact of the matter is that when Benton spoke of a fringe element he was correct. Not everyone involved was fringe, but there was a fringe element that made it impossible for the campaign to endorse the festival in any capacity. Benton cannot be blamed for this.

The only bad decision I have seen Jesse make was sending out the email stating that Ron couldn't win, but who knows if Rand's arm was being twisted to endorse for an RNC speaking slot. He might have done us a favor. Can anyone point to other specifics?

Are you fking serious??? Fringe??? Did you get your talking points from Peter King? Nice of you to toe the party line, "if you aren't with us, then you are part of the fringe" I guess wanting to follow the constitution makes you a part of the "fringe" now right? How about this, try to take over the GOP with just the rank and file GOP warmongers then. You need us "fringe" more than we need you sheeple. Baaaa baaaa go back to doing what your masters tell you to do. You too Matt Collins. Talk to us when you grow a set of balls instead of what your masters tell you to say.

 

[Matt Collins]

Come Matt, tell me which part I'm wrong about.

You were on the campaign payroll: check.
You had several accounts here: check.
You insulted people who didn't think Ron was trying to win: check

And now you're here insulting the people who did think Ron was trying to win: check

You need to go spend some more time in spin class, son.

In case you didn't notice, I never said Ron wasn't trying to win. Pay attention.

 

[Matt Collins]

Sorry, but no. American politics does not reward losers. Barack Obama sitting in the White House is not "winning".

Sorry that apparently you too cannot comprehend basic political realities.

 

[Matt Collins]

See, this is the kind of stuff that irks me. Say what you want about some of his decisions Deborah, but you screwed yourselves with PAUL Fest when you made people like Gigi Bowman (who is an open 9/11 truther) and Tracy Diaz major organizers and invited the Libertarian Party to have a major presence at a festival that was taking place during the GOP convention. The simple fact of the matter is that when Benton spoke of a fringe element he was correct. Not everyone involved was fringe, but there was a fringe element that made it impossible for the campaign to endorse the festival in any capacity. Benton cannot be blamed for this.

Pretty much this. I have no grudge against Deb, other than her ignorant obstinatince in this thread and a few others. Never met her, don't know her, I am sure that she has worked very hard on a lot of liberty projects.

There was no fringe element at PAUL Fest, nor are the persons/groups you mentioned in that zone---it was a representative sampling of the entire grassroots liberty movement, free of the thin skinned, artificial marginalization so typical of the Bentonite control freaks, who smear anything not officially cleared by the official campaign as "fringe." Such folks have been trying to use the Paul cause to 'purge' the movement of non-Republicans, populists, truthers and others for years, to no avail (give it up folks, we've been a major part of it from the start, and aren't going anywhere). This attempt to sow needless division within the movement is one of the ongoing problems the grassroots have had with the Bentons from the official campaign.

You are missing the point... the campaign has to be able to control its message and image. With people who are outspoken conspiracy theorists, LP and CP candidates, and complete mental cases like Vermin Supreme being at PaulFest, the campaign absolutely had to distance itself from it. If you don't understand this, then you're not living in the real world and have no concept of how politics works.

 

[ronaldo23]

Rand hiring Jesse in any capacity to run his presidential campaign would be on par with hiring Mike Tyson as future press secretary.

 

[Natural Citizen]

Heh. Vermin Supreme. I forgot about that dolt. What's he up to these days?

 

[Maltheus]

Rand hiring Jesse in any capacity to run his presidential campaign would be on par with hiring Mike Tyson as future press secretary.

The difference being, Tyson at least provides some level of celebrity appeal. I still haven't seen a case for anything Benton might bring.

 

[jjdoyle]

In case you didn't notice, I never said Ron wasn't trying to win. Pay attention.

No, you said:

Uh, actually did it ever cross your mind that maybe Ron's goal wasn't to become President?

Which, if the goal wasn't to become President, that means "not trying to win". Unless you think people wasted time and money on a PRESIDENTIAL campaign, not to actually win the nomination? Some of us understand that was the campaign's strategy, with backroom deals with Romney's campaign and a speaking slot at the RNC.
But, last I checked, the majority of people I know donated to Ron Paul 2012 to try and WIN the presidency and nomination. Not some delusional "Plan B".

Maybe I got the wrong campaign fundraising emails, begging supports always for more money (to help Romney win), using things like, "In it to win it."

Or, maybe Ron wasn't being totally honest when he said:
"Every single dollar raised will go toward winning this nomination. And I guarantee you it will be put to immediate use."

In one campaign fundraising email before Super Tuesday?

Yes, some of us know Ron Paul 2012 was a campaign full of complete idiots, and/or complete liars. Probably both. The Kent Sorenson issue is just some evidence of both of those.

So, I guess Jesse Benton was a good campaign manager deserving of another spot in another campaign; I guess if you think having more money than all but one other candidate, the most passionate supporters, and the candidate with the best record to run on, yet getting fewer votes than Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, is good?

So, no, Rand should not in any fashion have Jesse Benton on his campaign. Then again, Ron Paul 2012 didn't listen to the grassroots in 2012 and saw them only good for one thing, money.

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

Why should the campaign have to serve as a learning experience for some stumbling newbie on training wheels? Benton is like a child king with an enormous army at his command, directing them this way and that way randomly without any understanding of what he's doing.

The thing that bothers me the most is that he ascended to his position in the community through association. He is a social climber, using his friends to get him an undeserved position. If I founded a successful company and I limited my applications for the top slots to the small pool of people I had met in my life, rather than casting a net across the entire ocean of nationwide applicants, I would be a fool and likely fail. Just because Benton happens to know the Pauls by chance, he gets to run the campaign? This is an example of poor campaign management, something which was a major problem with Ron Paul.

 

[Matt Collins]

Which, if the goal wasn't to become President, that means "not trying to win".

This has already been explained here. Please, try and keep up.