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

[Matt Collins]

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.

Maybe in '07, but he is not an amateur now.

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

Yes, but there are better people. For example, I am a runner. I trained really hard, and got really, really fast in college. But there are people out there who are naturally gifted. Touched by the wings of an angel, they can run circles around me without breaking a sweat.

Benton is studying, and working, and learning on the job. But for such a major endeavor, we need someone with proven pure talent that will get this done. We are going for results here. We have no proof that this guy can hold water to the people running campaigns on the national level.

Besides, I have heard several accounts that he is actually sort of a despicable person, who's primary concern is his own self aggrandizement. Also, a lot of the grassroots hate him, he's got to go. Pick somebody else, it's not a big deal, he's not our only option. Like I said the only reason he's still around is because of his pull and associations, he has no special talent worth keeping.

 

[eleganz]

If I can recall correctly, Benton was the Co-Chair last time and I think John Tate was the other? Are you guys ok with Tate at the helm?

 

[twomp]

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.


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.

If that were true, then the campaign should have reached out and said something instead of sending their lapdog (I.e. you) to speak out. And for the matter, if you are the campaigns spokesman for these things, you should be fired. You do nothing but speak down to people that disagree with you. Around here we call that short man syndrome, people who act tough because they are insecure or are "lacking" in real life.

 

[KingNothing]

Did it cross your mind that if that is true then he openly lied to us through two Presidential campaigns? And that means that you yourself lied to us during the second one?

OMFG. You never cease to amaze me.

You just thoroughly discredited yourself, as well as your candidate and his entire campaign....all for the sake of puffing yourself up to some random stranger on the internet.

And Benton hired you, IIRC.

Honestly, do you really think that Ron wanted to be president? I'm sure he would have graciously accepted the position had we voted him in, but there is absolutely no way he wanted to hold that office.

 

[KingNothing]

Thinking that your chances are slim, is very different from campaigning with no intention to win because you have other motives.

I think that the only way Ron could have won is if he'd been even better at getting the message out and educating people. Don't get me wrong, he did a WONDERFUL job, but what I'm saying is that the route to winning and the route to laying the groundwork for future campaigns was exactly the same.

 

[T.hill]

Didn't Rand already assign his former chief of staff, Doug Stafford, to manage his current national operations? Kinda seems like that could imply he's leaning towards him.

 

[Occam's Banana]

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

Vermin Supreme is NOT a "dolt" - he is an extraordinarily subtle and incisive performance artist.

Well, okay ... maybe he's not so subtle ... but he's definitely incisive ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d_FvgQ1csE

 

[twomp]

Didn't Rand already assign his former chief of staff, Doug Stafford, to manage his current national operations? Kinda seems like that could imply he's leaning towards him.

I think Doug Stafford is doing an extraordinaire job. I hope he chooses him. But actually, I'm pretty sure Rand knows what he's doing. He will pick the most qualified person.

 

[CPUd]

I have a feeling Santorum ran in 2012 for the purpose of winning in 2016, but doesn't seem to be working out for him right now.

 

[Peace&Freedom]

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.

Talk about missing the point, and not understanding---it was a Paul and liberty movement event, that the campaign tried to manipulate as if they were supposed to control it. In the real world, you can't have it both ways, saying "if you don't like how the campaign does events, put together your own," then absolutely shun and run down people when they do successfully organize their own. Controlling your own message, cool. Trying to control everybody else's message, or calling it "fringe" if you can't, uncool.

And since the "Paul campaign" or candidacy was OVER by the time of a GOP convention that was designed to coronate Romney anyway, what was the harm at that point in participating with supporters at a broader festival? "The campaign this, the campaign that" is simply a canard, or code for "never fraternize with the grassroots," or micro-manage/purge them if you do (AKA, needless division). This endless control-freak PR tendency is yet another part of the friction between Benton and the grassroots.

 

[compromise]

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.

Agreed 100%.

PaulFest was fundamentally indistinguishable from Comic-Con.

 

[RonPaulFanInGA]

I have a feeling Santorum ran in 2012 for the purpose of winning in 2016, but doesn't seem to be working out for him right now.

Santorum is dead-last nationally among polled GOP candidates for 2016, according to the most-recent CNN poll. This, despite being the second-place contender in 2012.

I hope it is dawning on ol' Rick that the only reason he won anything was because the media pumped him up in December 2011 to make things interesting for ratings reasons, and there just aren't that many Americans who want to see him as President.

 

[phill4paul]

Kashmir

?

LOL, but seriously, what about LA? Why don't you post the article describing whatever crime in Cajun country you're alleging Benton committed?

I'm trying to teach you how to fish instead of just giving you one. Do with this knowledge what you will.

 

[cajuncocoa]

Kashmir

?

LOL, but seriously, what about LA? Why don't you post the article describing whatever crime in Cajun country you're alleging Benton committed?

http://collapsereport.com/2012/08/22/traitor-benton-trying-to-give-away-all-paul-delegates/

 

[whoisjohngalt]

Kashmir

?

LOL, but seriously, what about LA? Why don't you post the article describing whatever crime in Cajun country you're alleging Benton committed?

I don't think you realize that this is not a court of law, it's a court of public opinion. Perception is reality. This is more than an uphill battle; people are pretty well set on their opinion on this matter.

The whole Sorenson payoff thing... The phone call where he is repeatedly called a scum and said to have definitely known about the transaction. Go ahead and try to claim innocent until proving guilty. Again, this isn't a court of law and you know it works nothing like one.

 

[whoisjohngalt]

Maybe in '07, but he is not an amateur now.

But he still sucks dick. What good is experience if it doesn't make you any better?

 

[Maltheus]

The whole Sorenson payoff thing... The phone call where he is repeatedly called a scum and said to have definitely known about the transaction. Go ahead and try to claim innocent until proving guilty. Again, this isn't a court of law and you know it works nothing like one.

I had always known about the allegations, but hadn't gotten around to reading the transcript, until the other day. And I can't deny, it sounds authentic. That's precisely the kind of rookie, brute force mistake, that is Benton's MO. And it makes me wonder if there was money behind some of the odd moves I was seeing as well. Does anyone know if Ron has ever reviewed that call?

In any case, unless this allegation can be convincingly refuted, it alone should disqualify him from being positioned anywhere near Rand's campaign. To pretend like this won't be an issue, would tell me that Rand is not ready for prime-time.

 

[satchelmcqueen]

i hope thats not true.

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

 

[whoisjohngalt]

I'm pretty sure that after Benton is done with the McConnell campaign, there isn't going to be anyone willing to "hold their nose" to work with him again.

You couldn't find a clothespin strong enough to keep out the Benton stench.