Thank God, and finally. Now we can move forward seriously.

[nayjevin]

Our future direction should be 4 pronged:

1. Positive Ron Paul dissemination

2. Negative 'other guys' dissemination

3. Positive issue dissemination

4. Negative issue dissemination

Examples:

1. "Ron Paul is a decorated veteran"

get veteran slim jims to veterans, post videos about RP's record on vet sites, etc

2. "McCain is a traitor"

write www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com" on every bathroom stall in america

3. "Liberty is about life"

promote the idea that a debate about liberty is academic if the 'life' issue remains undefined.

4. "NAU will destroy our economy"

show that the NAU is real and insidious

In all of our efforts, the idea is WAKE UP. We should try to leverage our efforts by doing things which will have a positive long term impact regardless of the results of this election. A good example of this was the idea to hand out Constitutions in New Hampshire -- maybe they won't vote for Ron Paul, but now they have in their hands the reasons that they should vote for candidates like him for the rest of their lives.

If we can define the goals, then the grassroots can remain decentralized, with everyone using their efforts in whatever way they know best -- but always in the same direction. the goals have thus far been too vague -- eg 'get rp elected'.

Also we must clearly define our goals on a local level -- anyone who is settled down in an area who is dedicated to this movement has several clear goals:

1. Determine your role
Are you a potential candidate? Is there any, ANY office you could hold? Are you better at coordinating, communications? Find what you're good at, and begin to research your local laws. What are the biggest threats to liberty in your community? What can you do to fight it?

2. Gain Recognition
Gain recognition for both the movement, and for yourself. Each of us should do what we can to become pillars of the community where we live. Network and be neighborly. Canvass your neighborhood, if only just to introduce yourself to neighbors! It will be rewarding to you, and help you get in touch with like minds, and those that are fertile for the liberty message. Keep a network of local people who you can count on to vote our way on EVERYTHING. My idea locally is to campaign for folks to vote against ALL taxes and ALL new laws. Vote 'yes' only to repeal existing laws. If we all did this locally, and built up our local networks of folks who will go to the polls with us and do the same, government will begin to shrink (or at least the growth will be curbed!)

3. Write Letters
Write letters to your congressman and your editor, your neighbors and your family. Encourage them to stand up for what is right in your community. Let your voice be heard - at minimum you are planting seeds.

Keep your heads up people, and remember this forum doesn't represent the average Ron Paul supporter. Most of us are still very positive about this movement. Shills change the overall feeling of this site more than most realize -- don't let a few bad seeds get you down.

 

[nayjevin]

Is the road before us easy? No. Do we have our work cut out for us? Hell, yeah. Likelihood of success? How should I know? This is politics. For all I know some six year old Cuban kid will wash up on the Florida shore and that will be the galvanizing issue in the campaign deciding the other half of the votes for delegates.

love it

 

[liberteebell]

By the time you're reading this post, you would have read the email from Dr. Paul disavowing a third party run and announcing the slimming down of the official presidential campaign HQ.

Thank God, and finally. Now we can move forward seriously.

There have been no shortage of reasons for frustration. We're frustrated with the what's going on with the direction of the country and the world--that's why we're part of the rEVOLution and here in the first place. We're frustrated with the lack of more and better choices among political candidates. We're frustrated that for all of our hard work, time and money, we get so little attention from the MSM, so few votes, even fewer delegates to the national convention, etc.

Why was I happy when I read Dr. Paul's email? Because it's the slap in the face the rEVOLution needs to move forward in a serious way.

I know it didn't make me universally popular for saying so, but the official campaign staff has been the weak link in our chain. That is by far the nicest way to put it. Getting rid of the dead wood will now let us grow to our full potential. Because I've not wanted to air dirty laundry in public that would adversely affect Dr. Paul, I've not said what all of the DC metro area volunteers and supporters know about the arrogance and incompetence of the Arlington HQ staff. We are better off without them.

Now of course, we, the real campaign, the grassroots, are going to have to pick up the slack. No more excuses of deferring to the official campaign.

First off, no more delusions of electoral grandeur. Blog posts saying Dr. Paul has really won a majority of the delegates are a load of crap. Dr. Paul wouldn't put out that email if it were true. We weren't really winning. The official campaign staff dropped the ball and wasted millions of dollars. Apologists for them are the traitors to our movement. John McCain, while born in Panama, is a natural born citizen. The scientific polls are far from perfect, but they aren't biased against us--use them to our benefit to learn how to craft our message to win. The deceptions need to stop now.

A few of us are working on a state-by-state strategy based on an examination of the actual rules as they are--not as we can twist them the way we want them to be. The same goes for the RNC by-laws. That strategy is going to depend on working with Huck's Army and others to have the greatest effect derailing the McCain train. Politics ain't pretty; if you ain't got the stomach for it, get out of the kitchen (or something like that).

