I tried to warn you guys.

[joenaab]

Dj-

I get what you're saying and I agree with much of it, but I feel that we knew that this was a rag tag bunch of patriots from all walks of life who are banding together to bring about the greatest change ever brought to this nation. This is what brought me in and will keep me in to the end. If Ron Paul had hired a Karl Rove or James Baker III-type campaign manager we would have all run for the hills the following day.

This is an unorthodox campaign breaking new ground every day. Every single plant in the plant kingdom must grow roots before it bears fruit. There is no exception to this. The largest plant on this planet is a mushroom. What we consider the mushroom is not the plant, it is the fruit. The plant of the mushroom is a massive, complex network of fiber called mycelium, that takes months, even years, to grow such that only in the final days does the fruit of all this growth emerge. IN some ways, "grassroots" does represent what's growing on here, because each blade of grass is grown from it's own seed. Each mushroom is a product of the whole.

I don't mean to go off on a tangent. I see only a small victory here. No matter what the outcome, all of us, including the campaign, must continually strive to better ourselves, our techniques, our strategies. If you want to view this as a failure, it's okay to do so, as long as you realize at the same time that all failures to those who are relentless in their pursuit of success, are always blessings in disguise. Let this then be our wake-up call, our "gut check", and now let's get off to New Hampshire because we've got a lot of work to do and we need to do it with smiles on our faces and courage in our hearts. And I know that you know this.

 

[politicsNproverbs]

So, how about that grassroots advisory board? Is it too late, and how do we get this thing going?

I'm guessing, but here goes...

Decide how many should be on the Board - 10 - 12 - 15 - 20? One person from each state? (that may make it too big... too many heads might not work).

Somebody make a website for Advisory Board, w/ place for comments.

Then post there for people to make nominations for who should be on the board, with a description of their credentials, and why they want to be part of it, etc.

Spread the word around, of course, via forums, emails, chats, newsletters, etc.

Then take a vote on those nominated (via internet, of course, easiest, fastest).

Now you've got the grassroots advisory board part done.

Then you have to get a liaison w/someone with some brains and authority in the RP HQ itself, preferably RP himself would deal w/the Grassroots Advisory Board.

Is it illegal for him to deal directly with grassroots people?

 

[politicsNproverbs]

If you want to view this as a failure, it's okay to do so, as long as you realize at the same time that all failures to those who are relentless in their pursuit of success, are always blessings in disguise.

Absoluely! Well said! Wasn't it Thomas Edison who had like thousands of failures before the lightbulb actually worked?

 

[politicsNproverbs]

Then post there for people to make nominations for who should be on the board, with a description of their credentials, and why they want to be part of it, etc.

I nominate Dr. Paul's Wife... I think her name is Carol... can she be on the Grassroots Advisory Board? Who has better access to the man himself?

And/or Dr. Paul's son, Rand... we need somebody who has access to Dr. Paul.

I also nominate Linda of GrannyWarriors.com because she is all over the country w/that RV attending RP events so she (like many others, I'm sure) probably has a good idea of how thing are going all over the place.

Just for starters...

 

[joenaab]

Absoluely! Well said! Wasn't it Thomas Edison who had like thousands of failures before the lightbulb actually worked?

Yes, Thomas Jefferson and anyone else who's accomplished anything of consequence.

After many years of hard work, I now live a life that exceeds even my greatest dreams prior to making so much change. I could count my failures on one hand, if I had a hand with ten thousand fingers!!

 

[politicsNproverbs]

I'm almost done people, I promise... just holding down the Night Shift here, lol...

I for one am not content simply to say, "Well, we made some real progress this time...maybe in eight years we can gain another five or ten percent." Nonsense! That kind of talk is for losers!
[...]
The candidate is right, the message has never been more important, and the time has come to run! Don't squander this opportunity to grab the momentum!

Agree on both counts! Forget 2012, the time is now... this is it...

 

[politicsNproverbs]

I could count my failures on one hand, if I had a hand with ten thousand fingers!!

heehee, that'd make for some mighty-tangled hand-shaking, lol.

Congrats on your successes!

 

[joenaab]

I would add to that that "failure" is in the mind of the beholder. I see only victory here, and I can justify it rationally, so it's not a self-delusional victory.

Rudy, Tancredo, Hunter, Thompson (not Fred), and Keyes are out of the running or fatally wounded. We've knocked five contenders off the board in two hours! We'll beat 1-4 of the others in New Hampshire. We're polling in the double digits. We're raising more money than all the others. Today we woke up supporting a 1st Tier candidate! New Hampshire has always been a more promising state. We are no longer fringe. We are mainstream and growing exponentially. It is a good day to be a Paulite. I'm proud of all of us.

