Msg from Jonathan Bydlak -- willing to answer questions

[JonathanBydlak]

Hi Jonathan,

You’re doing a great job answering these questions; it’s very much appreciated. I’m wondering, now that the campaign is winding down, what vision does Ron Paul have for the future of the movement? I know that he is a reluctant leader, but what will become of the e-mail list of supporters? Also, would Ron Paul be willing to officially endorse the Republican Liberty Caucus as a vehicle for taking back the GOP? I know he has been involved with it in the past but I'm not sure how active the organization currently is.

Anyway, just some thoughts. Thanks for everything you’ve done, and continue to do!

I wish I knew! I think he's really up in the air and trying hard to determine what the wisest course of action should be. I know that there definitely are some great plans on the drawing board...

 

[jpa]

Yeah, these are great questions. I think the problem with New Hampshire wasn't so much the result itself, but our result relative to expectations. Unlike Iowa or South Carolina, people had expectations for Ron in New Hampshire, because of it's somewhat more libertarian bent. But I think that perception is somewhat unfounded... As McCain showed, the base there is still pretty hawkish, and so the expectations were probably unreasonable.

If you want my truthful answer, I really believe that winning New Hampshire would have required Ron spending virtually all of his time there, and campaigning at the level that Mitt Romney and John McCain were. But again, that wasn't realy feasible with Ron being a sitting congressman.

Something to think about for our the next run with the next liberty candidate. We need to win an early state to be considered legit by the MSM. Even at the expense of national fund raising, a congressional seat, etc...

 

[Todd]

Thanks Jonathan for clarification on a great many things.
I'm not sure if this was addressed yet. ( I see it was already asked above)

How do you see the future of "The Revolution"? Ron himself has said it is bigger than just one man. What do you think should be the major goals of the grassroots in the next 4 years?

I think this forum should be one main focus to continue a place to network...but it has to stay viable and build on what was established.

 

[yongrel]

Another question: Considering that you are/were an avid reader of the forums, what were some memorable moments? The Billionaire thread? Revolution9's tirades?

I can only imagine what it would be like to read this forum while sitting in HQ.

Thanks again for taking the time to answer our questions.

 

[pepperpete1]

Thank you for your efforts Mr. Bydlak

Well, I can try to pass along that message, but I don't know that I can really do much more than that at this point.

The message you have given us here of keep trying to get our delegates to the convention, and the signing up as a precinct leader, and spreading the word that Ron Paul is still running for President, are STILL VERY IMPORTANT.

Our state campaign co-ordinators should be taking every meet-up leader by the hand at least once a week and those meet-up persons should be in contact their members at least the same, stressing the same message.

WestMI4Paul stated our situation here in MI very well. I am here to say we did one hell of a job with the limited resources and lack of help from the state HQ.
It would have been nice to have at least been told that Ron was working in congress and would not be able to appear. We would have cheered him on for being the kind of representative we want in a president.

As for the media, everyone here needs to know that a law suit against them does not have to be taken up by Ron Paul or his campaign, any citizen can do so.
They broke rules right and left as far as covering RP.

Now when it comes to Louisiana, it will take the campaign to contest the illegal, unethical, manner in which that whole debacle was handled. I posted earlier the rules that pertain to this, and if the campaign does NOT address this it will be a travesty of justice, and the LAGOP will continue to run rough shod over every election that they see fit.

The campaign has until 22 days before the convention convenes to push this, let's hope they do so.

Ron has been ridiculed, scorned, ignored, slandered, and has remained the ever quiet country doctor type. I admire him in some ways, but kripes even David picked up a stone finally. The truth of his message must appear as strong as the deliverer.

 

[pacelli]

Haha... of course we did! I read the forums multiple times a day... so much so that I had to take it out of my favorites folder so I wouldn't read it as much.

Whether you knew it or not, we were aware and listening to what you were saying. We were kind of like Big Brother

In that case I think a number of highly critical forum posters owe you personally an enormous apology. There was some serious venom being spewed in your direction. Of course, many of those posters have been banned after being proven as moles from other campaigns. Romney's internet bots loved to come here and deflate our campaign.