The McCain train is going to derail. I just hope it happens in time for us to make the difference we want it to make before he gets our party's nomination. Let's face it, Senator McCain is an honorable man in many ways who has served our country with distinction. He is also, however, a walking time bomb. His "mercurial" personality will doom his presidential aspirations. For these and other reasons, the Romney people are helping the Paul supporters openly at CPAC, etc. We've already cut deals to our mutual benefit with the Huckabee camp in West Virginia. This is how we win.

Is the road before us easy? No. Do we have our work cut out for us? Hell, yeah. Likelihood of success? How should I know? This is politics. For all I know some six year old Cuban kid will wash up on the Florida shore and that will be the galvanizing issue in the campaign deciding the other half of the votes for delegates.

What to do from here? Work our tails off--in a smart way. Hard-headed and realistic ways. If you want someone to sing you lullabies, tell you the failure-seeking official staff was really doing a great job and that we were on the road to victory, you deserve another bitch slap.

It was after McCain fired his dead weight that his campaign retooled and took off--all the way to presumptive nominee. No more delusions. Realistic, hard-headed thinking. We need to act now, together, to push the rEVOLution forward. Make everything we do count, not just for Ron Paul delegates to the national nominating convention but coupled with other candidates for office to help save our country.

Peace and love.

I didn't need a bitch slapping but I'm really glad to hear you say all this!!!! I'm with you; I'm in it 'till the bitter end and I know and am quite familiar with some tireless and dedicated peeps in southeast Virginia, from C-vill and south, who would do and have been doing anything and everything, and I mean ANYTHING and EVERYTHING to keep this going. Even the casual observer wouldn't question their (our) enthusiasm and dedication.

I think I can speak for most of them: the frustration level is off the charts. It appears that our efforts have been thwarted in every way, shape and form by none other than HQ. Add to that, most of us are political novices who just needed a bit of direction and help and our requests fell on deaf ears.

We're more than willing to learn from mistakes, pick up the pieces and move strongly forward.

 

[liberteebell]

If God himself got off his throne, descended from the heavens, trumpetted at my door, and announced that I was wasting my time trying to get Ron Paul into the Whitehouse, I would thank him for his concern and ask him to leave me to my business. I've wasted lots of time on far less noble causes.

Exquisite! With your permission, I'd like to use your quote as a signature.

 

[Charles Wilson]

By the time you're reading this post, you would have read the email from Dr. Paul disavowing a third party run and announcing the slimming down of the official presidential campaign HQ.

Thank God, and finally. Now we can move forward seriously.

There have been no shortage of reasons for frustration. We're frustrated with the what's going on with the direction of the country and the world--that's why we're part of the rEVOLution and here in the first place. We're frustrated with the lack of more and better choices among political candidates. We're frustrated that for all of our hard work, time and money, we get so little attention from the MSM, so few votes, even fewer delegates to the national convention, etc.

Why was I happy when I read Dr. Paul's email? Because it's the slap in the face the rEVOLution needs to move forward in a serious way.

I know it didn't make me universally popular for saying so, but the official campaign staff has been the weak link in our chain. That is by far the nicest way to put it. Getting rid of the dead wood will now let us grow to our full potential. Because I've not wanted to air dirty laundry in public that would adversely affect Dr. Paul, I've not said what all of the DC metro area volunteers and supporters know about the arrogance and incompetence of the Arlington HQ staff. We are better off without them.

Now of course, we, the real campaign, the grassroots, are going to have to pick up the slack. No more excuses of deferring to the official campaign.

First off, no more delusions of electoral grandeur. Blog posts saying Dr. Paul has really won a majority of the delegates are a load of crap. Dr. Paul wouldn't put out that email if it were true. We weren't really winning. The official campaign staff dropped the ball and wasted millions of dollars. Apologists for them are the traitors to our movement. John McCain, while born in Panama, is a natural born citizen. The scientific polls are far from perfect, but they aren't biased against us--use them to our benefit to learn how to craft our message to win. The deceptions need to stop now.

A few of us are working on a state-by-state strategy based on an examination of the actual rules as they are--not as we can twist them the way we want them to be. The same goes for the RNC by-laws. That strategy is going to depend on working with Huck's Army and others to have the greatest effect derailing the McCain train. Politics ain't pretty; if you ain't got the stomach for it, get out of the kitchen (or something like that).

The McCain train is going to derail. I just hope it happens in time for us to make the difference we want it to make before he gets our party's nomination. Let's face it, Senator McCain is an honorable man in many ways who has served our country with distinction. He is also, however, a walking time bomb. His "mercurial" personality will doom his presidential aspirations. For these and other reasons, the Romney people are helping the Paul supporters openly at CPAC, etc. We've already cut deals to our mutual benefit with the Huckabee camp in West Virginia. This is how we win.

Is the road before us easy? No. Do we have our work cut out for us? Hell, yeah. Likelihood of success? How should I know? This is politics. For all I know some six year old Cuban kid will wash up on the Florida shore and that will be the galvanizing issue in the campaign deciding the other half of the votes for delegates.