 

[politicsNproverbs]

So should we e-mail bomb the campaign about this?

heehee, I know you are joking 'cuz I can see the headlines now,

"RON PAUL GETS SPAMMED BY HIS OWN PEOPLE! - Who are disgruntled at the Iowa results... and how the $20 mil is being spent..." etc. etc.

Naaaa, better to have someone who has access to RP and HQ sit 'em down and have a serious heart-to-heart...

 

[Minuteman2008]

If Ron Paul can raise so much money compared to Huckabee, why can Huckabee get a campaign manager like Ed Rollins and be so succesful at campaigning? I know it's taboo to say it but Huckabee struck a chord with Iowa voters on the economy (and I know that was Ed Rollins's doing) and they even accepted him on immigration, the two biggest issues for Republicans, after passing the pro-life test. In debates and commercials, Paul has been dull by comparison. Huckabee barely mentions foreign policy, and it hasn't hurt him one bit.

For those who think Paul just needs to keep chugging along talking about Iraq and liberty, good luck to you. The status quo will leave Paul as a fringe candidate. New Hampshire will likely be a good showing for Paul, but once he hits the midwest and south he needs to target his conservative message to something besides just the war. There is a fixation among Paul's internet base -- anti-war left, college students, independents -- on the war, but that ain't gonna cut it. When Huckabee talked about the economy, he didn't talk about free trade being the great saviour when our manufacturing base is being completely dismantled and he freely admitted that the status quo is hurting working families (again, the work of Ed Rollins). Why can Paul sound so great on the issues when you read his website but fail to get that message across to voters? Because he has been a one issue candidate. Tancredo was a one issue candidate and got nowhere. Paul covers the whole gamut and is the most conservative man in the race -- he has to get that across to voters, and do it in a way that connects with Republicans. To a lot of the internet crowd, any Republican who isn't Ron Paul is a "neocon". Is it any wonder why the grassroots has trouble connecting with traditional Republican voters needed to win the nomination?

 

[emk]

I would add to that that "failure" is in the mind of the beholder. I see only victory here, and I can justify it rationally, so it's not a self-delusional victory.

Rudy, Tancredo, Hunter, Thompson (not Fred), and Keyes are out of the running or fatally wounded. We've knocked five contenders off the board in two hours! We'll beat 1-4 of the others in New Hampshire. We're polling in the double digits. We're raising more money than all the others. Today we woke up supporting a 1st Tier candidate! New Hampshire has always been a more promising state. We are no longer fringe. We are mainstream and growing exponentially. It is a good day to be a Paulite. I'm proud of all of us.

Absolutely right. Three cheers for the light of reason!

 

[Mafuskas]

Agree... kind of. The media AND the public are not REALLY hearing what Ron Paul is saying.

When he says: "eliminate the Dept of Education"
They hear: "end public schools"

When he says: "end the income tax"
They respond: "how will we pay for roads & schools"

When he says: "end the CIA"
They say: "how will we stop terrorists"

When he says: "withdraw troops from everywhere"
They hear: "Isolationism! get rid of the Army, Navy, etc. -- are you crazy?"​

Seriously, this is what people are HEARING.

I just wanted to back this up. When I first heard of Ron Paul, and I heard those things, the above is what I thought as well. Thankfully, I bothered to research and get the full story; but I will bet you that most of the voters won't do such things.

 

[politicsNproverbs]

OK, my last comment for now... THIS was THE BEST comment of them all tonight, imho, because everytime I see Dr. Paul on a TV interview (which is not often enough), I end up answering (playing devil's advocate as to WHAT THE PUBLIC HEARS) exactly as this poster describes...

Agree... kind of. The media AND the public are not REALLY hearing what Ron Paul is saying.

When he says: "eliminate the Dept of Education"

They hear: "end public schools"

When he says: "end the income tax"

They respond: "how will we pay for roads & schools"

When he says: "end the CIA"

They say: "how will we stop terrorists"

When he says: "withdraw troops from everywhere"

They hear: "Isolationism! get rid of the Army, Navy, etc. -- are you crazy?"​

Seriously, this is what people are HEARING.

He must understand that he is speaking to the media and to voters. He gives them too much credit. They are morons, and he (generously) treats them like his equals.

