Not Happy with Iowa Infomercial...

[FreedomLover]

I don't see the big deal in this infomercial "alienating" liberals. Ron Paul is running in the Republican Primary. democrats and lefties are already going to be voting for obama or edwards.

 

[noztnac]

You're right, the campaign is NOT trying to appeal to Democrats in Iowa right now, nor should they be. The first step is to win the Republican nomination, and to do that they need to appeal to the Republican base in Iowa, to those people who are going to the caucus on Jan 3 and are still undecided.
I'm sorry if your family was turned off, but that just means you have that much more work to do to explain those positions to them. Show them some videos on YouTube. Show them about his stance on Iraq and on civil liberties in America. Show them his talks about the massive spending, borrowing and printing of money and how the entitlement programs will be insolvent in the next 20-30 years if something is not done now.

I disagree. Ron Paul's message in this infomercial was so targeted to the right wing that it lost the left. It was quite possible to get the conservative vote without alienating democrats and independents. All he had to do was talk about monetary policy, freedom, the loss of civil liberties, etc. Once people are lured in they can check for themselves the specific details of divisive issues.

I think the infomercial wa a great idea but poorly executed. The writing was not very good and technically it looks very amateurish.

Better would have been to spend some money using good writers to help hone the message and to use film rather than video. The end result would have been much better and it could have been used in many states by re-editing digital copies of the footage on an AVID system.

 

[legion]

show them some youtube of bill maher fawning over ron

 

[RickNHouston]

I'm in Iowa right now visiting relatives over Christmas. Politics is crazy here. Every day, the political phone calls start at about 4:00 PM and keep on going until at least 9:00 PM, sometimes later. My relatives don't even bother to answer the phone if the Caller ID message says "Toll Free," or "Out of Area" or anything like that. They love the attention Iowa gets at this phase in the election cycle, but they say this is the price they pay.

It's nice to open the local Cedar Rapids paper and see quarter-page ads for the special Ron Paul infomercials and to see candidate profiles, and even Op Ed pieces by Ron Paul in the local paper. What a breath of fresh air.

The side of the family I'm staying with here are Democrats, and have heard almost nothing about Ron Paul. However, they are good, thinking people who are receptive to the candidates and have even offered to shuttle me around to see the various campaign appearances. Bill Clinton was here yesterday stumping for Hilary, and practically every other candidate is doing something or other within driving distance. Ron Paul wont be back in Iowa until the 27th, and I'm going to try to go see him.

The other night at 6:30 the Ron Paul informercial comes on and I make a big deal about wanting to see it so the family puts it on the TV and goes about their business, but the thing is on for about five minutes before all hell breaks loose.

I'm really disappointed by this informercial. Ron Paul leads with the divisive abortion issue, and in a ranting tone says that its his big goal to repeal the Roe v. Wade. That went over well with my Democratic, Pro-Choice in-laws (and Wife). Right there, I start hearing heckling from the peanut gallery. Next up: The phony war on terrorism and how seriously Ron Paul takes the issue. I felt like I was listening to a commercial for Rudy Giulliani, and that's certainly how my relatives took it. I couldn't even make it through the rest of the broadcast because an argument broke out.

Not good.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't expect the infomercial to instantly convert anyone in my Democrat family to be a Ron Paul supporter, but I was really hoping it would showcase what makes RP different than the other Republican candidates. I wanted the infomercial to talk about ending the war(s). I wanted him to make a big deal out of the our civil liberties being eroded by things like the Patriot Act. I wanted him to talk about the fiscal and economic crisis the country is in, and the plummeting value of the U.S. dollar. I wanted him to talk about individual rights and Liberty. And the Constitution! I wanted him to lead with the things that we Americans can agree on... But that didn't seem like the focus.

I hope the hell the campaign knows WTF its doing here in Iowa.

Has the campaign given up on trying to appeal to anyone in Iowa besides hard-core, old-school Republicans and the Christian conservative people that Mike Huckabee is popular with?

Then, this morning, I woke up to see a great video of RP on "Meet The Press," which I wish to hell I had decided to put on in this household instead of the infomercial. I should have watched the infomercial on YouTube instead. But I was excited to see something about Ron Paul on real TV, so that's why I tuned in.