I just want to thank you for coming out from behind the curtain and starting this thread. I hope you continue to post !

I have a couple simple questions- Was anyone giving feedback to Ron on his debate performances? It seemed like he was getting some feedback or speech coaching-- there was an enormous difference between Ron in the first debate vs. Ron in the last Fox debate (i.e. when Carl Cameron asked him the electability question).

Also, during each debate, what was the atmosphere like in the campaign? Were people as upset as the rest of us when they would consistently snub him? I can remember yelling at the TV "LET HIM SPEAK!".

 

[yongrel]

In that case I think a number of highly critical forum posters owe you personally an enormous apology. There was some serious venom being spewed in your direction. Of course, many of those posters have been banned after being proven as moles from other campaigns. Romney's internet bots loved to come here and deflate our campaign.QUOTE]

Ew, I remember the anti-Bydlak days. I doubt there are many posters on here still that were critical back then (most of them were trolls from various places). However, a good number of us fell for the trolls (myself included) and had a less than rosy image of Jonathan for a while. Luckily, those days have passed.

 

[JonathanBydlak]

Thanks Jonathan for clarification on a great many things.
I'm not sure if this was addressed yet. ( I see it was already asked above)

How do you see the future of "The Revolution"? Ron himself has said it is bigger than just one man. What do you think should be the major goals of the grassroots in the next 4 years?

I think this forum should be one main focus to continue a place to network...but it has to stay viable and build on what was established.

Well, I think what's likely to happen is that a lot of people will drop off. The real important question is how many people will remain.

I think the general goal is to promote liberty in every way possible. As I said earlier, this could be through giving funding to congressional candidates, taking over your local Republican party, blogging... whatever. But at the same time, we need to know that the internet won't do it for us... we have to create our own infrastructure, just as Goldwater did in 1964.

 

[JonathanBydlak]

Another question: Considering that you are/were an avid reader of the forums, what were some memorable moments? The Billionaire thread? Revolution9's tirades?

I can only imagine what it would be like to read this forum while sitting in HQ.

Thanks again for taking the time to answer our questions.

Haha.. yeah, the bilionaire thread was a good one, but I think my personal favorites were the threads criticizing me... WRellim, Austin356, and others had some great venom to throw my way

 

[JonathanBydlak]

The message you have given us here of keep trying to get our delegates to the convention, and the signing up as a precinct leader, and spreading the word that Ron Paul is still running for President, are STILL VERY IMPORTANT.

Our state campaign co-ordinators should be taking every meet-up leader by the hand at least once a week and those meet-up persons should be in contact their members at least the same, stressing the same message.

WestMI4Paul stated our situation here in MI very well. I am here to say we did one hell of a job with the limited resources and lack of help from the state HQ.
It would have been nice to have at least been told that Ron was working in congress and would not be able to appear. We would have cheered him on for being the kind of representative we want in a president.

As for the media, everyone here needs to know that a law suit against them does not have to be taken up by Ron Paul or his campaign, any citizen can do so.
They broke rules right and left as far as covering RP.

Now when it comes to Louisiana, it will take the campaign to contest the illegal, unethical, manner in which that whole debacle was handled. I posted earlier the rules that pertain to this, and if the campaign does NOT address this it will be a travesty of justice, and the LAGOP will continue to run rough shod over every election that they see fit.

The campaign has until 22 days before the convention convenes to push this, let's hope they do so.

Ron has been ridiculed, scorned, ignored, slandered, and has remained the ever quiet country doctor type. I admire him in some ways, but kripes even David picked up a stone finally. The truth of his message must appear as strong as the deliverer.

That last paragraph is a really perceptive one in my opinion.

 

[GunnyFreedom]

I do not believe it is undignified to attack the other 3 vigorously. If that is what it takes to win, I wish he would do it.

Remaining dignified is noble in times of peace, but in times of war, not if it means the death of God knows how many brown people as George Carlin likes to put it, by taking the high road.

