Focusing on Blue Republicans is a Waste of Time

[speciallyblend]

In my judgement, I'm anti-authoritarian enough to piss a good many Repubilcans off, and I'm winning over 'Blue R' converts. Ain't liberty grand? With liberty, I don't have to be 'one size fits all' to have a positive impact.

Pincers movement for the win! Herd 'em in from the right, herd 'em in from the left, reunite We the People against the corporatists, and renew this nation.

haha made me think of this when we are trying to convert republicans or hardcore obama fans http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5N35kQAPv0

Yeeee haw ,now let us go round up some republicrats,demopublicans and some bohemian indy's Crowd goes wild and Ron Paul 2012 Wins!!!

 

[dannno]

Why is it that people in very conservative areas always say how much of a waste of time it is to go after 'Blue Republicans' and people in very progressive areas always say how much of a waste of time it is to go after neocons?

Projecting much?

 

[radiofriendly]

Before you dig in too deeply about your position, consider talking to people who have worked on winning campaigns. Rand Paul comes to mind. Ask the folks there how they won. I get it about some of you being like oil and water with conservatives...and focusing on what you are "good at." It's just not something that the vast majority of us need to mess with...and I stand by my assertion that many of us, me included, love to stay in our comfort zones and will fool ourselves into thinking that online activism and sign waves in front of random audiences is effective. Remember, 2%-9% of random people are even likely to vote in a primary. Meanwhile, there is a list of every likely R primary voter in your community waiting around to be targeted...
But, I was busy changing the screens on the computers at Best Buy!

(added later)

*Zero conservatives around? (This is rare) Raise money to help IA and NH...as well as running an educational campaign with progressives...

 

[dannno]

Before you dig in too deeply about your position, consider talking to people who have worked on winning campaigns. Rand Paul comes to mind. Ask the folks there how they won. I get it about some of you being like oil and water with conservatives...and focusing on what you are "good at." It's just not something that the vast majority of us need to mess with...and I stand by my assertion that many of us, me included, love to stay in our comfort zones and will fool ourselves into thinking that online activism and sign waves in front of random audiences is effective. Remember, 2%-9% of random people are even likely to vote in a primary. Meanwhile, there is a list of every likely R primary voter in your community waiting around to be targeted...
But, I was busy changing the screens on the computers at Best Buy!

Read my post above and please consider that Kentucky is a VERY conservative state.

 

[Nate]

Why is it that people in very conservative areas always say how much of a waste of time it is to go after 'Blue Republicans' and people in very progressive areas always say how much of a waste of time it is to go after neocons?

Projecting much?

+1

This is just a residual effect of the false left-right Hegelian paradigm that people have been trapped in most of their lives. Neither neo-cons or progressives are "a waste of time". If you're around neo/social-cons then proselytize to them, if you're around liberals/progressives then do the same with them. This campaign needs converts from wherever it can get them. I personally am employing the Blue Republican meme because I live in Chicago & the neo-con constituency is almost non-existent. Most of my friends & acquaintances are of the more liberal/progressive persuasion so it's a better use of MY time to go after them, proselytizing to neo-cons (or even TeaParty types) would be a massive waste of MY time since I'd first have to find them.

I think that the best advice I can give to the "don't go after THOSE PEOPLE" types is this, mind your own damn business & stop telling others what is or is not worth THEIR time!

 

[dannno]

I can talk to 20 progressives on the street and get several of them considering Ron Paul and possibly considering registering Republican before any conservatives even come into sight. Last time in my precinct about 200 people voted and of that only about 10 or 15 were registered Republican.

How is focusing on conservatives in my area going to win this election when there aren't any?

 

[Nate]

I can talk to 20 progressives on the street and get several of them considering Ron Paul and possibly considering registering Republican before any conservatives even come into sight. Last time in my precinct about 200 people voted and of that only about 10 or 15 were registered Republican.

How is focusing on conservatives in my area going to win this election when there aren't any?

^this

 

[scrosnoe]

Grassroots politics ain't sexy and it ain't rocket science either

Grassroots politics ain't sexy.

It is walking blocks and making phone calls and raising money. In a primary it requires knowing the demographics and targeting. Unless you have the manpower to go to every door in every neighborhood.

The biggest hurdle we have is enough energy on the ground to circumvent the number the media is doing on us. When we are about to win, they will admit we are there. Not until. And how do you convince the Republican primary voter that our guy can beat Obama when the MSM doesn't even hardly admit he is in the race? Easy. By having the brightest and the best and the most numbers at every Republican event. By being ambassadors for our candidate.