And by "morons" I mean that he need to realize he is attempting to teach a bunch of very REMEDIAL students a LOT of stuff -- and they are "students" with short little attention spans and very limited knowledge -- and most of what they do "know" and were taught is flat-out wrong (witness the whole Lincoln/Civil War/Slave issue -- EVERY main history text for the past 50 years has emphasized "States Rights" as the cause -- but every media person out there FLUNKED history, or passed by cheating off someone else's test!)

So, he needs a REALLY GOOD speechwriter to help him both simplify and clarify his message on all of these things.

He must learn to say: "We need to eliminate the FEDERAL Dept of Education, SO THAT the Parents, Teachers, and Principals can control and improve their PUBLIC SCHOOLS at the STATE and LOCAL GOVERNMENT LEVEL."

He must say: "We need to reduce FEDERAL WASTE and BUREAUCRACY to work towards eliminating the BURDENSOME FEDERAL Income Tax, so we can SAVE SOCIAL SECURITY & MEDICARE, and allow STATE and LOCAL governments to fund their roads and schools."

He need to say: "We must restore RESPECT for America around the world. We must STOP the TORTURE, CORRUPTION and CIA covert operations that make the world hate us... and refocus the CIA onto gathering SOLID INTELLIGENCE."

He must say: "We need to DEFEND AMERICA, and it is high time for Europe, Japan and Korea to PAY FOR THEIR OWN DEFENSE."

And he MUST say: "OUR TROOPS HAVE WON THE WARS in Iraq and Afghanistan. They DESERVE TO COME HOME, not to be stuck in the desert forever policing, fighting and dieing to prop up lazy & corrupt government in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan."​

AGREE! Amen! VERY WELL ARTICULATED what I have felt but never elucidated it as you have above.

RP needs to CLARIFY what he MEANS when he says ALL of those things. Because, as an example, when he says "get rid of the Dept. of Education," I imagine in my mind zillions of parents having a holy fit and a panic attack that they cannot afford private school, etc., not realizing what Dr. Paul MEANS when he says it.

Ditto for all the others who are not yet AWARE of the REALITY of all the above points, such as the general public thinks the entire country will fall apart w/o the income tax, etc. which is all nonsense but they don't know that. Ditto for the wars (empire building) vs. strengthening OUR OWN "empire" right here at home, etc.

Anybody have an inside line to Dr. Paul that could get a copy of the above post to him? I think it is REALLY GOOD advice. He needs to learn to think like the dumb-downed masses... or at the least, needs to learn how to TALK TO the dumbed-down masses... (he doesn't need to THINK like them, lol, we already have enough of them around).

 

[joenaab]

If Ron Paul can raise so much money compared to Huckabee, why can Huckabee get a campaign manager like Ed Rollins and be so succesful at campaigning? I know it's taboo to say it but Huckabee struck a chord with Iowa voters on the economy (and I know that was Ed Rollins's doing) and they even accepted him on immigration, the two biggest issues for Republicans, after passing the pro-life test. In debates and commercials, Paul has been dull by comparison. Huckabee barely mentions foreign policy, and it hasn't hurt him one bit.

For those who think Paul just needs to keep chugging along talking about Iraq and liberty, good luck to you. The status quo will leave Paul as a fringe candidate. New Hampshire will likely be a good showing for Paul, but once he hits the midwest and south he needs to target his conservative message to something besides just the war. There is a fixation among Paul's internet base -- anti-war left, college students, independents -- on the war, but that ain't gonna cut it. When Huckabee talked about the economy, he didn't talk about free trade being the great saviour when our manufacturing base is being completely dismantled and he freely admitted that the status quo is hurting working families (again, the work of Ed Rollins). Why can Paul sound so great on the issues when you read his website but fail to get that message across to voters? Because he has been a one issue candidate. Tancredo was a one issue candidate and got nowhere. Paul covers the whole gamut and is the most conservative man in the race -- he has to get that across to voters, and do it in a way that connects with Republicans. To a lot of the internet crowd, any Republican who isn't Ron Paul is a "neocon". Is it any wonder why the grassroots has trouble connecting with traditional Republican voters needed to win the nomination?

I don't agree with any of this. First off, Huckabee had Rollins, AND the GOP AND the mainstream media. Big difference there. Further, Iowa is fertile ground for overtly christian candidates.

Second, guys like Rollins wouldn't touch Ron Paul's candidacy for a million dollars. It would be career and social suicide. Guys like Rollins are deeply embedded within the Globalist movement. I think you have more deprogramming to do.

Third, Ron Paul is so far from a one-issue candidate that I don't want to exert the effort to explain it. Do your homework before you say something so patently false.