I want to see the Ron Paul that told that Morton Downey Jr audience member to go on a diet...I want to see some fire and vigor. I know he's still got it in him, and I know he thinks the message is enough, but it isn't, sadly.

Hear here!

The *only* real "mistake" I see from this campaign, call it more of a tactical error, is that there was too much commitment to the 'high road' on the part of Ron Paul and the NHQ.

I believe, in retrospect, that Ron Paul got his best bumps in polling when he got ANGRY at the several status quo's on the stage beside him.

just my opinion though.

 

[JonathanBydlak]

In that case I think a number of highly critical forum posters owe you personally an enormous apology. There was some serious venom being spewed in your direction. Of course, many of those posters have been banned after being proven as moles from other campaigns. Romney's internet bots loved to come here and deflate our campaign.

I just want to thank you for coming out from behind the curtain and starting this thread. I hope you continue to post !

I have a couple simple questions- Was anyone giving feedback to Ron on his debate performances? It seemed like he was getting some feedback or speech coaching-- there was an enormous difference between Ron in the first debate vs. Ron in the last Fox debate (i.e. when Carl Cameron asked him the electability question).

Also, during each debate, what was the atmosphere like in the campaign? Were people as upset as the rest of us when they would consistently snub him? I can remember yelling at the TV "LET HIM SPEAK!".

Haha! No hard feelings, though I will admit that it was a bitter pill to swallow at the time. And to be honest, call me hard-headed, but from my perspective, the e-mail that brought so many people up in arms was not just a good thing to do -- it was necessary at the time. Maybe it hurt the tea party, but I don't really think so. People forget that there are diferent kinds of donors, and less than a fifth of our donors gave on Dec 16th. So we need to get every donor to respond, and everyone is motivated by different things.

As far as feedback from Ron's debates... it's been funny reading people's comments in this regard, because I think everyone on staff knew the things that Ron needed to do in debates. But for better or for worse, Ron is Ron, and he's going to say what he wants to say. I wish there had been some way to get him to frame his message better, because as we all know, content only gets you so far unfortunately.

Regarding atmosphere in the debates... man, I've probably never been so angry in my life as I've been during some of those. It got to the point where I couldn't really stand to watch them. Yes, we were all just as fuming, and just as excited as all of you were...

 

[JonathanBydlak]

In that case I think a number of highly critical forum posters owe you personally an enormous apology. There was some serious venom being spewed in your direction. Of course, many of those posters have been banned after being proven as moles from other campaigns. Romney's internet bots loved to come here and deflate our campaign.QUOTE]

Ew, I remember the anti-Bydlak days. I doubt there are many posters on here still that were critical back then (most of them were trolls from various places). However, a good number of us fell for the trolls (myself included) and had a less than rosy image of Jonathan for a while. Luckily, those days have passed.

Hahaha! good save!

 

[JonathanBydlak]

Hear here!

The *only* real "mistake" I see from this campaign, call it more of a tactical error, is that there was too much commitment to the 'high road' on the part of Ron Paul and the NHQ.

I believe, in retrospect, that Ron Paul got his best bumps in polling when he got ANGRY at the several status quo's on the stage beside him.

just my opinion though.

That's been my opinion for quite a while as well.

 

[ronpaulhawaii]

Well, I think what's likely to happen is that a lot of people will drop off. The real important question is how many people will remain.

I think the general goal is to promote liberty in every way possible. As I said earlier, this could be through giving funding to congressional candidates, taking over your local Republican party, blogging... whatever. But at the same time, we need to know that the internet won't do it for us... we have to create our own infrastructure, just as Goldwater did in 1964.

Aloha, E komo mai, (Hi and welcome )

Am enjoying watching this thread...

About infrastucture, a previous poster mentioned the Republican Liberty Caucus

www.rlc.org

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Liberty_Caucus

ISTM, that this pre-existing organization might save quite a few steps in creating an infrastucture. Do you know much about this org? and, if so, any reasons why we should not be looking at it closely?