It has very little to do with anything we are doing on the internet. It is local and face to face and in your very own neighborhood. It is also the groundwork for local politics and future leaders. So make everything you do count for multiple efforts. Put like minded people on the school board and the city council and in the state house while you are at it!

Be a Republican precinct chair and then a county chair and then the state chair and BY ALL MEANS A DELEGATE.

Make friends with the other candidates and their supporters; ask them to make your candidate their second choice.

And it ain't rocket science either.

You all are very smart so figure out a way to beat the heat and hit the pavement/phone banks!

 

[radiofriendly]

I'm here for the children...lol

+1

This is just a residual effect of the false left-right Hegelian paradigm that people have been trapped in most of their lives. Neither neo-cons or progressives are "a waste of time"....I think that the best advice I can give to the "don't go after THOSE PEOPLE" types is this, is to mind your own damn business & stop telling others what is or is not worth THEIR time!

The most important thing to learn when you are selling something, and yes, you are selling Ron Paul and a philosophy/political platform, is to admit that you don't know everything and can still learn better techniques. This is a trait of top salespeople. Of course, some efforts should be made to convert progressives but to say, "mind your own damn business" in response to me engaging in debate about this issue is childish. However, my Thundercats references have already outdone you in that department

My goal is to reach the newbies. If you've been doing the same kind of activism and will never change no matter what, I get it.
But there are new folks here who want to know what they can do to help Ron Paul do the best he can do in the Republican Primary...It's to those people that I plead...NOoooooooooo!

 

[showpan]

The Republican candidates are exposing themselves and will drive more support our way, just keep repeating Romneycare.

Blue Republican on Facebook
2,624
people like this

This just started a couple of weeks ago on FB.
It's growing fast and the Democrats are split just as the Republicans were when Obama was elected. Opportunities should never be wasted simply because Libertarians do not want the support from people they don't care for because of their Party affiliation. This isn't about parties...it's about America and the greater good.

When marketing Ron Paul, I use the advice that was given here and I do not engage my opponents, I simply respond with facts:

Ron Paul would balance the budget by ending the wars and bringing our troops home, ending the FED backdoor and bring our money home, end NAFTA and bring our jobs home, end the Unpatriot Act and return us to the land of the free.

or

Ron Paul would balance the budget by ending the wars and has never voted to take one dime from SS.

or

Nation Building needs to start here and not in third world countries that we have bombed back into the stone ages. A vote for Obama is a vote for a Bush 4th term.

or

There is only one party, with two wings, the corporate party. Send Obama and the neocons packing once and for all. Ron Paul 2012


This strategy is working well and does not alienate anyone except neocons who can never help but to expose themselves. More and more people are starting to question the system and their party since they are now attacking their own.

 

[Nate]

The most important thing to learn when you are selling something, and yes, you are selling Ron Paul and a philosophy/political platform, is to admit that you don't know everything and can still learn better techniques. This is a trait of top salespeople.

I think you need to follow your own advice.

Of course, some efforts should be made to convert progressives but to say, "mind your own damn business" in response to me engaging in debate about this issue is childish.

No, I was TRYING to explain to you that depending on the ACTIVIST there are different tactics that can be used. Also, that trying to make blanket statements that going after liberals/progressives/democrats is a "waste of time" is just plain bullshit. Stop trying to tell volunteers what to do with their time & efforts, different people are good at delivering the message to different people. if they feel that it is the most effective use of THEIR time then fine. You feel that the most effective use of YOUR time is proselytizing to current Republicans then fine, do that. I'm not on here telling you that it's a "waste of time" because it's none of my business what you do with YOUR time & effort.

My goal is to reach the newbies. If you've been doing the same kind of activism and will never change no matter what, I get it.
But there are new folks here who want to know what they can do to help Ron Paul do the best he can do in the Republican Primary...It's to those people that I plead...NOoooooooooo!

My point is that the activism you are endorsing is not the most effective for many people due to their back round, environment or political beliefs. Many states are open primaries, in those states a Blue Republican vote is JUST AS important as a regular Republican. This is why making a blanket statement like going after Blue Republicans is a "waste of time" is complete nonsense, you lack the necessary knowledge to make such a statement due to the principle of dispersed knowledge. For all you know the Blue Republican strategy might be the one that puts Dr Paul over the top & wins him the nomination. Let people try multiple different strategies & figure out what WORKS FOR THEM, this includes the "newbies". In other words, stop telling others what is the best use of THEIR time because you simply have NO IDEA what is the best use of THEIR time, you lack the necessary knowledge to make such decisions.

 

[radiofriendly]

@Nate (Thanks for your responses.)

Looks like this is becoming a battle about relativism.
I have urgency for this issue because I believe I might just be correct.
If I'm correct, then you and others are wasting your time--in comparison to what
you could achieve if you did the normal boring things that have never failed at winning
an election.