 

[politicsNproverbs]

Hey Mafuskas, "great minds think alike." ;-)

 

[Highstreet]

I just wanted to back this up. When I first heard of Ron Paul, and I heard those things, the above is what I thought as well. Thankfully, I bothered to research and get the full story; but I will bet you that most of the voters won't do such things.

That's why you have to inform them and spread the word by mouth.

These are all goals, just like Reagan had. Congress is there to write the laws. The President is only there to restrain them, and enact the law.

Peace Thru Strength, not the neocon/neolib Nanny State Foreign Policy
Balance the Budget
Reduce taxes and spending slowly
repeal No Child Left Behind (which no one liked anyway)
Save the Entitlements (before they go broke)

His policies are the only Realistic ones of any candidate

 

[joenaab]

OK, my last comment for now... THIS was THE BEST comment of them all tonight, imho, because everytime I see Dr. Paul on a TV interview (which is not often enough), I end up answering (playing devil's advocate as to WHAT THE PUBLIC HEARS) exactly as this poster describes...



AGREE! Amen! VERY WELL ARTICULATED what I have felt but never elucidated it as you have above.

RP needs to CLARIFY what he MEANS when he says ALL of those things. Because, as an example, when he says "get rid of the Dept. of Education," I imagine in my mind zillions of parents having a holy fit and a panic attack that they cannot afford private school, etc., not realizing what Dr. Paul MEANS when he says it.

Ditto for all the others who are not yet AWARE of the REALITY of all the above points, such as the general public thinks the entire country will fall apart w/o the income tax, etc. which is all nonsense but they don't know that. Ditto for the wars (empire building) vs. strengthening OUR OWN "empire" right here at home, etc.

Anybody have an inside line to Dr. Paul that could get a copy of the above post to him? I think it is REALLY GOOD advice. He needs to learn to think like the dumb-downed masses... or at the least, needs to learn how to TALK TO the dumbed-down masses... (he doesn't need to THINK like them, lol, we already have enough of them around).

I have felt the same way on many occassions. When given the time he has managed to complete these thoughts as you ask for, but always in a clumsy way. If there was one thing he could do right away it would be to hire a speech writer and to practice, practice, practice.

He needs to get these answers into sound bite forms. Another example is "end habeas corpus". What the hell is habeas corpus? (i know what it is, but from the perspective of most americans, this is confusing).

Still, we are rolling and Rudy is curled up in fetal position on the floor of his office sucking his thumb and refusing to come out. God I wish I were a fly on the wall of Rudy's office this morning!

 

[Mortikhi]

Yep.

Fire that moron of a campaign manager.

Put a monkey in his place for he would accomplish the same.

 

[smartpeople4ronpaul]

You aren't helping this campaign by making negative predicitions, then laughing at us for not listening. Saying "I told you so" after a hard loss in Iowa isn't going to raise donations, gain votes, or help in any shape or form.

DON'T jump the bandwagon, people who are agreeing with this guy. Just hold off. He is becoming a propoganda spitting FOX lover.

 

[Minuteman2008]

I don't agree with any of this. First off, Huckabee had Rollins, AND the GOP AND the mainstream media. Big difference there. Further, Iowa is fertile ground for overtly christian candidates.

Second, guys like Rollins wouldn't touch Ron Paul's candidacy for a million dollars. It would be career and social suicide. Guys like Rollins are deeply embedded within the Globalist movement. I think you have more deprogramming to do.

Third, Ron Paul is so far from a one-issue candidate that I don't want to exert the effort to explain it. Do your homework before you say something so patently false.

As I said in my post Paul isn't a one issue candidate. But he comes across like that in the debates and many of his commercials.

My whole point is that this paranoid they're out to get us status quo is a loser in the long run. I think the deprogramming needed is among those who think they can win without getting Republicans to vote for Paul.

I wouldn't want Rollins specifically, but used that as an example of an accomplished campaign manager. With Paul's money, I would think he could do better on that front. But again, part of the problem here concerning connecting with Republicans is the paranoia and outright disdain for the Republican base, and if the two can't connect somehow there is no way in hell he's getting the votes he needs.

As for Huckabee, talk radio despises the guy. Not just Hannity and Limbaugh, but even lesser known rightwing radio hosts like Roger Hedgecock, John and Ken on KRLA, and others. I'm not buying the whole media choice crap anymore. It's a loser, and continuing down that path leads to nothing. Huckabee connected with the voters on key issues and performed well in the debates. I don't believe he'll last by any means, but at this stage the Paul campaign could learn a thing or two from him about how to talk to voters about issues they care about instead of beating the same drum.

Or maybe I just need more reprogramming.