examiner: Ron Paul supporters already out in force for 2012 Republican nomination

[speciallyblend]

way to go va my home state though i would never in a million years ever move back!!

 

[Matt Collins]

Sign waving is neither highly effective, nor ineffective. It is one thing to attempt to promote the type of tactics one believes is most effective, quite another to throw wet blankets on other's tactics as a means of promoting ones own. In fact, when I see such wet blankets thrown I can only think that the wet blanket throwers are ineffective at promoting their preferred tactics and resorting to the lamer tactic of putting down others to build up themselves...

You worked on Gunny's campaign, right? What methods did you use to win it?

How much is earned media worth?

Quite a bit, but not as much as we all would like to think though. Again, multiple direct and targeted contact with likely primary voters is the most effective way to win an election.

Also, a lot of his supporters are young and just don't know what works and what doesn't, and they'd happily put their energy to whatever use it can do the most good if somebody with experience give them the guidance.

And that's the idea!

I disagree. Sign waving doesn't win elections, that is true. However, if it weren't for sign waving, Ron Paul would be in the same position as any other no name candidate that has ever run in a presidential election. Ron Paul became as well known and popular as he did in part, because of sign waves.

I disagree. It was mostly his first spat with Rudy at that debate, his outspokenness and this the fact that he was distinguished from the other Repubs, and Internet chatter that helped him along initially.

It also provides a way for supporters to get together socially without wasting a few hours having a potluck or something.

That I can agree with. And I agree that social time is important. Even Ron says that while we do this it's important to have fun.

I participated in plenty of sign waves in 07/08 and will continue to do so for the next election (if he runs). We gained many a supporter during our sign waves, I saw plenty of evidence of this with my own eyes. I do think they are low on the value scale, but not a complete waste of time IMO.

The question to ask yourself is "what is the most effective use of my time in this election?" And again the answer is direct, targets, and multiple contact with likely Republican voters.

100% not true collins! maybe ineffective in your eyes but that is not true and you know it!! Yes they must become delegates etc etc, but sign waving is a huge thing!!

Don't confuse being busy with being productive.

 

[ronpaulhawaii]

You worked on Gunny's campaign, right? What methods did you use to win it?

Brute force. Yes, we knocked on doors, but not in any "traditional campaign" fashion. It was a very unorthodox campaign... One thing I will note that, in that region of the country, "you ain't a real candidate unless you got some 4 x 8 roadsigns..." Just like in Hawaii people expect to see sign wavers for any one who really wants the job...

My point is that there is no good reason to be throwing wet blankets over other peoples backyards... While I applaud encouragement of traditional tactics, I also feel the need to heckle the use of discouragement (for others efforts) to promote such tactics.

If you were forced to decide between the two, would you rather people did nothing, or waved signs?

Quite a bit, but not as much as we all would like to think though. Again, multiple direct and targeted contact with likely primary voters is the most effective way to win an election.

Earned media was very effective in Gunny's case, there wasn't much, "multiple direct and targeted contact with likely primary voters"

I disagree. It was mostly his first spat with Rudy at that debate, his outspokenness and this the fact that he was distinguished from the other Repubs, and Internet chatter that helped him along initially.

I was in Hawaii and once I saw what AZ was doing with their banners I knew it was on... Further, much of that "internet chatter" is driven by events such as billboards, signbombs/waves, blimps, marches, etc...

That I can agree with. And I agree that social time is important. Even Ron says that while we do this it's important to have fun.

Yet, you repeatedly seem to be discouraging such fun...

The question to ask yourself is "what is the most effective use of my time in this election?" And again the answer is direct, targets, and multiple contact with likely Republican voters.

A question I think people should be asking is, "how can I balance my time so I don't burn out." Group get-togethers of any sort provide a welcome relief for many and a sign-wave is actually a step-up from a BBQ...

And I suppose you are really going to hate the billboards arranged by the guy who organized this event

 

[Matt Collins]

Brute force. Yes, we knocked on doors, but not in any "traditional campaign" fashion. It was a very unorthodox campaign... One thing I will note that, in that region of the country, "you ain't a real candidate unless you got some 4 x 8 roadsigns..."

Absolutely, I agree with that. TV ads typically don't win elections either, but without them voters wonder if you are actually a credible candidate.

If you were forced to decide between the two, would you rather people did nothing, or waved signs?

Hobson's Choice.

Earned media was very effective in Gunny's case, there wasn't much, "multiple direct and targeted contact with likely primary voters"

I just helped to win a State Senate race in a special election with very similar surroundings. Except there was hardly any media about it. As I suspect with Gunny, our race I believe was actually won with signs, phone calls, a division among the other candidates, asynchronous geography, anti-Democrat sentiment and weather. In other words, we did the best we could, but in the end, we just got lucky.

Yet, you repeatedly seem to be discouraging such fun...

No, you know me, I'm all about having fun

But I also don't confuse being productive with having fun.

A question I think people should be asking is, "how can I balance my time so I don't burn out."

I'm different from most people I guess. I don't burn out, I live, eat, breath, and sleep the liberty movement. It's kind of an obsession, maybe an addiction, I dunno. OCD maybe?

I work hard, but I also party hard too.

And I suppose you are really going to hate the billboards arranged by the guy who organized this event

Well again, where could that money have been better spent?

 

[acptulsa]

But I do think there is some cost in creating the impression in voters' minds that Ron Paul is the candidate who depends on people holding homemade signs on street corners.

What the hell is wrong with that? Wasn't it honest? Wasn't it true? Were we misleading anyone? The media deemed him He Who Must Not Be Named and we broke through that wall. And sign waving was an integral part of it.

 

[TheTyke]

As long as people realize other things are a more effective use of time, and do them when the time is right, there's no problem with sign waving.

Sign waving for Ron in 2008, we met another supporter, got her networked with the groups, and she is now one of Kentucky's most effective advocates of liberty.

And we were out sign waving for Rand before he even announced his exploratory committee. If you've got no lists and no literature, and want to create a buzz, it's not the worst thing in the world.

But I do agree that YAL volunteers contacting 15,000+ Republican households in 3 days has a lot more punch than a sign wave. That was epic work, right there.