Here are some thoughts I wrote to Corey Stern also, about the sort of card I'd like to have to hand out in my community, which is mostly left-liberal. (I was a hereditary and lifelong Peace & Freedom liberal Democrat until the early 1980s, when a political epiphany turned me libertarian; I voted for Ron Paul -- and had the pleasure of meeting him -- in 1988, but haven't bothered to vote since. Until this sudden explosion of interest caught my attention; maybe there's some hope after all. Though chronic illness considerably limits my activity, I have been spending quite a lot of time and energy on Ron Paul lately.)
My idea is to appeal to the largest cross-spectrum of people, as I believe Ron Paul's real, core position does, without instantly turning off either "conservatives" or "liberals"; thus I wouldn't initially mention "polarizing" issues like abortion, drug legalization, etc., but concentrate on those, such as opposition to the Iraq War, that will capture people's attention enough so they'll at least look.
Leaving out such issues is not dishonest, in my view, because in fact Dr. Paul is a "one-issue" candidate: he wants to return to the Constitution, and all his "positions" derive from that single stance. Once people begin to understand his reliance on the Constitution, they can begin to accept that even positions with which they initially may not be comfortable must follow logically from that stance.
IF they're not turned off before they even have an opportunity to hear about the Constitution.
So: For the text on the front of the card, I'd suggest something like this:
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PEACE - FREEDOM - PROSPERITY
Ron Paul is the Constitutional candidate for President. A 10-term U.S. Congressman, he is the leading advocate for freedom in our nation's capital. Ron Paul works for limited, Constitutional government, to protect civil liberties and privacy, and for free markets and sound money. He has never voted to raise taxes or to expand the power of the presidency. He has consistently voted
against the Iraq War, the USA PATRIOT Act, the Real ID Act, and the Military Commissions Act of 2006, and against regulating the Internet.
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And on the flip side, I don't think the statistics about how Dr. Paul is winning straw polls, etc., are all that useful; at best they appeal only to the herd instinct. Also, as some have noted, all this stuff changes so fast that by the time it's printed it's out of date. I would prefer to see some substantial information about what Ron Paul
intends to do, like the following (adapted from the official "slim jim" flyer):
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A Ron Paul Presidency will:
* bring our troops home from Iraq and end no-win "police actions".
* protect our privacy and stop the national ID card.
* protect our constitutional rights and end the PATRIOT Act.
* abolish the IRS and let Americans keep more of their own money.
* stop the central bankers' "inflation tax".
* stop unconstitutional spending leading us to bankruptcy.
* stop America's financial dependency on China, Saudi Arabia, and other foreign governments.
* oppose trade deals and organizations that threaten American independence (GATT, NAFTA, CAFTA, NAU, WTO, ICC, UN, etc.).
* secure America's borders and end illegal immigration.
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I have designed this list for widest appeal. Thus, I've put Iraq first because it's the #1 issue that can get -- has gotten -- Dr. Paul instant attention across the political spectrum. War hardliners aren't going to hear him anyway, but everyone else is starving for this message/promise. The rest of the list covers the major points of Dr. Paul's platform in a way designed to appeal to the broadest spectrum, leaving behind outdated categories like "conservative" or "liberal".
Websites: I'd leave off the Forums, which as some posters have noted is not really a good place to direct people who are new to Ron Paul. As for the live radio and audios, people will find their way to those once they become interested. I'd say the same for the Meetup site as well. The purpose of the cards is to excite interest, not to organize volunteers. YouTube
is a good place to introduce people to Ron Paul, and of course the enthusiasm of the video makers is infectious; however, I think it's best to send people first to the "official" list:
YouTube.com/RonPaul2008dotcom to see the best, non-confusing offerings. (For instance, right now this page is featuring the great "Ron Paul Brings People Together" video.)