Bummed out in Iowa,

Zach

PS: Here's the YouTube of the informercial in question:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQNWHmiGj-k
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wekzQrQfacg

Zach,

What, exactly, did ur inlaws have a problem with... certainly sounds as if his supporters in attendance were pleased with it ...? I'm confused!

 

[itsnobody]

The deadline to change registration from Democrat to Republican has past in Iowa right? And the caucus is closed? If that's the case then is there a point to try to convert Democrats? My guess is that the ad is targetted squarely towards converting Republicans.

No, the deadline is the same as the caucus day, January 3rd, 2007

Remember all we need is 35,000 votes total in Iowa to win the caucus

 

[electronicmaji]

The leading parts even in iowa should of been the economy and the war...really....for realz...

 

[me3]

No, the deadline is the same as the caucus day, January 3rd, 2007

Remember all we need is 35,000 votes total in Iowa to win the caucus

Let's make it 38,000 and do it right.

 

[Korey Kaczynski]

Democrats? Ew

 

[itsnobody]

Let's make it 38,000 and do it right.

We'll probably get 50,000 votes

 

[InRonWeTrust]

IMO, Ron needs to zip his lips regarding abortion and other religious matters. It's extremely divisive.

 

[itsnobody]

IMO, Ron needs to zip his lips regarding abortion and other religious matters. It's extremely divisive.

Nah, its only divisive to liberals, I don't really understand the pro-choice position of the liberals, I mean these people care more about the life of a baby polar bear and other animals than they do an unborn human baby

Plus it's not really a religious issue, EVERY MAJOR RELIGION, whether it's Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc...all say abortions are wrong and immoral

So it has really has to do with those non-religious and atheistic who support it

 

[adwads]

I hate the infomercial. I've seen AMPLE evidence that the official campaign is totally incompetent, I'm sorry to say. We need to shelve the infomercial.

 

[adwads]

Nah, its only divisive to liberals, I don't really understand the pro-choice position of the liberals, I mean these people care more about the life of a baby polar bear and other animals than they do an unborn human baby

Plus it's not really a religious issue, EVERY MAJOR RELIGION, whether it's Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc...all say abortions are wrong and immoral

This isn't the time or place for a discussion of abortion. I personally am pro-choice and your comments just make me feel like arguing with you...the fact is, Ron Paul is personally pro-life, but he would leave the abortion issue up to the states...However, the informercial DOES NOT make that clear. THe informercial PRETENDS that RP will enact pro-life legislation at the federal level.

 

[JohnnyWrath]

IMO, Ron needs to zip his lips regarding abortion and other religious matters. It's extremely divisive.

True.

 

[itsnobody]

This isn't the time or place for a discussion of abortion. I personally am pro-choice and your comments just make me feel like arguing with you...the fact is, Ron Paul is personally pro-life, but he would leave the abortion issue up to the states...However, the informercial DOES NOT make that clear. THe informercial PRETENDS that RP will enact pro-life legislation at the federal level.

Well can you explain why you're pro-choice? Why does a woman have a right to kill an unborn baby but the government can't drill for oil in Alaska because there's a remote chance that a polar bear might get harmed?

 

[cicatrice]

You were the one who made the critical error, not the campaign. Ron Paul is running for the nomination of the Republican Party, not the Democratic Party. You should have pre viewed the infomercial or at least read what was in it first. Then you would have known that it was specifically made to court Republican voters in Iowa. The infomercial was a masterpiece, but you showed it to the wrong audience. I just hope your mistake doesn't cost Ron Paul the win in Iowa.

Agreed. So take this as a lesson folks.

 

[adwads]

Well can you explain why you're pro-choice? Why does a woman have a right to kill an unborn baby but the government can't drill for oil in Alaska because there's a remote chance that a polar bear might get harmed?

I don't feel like arguing over abortion here...we did a poll (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=57472) and 1/3 of RP supporters on these forums are pro-choice, just deal with it--we all need to get along.

 

[JohnnyWrath]

wedge issue, and always will be.....divisive even here.

 

[Dan Klaus]

Ron Paul leads with the divisive abortion issue

That also made me uncomfortable - but surely someone has a strategy for leading with this issue....figured the Iraq war would be the hot button issue followed by taxes...oh well...

 

[me3]

I hate the infomercial. I've seen AMPLE evidence that the official campaign is totally incompetent, I'm sorry to say. We need to shelve the infomercial.

What are you waiting for? Shelve it already!