Marc, first thank you for all of your hard work. I live in MO, doesn't make me necessarily an expert to give advice, but I think Springfield is more like Oklahoma or Arkansas than any other town we have here. Most of it is very Protestant, evangelical bible-belt Protestant. You know that video televangelist chick down there who made a video like four years ago where she said the problem was that people think too much, because humans aren't able to get Jesus' message through our "Leeeeeeettle teeny-weeny brains" so we should just sit back and accept the church's word on everything? That kind of says it all. Then you have like 10% rebellious punk kids who are probably just radical left-wing because it's trendy, and counter to the GOP voting morays of the church elders.
I think what you have to do is talk to individuals, signs won't do anything if people know who he is but made up their minds already. Ron Paul is right when he says the freedom message brings people together. It does, but the political corollary to that is that you can angle the message toward the listener. I wouldn't talk to old people in Springfield about personal liberty in general. But you could talk about Ron Paul's support OF the church against certain government restriction & intervention. Most proselytizing Christians are big local-education-control fans because they wouldn't have D.C. imposing rules about praying, teaching evolution, black history, science in general, A = A or electricity...powered appliances...um, sorry, got carried away there.
They like local education. Ask them if they watch Glenn Beck, he's solidly in Ron's corner now. Talk about the drastically lower taxes and gun rights, property rights, etc. All kinds of traditional GOP issues that were perverted by neocons and church opportunists are good Ron Paul talking points for getting the Archie Bunker vote.
And there are colleges down there. We need to campaign hard at all colleges. Not with signs but with direct communication and encouraging young liberty activists. If you run into liberals, just explain how Ron is more of a true liberal than Obama. Talk up his stances on the Patriot Act, gay rights, drugs, the "War is Making you Poor Act" w/ Kucinich and the ongoing dialogue/friendship with Nader. Mention that he did not favor cutting unemployment benefits & how he plans to spend approximately half of the current war budget to tide over the poor and elderly.
I think "Ron Paul 2012" or "Revolution" are still the best bet. Prosperity is a what-not-how rhetorical proposition, Integrity is a common political boast, and Consistency falls flat because many voters are regretfully starting with the proposition that libertarians are
consistently fucked up. But keep the ideas coming! Great work and thanks!
(It's wrong for a newbie to take the reins & give such advice, but it's 4:50 AM MO time and I thought I'd help a brotha out).
snickers