Mahalo (thanks)

m

 

[GunnyFreedom]

Johnathan,

I have worked as a full time volunteer for RP08 now since October. I am from North Carolina, and I travelled to South Carolina and Alabama to canvass and phonebank and otherwise work. I worked directly with James Trementozzi in Charleston, SC, and with Bryan Roughton, Shana Kluck, Austin Wilkes, and Scott Morris in Alabama.

I just wanted to finally be able to tell someone that in SC, we needed MORE James Trementozzi and LESS Amanda Moore, and the work in Alabama was just amazing. The coordinated campaign we ran in Alabama worked amazingly well. Much of what we were able to accomplish was the "prep-work' for the canvass, and I tell you the truth, the people we managed to have the manpower to canvass, were nearly DESPERATE to learn about Ron Paul. With all the preliminary work we did in Alabama, we could have won that state if only we had the manpower to canvass there -- but two people just cannot canvass a whole state in 2 weeks.

I am still a full time volunteer for RO08 in North Carolina, a precinct delegate awaiting the Franklin county convention, and my mother is a county delegate in Vance County.

Now I'm not trying to get accolades here, I am doing two things with this post -- 1) telling you what worked and didn't, namely in SC James T worked and Amanda Moore didn't, and in AL, our strategy worked like gangbusters, but our lack of manpower didn't. and 2) I will be running either for NC State Gen'l assembly OR NC State Senate in 2010, and would welcome some advice and contacts and maybe even a measure of support in that effort.

James Trementozzi has contacted me directly in the last month to suggest just such a run, and after thinking on it, I think it is a good idea.

And thank you for your time and effort in this campaign -- no matter what else, we need every single person we can get in this effort to restore America.

Sincerely,
Glen Bradley

 

[jdmyprez_deo_vindice]

ty

First, thank you for all of the work you have given to this campaign and for taking the time to answer a few questions from those of us who gave everything we could and will continue to fight to the grave. Many of the previous posters have addressed questions I would have asked you but one has yet to be asked.

I was one of the folks who stood out in the freezing cold during the annual march for life that was held in D.C. I know that those of us on the ground that day were energized by the Jane Roe endorsement which came that morning. When Dr. Paul's time to speak came I (among others) were slightly baffled as to why he made no mention of the Jane Roe endorsement. I have seen estimates that there were over 400,000 people there and throughout the day we would constantly have to remind people that he got the endorsement of Jane Roe. So why did the campaign not make a bigger deal about this when it could have swayed so many of the "right to life voters". Thanks and keep up the good fight!

 

[LarryWhite]

Do you think Kent Snyder's $48,000 salary for the month of January 2008 is excessive?

Barack Obama's campaign manager pulled in a little over $5000 and Hillary's campaign manager pulled in $11,000 for the same time period.

info is here: http://query.nictusa.com/pres/2008/M2/C00432914/B_PAYEE_C00432914.html

 

[JonathanBydlak]

Aloha, E komo mai, (Hi and welcome )

Am enjoying watching this thread...

About infrastucture, a previous poster mentioned the Republican Liberty Caucus

www.rlc.org

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Liberty_Caucus

ISTM, that this pre-existing organization might save quite a few steps in creating an infrastucture. Do you know much about this org? and, if so, any reasons why we should not be looking at it closely?

Mahalo (thanks)

m

I don't know much about the RLC, so if it seems like something that could do some good, then I'd recommend that you look into it further. I personally, however, will be more inclined to give and get involved with whatever organizations come out of the campaign, just because I know the motivations of the people involved, and believe they are capable of running such organizations.

 

[CMoore]

I think the campaign did an amazing job. Considering that you all started from ground zero when the other candidates had been building a campaign for a long time, the progress you made was great. People who blame the lack of a win on the campaign are failing to take into consideration the things going against this candidacy. There are many, many VERY powerful people who have a vested interest in seeing this movement fail. This candidate starts out with a millstone around his neck. The establishment has a great deal to lose if this movement catches on in a big way. They are fighting for their political lives and it shows. Dr. Paul was treated so unfairly that it is frightening. It scares me to know that the media has so bought into the status quo. We need to keep up, get involved, and continue the Revolution.