Mitch McConnell hires Jesse Benton to run his 2014 re-election bid

[Feeding the Abscess]

Who are those candidates?

John Dennis would be one. Gunny would be another. As would BJ Lawson, were he to run again.

 

[libertyjam]

Wrong in Maine - see Pete the Carpenter - founder of the Maine Tea Party and Ron Paul delegate, who was just ousted from leadership of the Auburn GOP.

Like I said, single digits.

 

[specsaregood]

//

 

[sailingaway]

So, it is one more data point, or one more cluster of data points, as we move on.

 

[specsaregood]

John Dennis would be one. Gunny would be another. As would BJ Lawson, were he to run again.

Are you seriously suggesting we spend resources on the Dennis race?

 

[NewRightLibertarian]

And NOBODY wanted to believe Kokesh. And now you all must feel very stupid.

Kokesh is a 'crack head' who doesn't know what he's talking about He's not a big (pun intended) high profile campaign official like Benton.

 

[TCE]

We could easily manage TWO, and with that profile, those two would be our top two.

How, in a non-Presidential election year, are we going to manage knocking off two incumbents as entrenched and connected as McConnell and Graham? Talk about a gigantic money suck that may not bare any fruit. Our best chances have always been open seat races, and 2014 will have some of those. We had enough to win it for Rand and Amash last time, but both were open seats.

 

[Feeding the Abscess]

Are you seriously suggesting we spend resources on the Dennis race?

It'd be more beneficial than backing Rand backing McConnell.

 

[TCE]

Are you seriously suggesting we spend resources on the Dennis race?

If we keep running the same race over and over again, we have to win it eventually...right? Dennis should have either moved or run for a State House/Senate seat.

 

[sailingaway]

I wonder what his wife thinks about all this? Is she just happy that the money is rolling in?

I don't see any reason at all to bash Ron's granddaughter.

 

[parocks]

WTF do you believe the Liberty movement IS? The people you described are who I think of when I think of "liberty"....do you think of Sarah Palin, Jim DeMint, and Glenn Beck??

Who are the Democrat Liberty people?

Ron Paul ran for the Republican Nomination. He's the most pure of the Liberty Wing of the Republican Party.

Other parties never win.

 

[sailingaway]

How, in a non-Presidential election year, are we going to manage knocking off two incumbents as entrenched and connected as McConnell and Graham? Talk about a gigantic money suck that may not bare any fruit. Our best chances have always been open seat races, and 2014 will have some of those. We had enough to win it for Rand and Amash last time, but both were open seats.

Mike Lee wasn't.

Regardless, the issue is whether people are galvanized, and with a good candidate against two arch enemies of liberty such as Graham and McConnell, people would be galvanized. That is what gets the money and effort in. That was in Rand's race, and in a few others. Purity of candidates and perceived purity of candidates played a big role in who grass roots got behind, as you probably recall.

We might have ended up winning Davis's race and merely taking McConnell out for a Dem to get in and for us to have the opportunity to get someone NOT establishment controlled in the next time -- our ultimate weapon. But we certainly aren't going to win them all. This is just one people had been looking forward to.

It is what it is, and unless a galvanizing figure willing to go AGAINST Rand shows up -- which I consider unlikely -- McConnell seems to have done good work for himself.

 

[TCE]

It is what it is, and unless a galvanizing figure willing to go AGAINST Rand shows up -- which I consider unlikely -- McConnell seems to have done good work for himself.

One has to respect the intelligence of an electoral genius, even when he is the opponent.

 

[sailingaway]

Didn't sit it out at all. A join date on a web forum is no indication of what one has done in the real world. I have held elected office for most of my adult life. I'm currently laid up from some surgery and this is an interesting way to spend some time. You can only watch so much TV.

I meant sitting out pushing Ron and his principles, not 'being in politics'.

 

[sailingaway]

One has to respect the intelligence of an electoral genius, even when he is the opponent.

I'd say I give him credit for it. 'Respect' and 'McConnell' are difficult for me to hold together in my head at the same time.

 

[Aratus]

for a moment i had thought this was a joke or prank thread and then i realized it was totally for real.
would jesse benton hire a few of us here, too... assuming we are okay with mitt going the distance?
today i was watching the DJIA and saw it leap about 100 points after our potus laid out a new stimulus
package. i am going to try to resist the urge to tell the Liberty Hobbit that poor jesse needs a few of
us to watch his back and remain loyal to him. he had worked for bob barr. he has a unique job, i think.

 

[brandon]

I don't see any reason at all to bash Ron's granddaughter.

Huh? No one was bashing her.

 

[CaptLouAlbano]

I meant sitting out pushing Ron and his principles, not 'being in politics'.

Again you have no idea what I have done before joining a web forum. Prior to my surgery, I spent maybe an hour or so a week on the computer. Normally, I lead a very active life and a part of that is working on political campaigns. I am elected here in my community, so I am well known, and I knocked on every single door here prior to our primary with literature for Paul. He did not do as well as I would have hoped though, in large part because he did not campaign down here at all.

 

[sailingaway]

John Dennis would be one. Gunny would be another. As would BJ Lawson, were he to run again.

Also, I really want Jim Forsythe in the Senate. US Senate, not NH Senate. I'll take US House only if I have to....

 

[parocks]

In what way? Be specific, please.

Well, in 2007-8, we had

1) the invention/popularization of the money bomb
2) the invention of the tea party
3) a nice, open collaborative effort on a nice USA Today full page ad.

In 2011, we had

1) Superbrochures.

and, what else?

Our delegate victories came from Offical Campaign work.
In Maine, where I am, Brakey was sent in from out of state, and was paid for months, and we got the victory. Other states are like that.

Apparently the worst thing that Benton did was tell us when we lost. We didn't like to hear that we lost, and some people thought that if we just ignored the FACT that we lost, it could be ignored. But FACTS are FACTS, and not winning a single primary means that Ron Paul doesn't get to be President, even though it makes us unhappy.

It's not like Benton made any gaffes, which the media used against Ron Paul. No, Benton is being attacked for things like approving emails that said "we don't have enough delegates to win". And Paulfest contained Kokesh, who most certainly IS fringe.