I find this notion that everyone should just do what "works for them" bizarre and in denial of human nature.
Some people are better at things than others...we learn from them to improve even more. In 2007, I was putting stickers on urinals...now I've learned a few things...I'm still learning...I called some seasoned activists before I posted the video last night..
because even I was having postmodern wishy-washy feelings about being correct!

As to this being "None of my business."
I don't control what you do...but doesn't the nature of a forum lend itself to working things out through a process of debate?

 

[daveprice]

got thru 1/2 of it, terrible negative title. first thing i seen on site, looking for new commercials,

 

[dannno]

got thru 1/2 of it, terrible negative title. first thing i seen on site, looking for new commercials,

Here ya go:

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?303116-New-Campaign-Ad-Live!



Sorry this was the first thread you clicked on, there are plenty of really good ones out there.

 

[IndianaPolitico]

Before you start tearing into his opinion, think about it for a second. He brings up a very good point. Even if we pushed the "Blue Republican" thing REALLY hard, it at best would only bring in an extra 2 to 3 percent in a REPUBLICAN primary. I am not saying ignore them completely, but focus mainly on likely republican VOTERS. They are the people that will win the primary. But, maybe you don't really talk well with conservatives, and do better with more liberals. But if you are good at both, focus on the likely republican voters.

 

[andrewjs18]

we need to convince people from ALL parties to register republican to vote in the primaries if their state has closed primaries. primaries are generally low turn out so ANY additional votes we can get, we'll gladly take them. I'm a registered libertarian that switched to a republican just to vote for Ron. had Ron decided to not run, I would of stayed as a registered libertarian.

 

[acptulsa]

Focusing on voters that aren't angry may be a waste of time. Not all of the angry ones are Republicans.

Focusing on trying to herd cats is a waste of time, especially us cats that know for a fact we're doing some good doing what we're doing.

Focusing on getting this crowd to buy into the false left/right paradigm bullshit is a complete and utter waste of time and resouces, because we all took the red pill and we know an attempt by our enemies to divide and conquer us when we see one.

 

[Bruno]

Obama won Iowa due to a large number of very UNLIKELY Democratic and previously unregistered voters.

 

[acptulsa]

Obama won Iowa due to a large number of very UNLIKELY Democratic and previously unregistered voters.

And nothing makes more strange bedfellowes than a fervent desire for peace in our time.

 

[Nate]

Looks like this is becoming a battle about relativism.

What the hell does this have to do with relativism? This is about the division of labor. Please don't obfuscate the issue by introducing a philosophical argument that has nothing to do with the topic at hand.

I have urgency for this issue because I believe I might just be correct.
If I'm correct, then you and others are wasting your time--in comparison to what
you could achieve if you did the normal boring things that have never failed at winning
an election.

Again, more on the principle of dispersed knowledge. You have no damn clue what I am doing with my time or how effective I am with said time. I've worked in well over a dozen campaigns & know EXACTLY what to do to win them including the little boring things. I'm a member of my local Republican Party & have signed up over 50 formerly non-Republicans as now eligible Republican voters over the last month. I have the voting list for past Republican voters in my congressional district & exhausted that extremely short list in just over a week. Why? Because I live in CHICAGO & that list is short as hell! YOUR STRATEGY WILL NOT WORK WHERE I LIVE! All politics is local, one's strategy & tactics should be tailored to fit the local political climate for maximum effectiveness.

I find this notion that everyone should just do what "works for them" bizarre and in denial of human nature.

The division of labor is bizarre & in denial of human nature? REALLY?! I find the simplistic, one size fits all approach to your strategy of centralized planning to be bizarre & in denial of human nature.

Some people are better at things than others...we learn from them to improve even more.

This directly contradicts your previous statement.

In 2007, I was putting stickers on urinals...now I've learned a few things...I'm still learning...I called some seasoned activists before I posted the video last night..
because even I was having postmodern wishy-washy feelings about being correct!

This seasoned activist, of 17 campaigns in 4 different parties over 14 years, could have told you in 2007 that putting stickers on urinals was a waste of time & this seasoned activist is telling you that trying to push centralized planning on a base of libertarian leaning grassroots activists is an even bigger waste of time.

As to this being "None of my business."
I don't control what you do...but doesn't the nature of a forum lend itself to working things out through a process of debate?

Stating unequivocally that you are "simply presenting some facts about how this tactic is dead wrong" is not an attempt at debate. Your "facts" are opinions.
Yes, what I do with my time is none of your business, as is what other activists do with their time. Pay me for my time & THEN it becomes your business.