What to do from here? Work our tails off--in a smart way. Hard-headed and realistic ways. If you want someone to sing you lullabies, tell you the failure-seeking official staff was really doing a great job and that we were on the road to victory, you deserve another bitch slap.

It was after McCain fired his dead weight that his campaign retooled and took off--all the way to presumptive nominee. No more delusions. Realistic, hard-headed thinking. We need to act now, together, to push the rEVOLution forward. Make everything we do count, not just for Ron Paul delegates to the national nominating convention but coupled with other candidates for office to help save our country.

Peace and love.

Excellent post! As a national movement we need to organize as such and pay annual membership dues so that the movement will have the where-with-all to afford the necessary expenses of such an endeavor. I can support something like this. I have not read: www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?p=1204477#poststop", but I will. Let us all keep in touch, the fat lady has not sung the last song as far as I am concerned.

 

[Peace&Freedom]

What would actually help is for the GOP-loyalist faction of our movement to not slap the other factions at all, for their thinking that Paul running independent would help his GOP prospects. It would help if one group did not high handedly define agreement with them as "moving forward" and disagreement as "giving up."

Reading the tea leaves:

Yes, Paul (presuming this last email was approved by him) has now definitely said he WILL NOT run 3rd party, and chances of a brokered con are nearly zero.

Paul has NOT said he WILL NOT run as an independent candidate. An indy run allows Paul to not abandon the GOP for another party label, and run in November if the brokered con does not pan out. The TX primary is his preoccupation at this point (to retain his house seat), and I believe he will clarify his intentions on the indy run after Mar. 4, and upon reviewing feed back from the grassroots.

 

[Melissa]

This is why we need to donate--all people still fighting the good fight please donate so we can show the whiners how a real revolution is fought (not by quitting)--so donate please

 

[Bradley in DC]

I *TRULY* wish you were right, but I highly doubt it. I think we're KEEPING our Dead Wood.

I don't know who is staying or not. That's secondary. One, HQ now has adult supervision with Messrs. Tate and Elam at the top, and more importantly, the grassroots now has to understand the reality of what we're up against and stop deferring to the official campaign as if they are magically going to win this race. They're not. If it's going to be won, it's going to be us.

 

[rexsolomon]

Who's Godot?

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Bradley in DC]

Check list

In response to requests, here is a quick checklist that should apply everywhere (rules in different states are so different it's hard to give general advice).

1. identify supporters and turn them out to vote.
2. identify "supervoters" who usually vote and spread the message to them; if you can't get a list of the actual voter rolls with histories, then look at the election returns--especially for primaries--and see which precincts have the highest turnout of Republicans (rank them by most Republican supervoters to least, hit as many precincts at the top of the list as you can; use the official campaign's Precinct Leader list to supplement your efforts but keep the information on a Google.doc spreadsheet accessible to the others with whom you are working).
3. identify all of the voting locations (make sure signs are posted at all voting locations in accordance with local ordinance the night before and have people leafleting for Dr. Paul there--dress well and be polite!)--if a caucus, follow leadership in your state on speeches or whatever.
4. each group needs to act to contact media about events and get their own endorsements for the campaign.
5. use your efforts to help Dr. Paul AND the other Liberty Candidates out there--make the most of your efforts!
6. SMILE We have so much to be thankful for in finding each other, Ron and Carol sacrificing so much of themselves, for having this opportunity in this great country...

 

[torchbearer]

BUT! BUT! THE POLLS SHOW HE GETS 11% WITH OBAMA AND MCCAIN AND THAT GUY FROM NY! THAT MEANS...HE CAN...

/cries

I kid of course. If we learn anything from this campaign, it's what Ron Paul stands for and what Americans should stand for. It certainly isn't a case study for winning elections. The revolution, the one that started many years ago, will live on. We will bring it back to full strength, a Renaissance if you will.

a Technosance...

 

[tamor]

Just a thought -- perhaps some the RP campaign people had agreed to be on board until after "Super Tuesday" -- then they had to return to other responsibilities

 

[liberteebell]

In response to requests, here is a quick checklist that should apply everywhere (rules in different states are so different it's hard to give general advice).

1. identify supporters and turn them out to vote.
2. identify "supervoters" who usually vote and spread the message to them; if you can't get a list of the actual voter rolls with histories, then look at the election returns--especially for primaries--and see which precincts have the highest turnout of Republicans (rank them by most Republican supervoters to least, hit as many precincts at the top of the list as you can; use the official campaign's Precinct Leader list to supplement your efforts but keep the information on a Google.doc spreadsheet accessible to the others with whom you are working).
3. identify all of the voting locations (make sure signs are posted at all voting locations in accordance with local ordinance the night before and have people leafleting for Dr. Paul there--dress well and be polite!)--if a caucus, follow leadership in your state on speeches or whatever.
4. each group needs to act to contact media about events and get their own endorsements for the campaign.
5. use your efforts to help Dr. Paul AND the other Liberty Candidates out there--make the most of your efforts!
6. SMILE We have so much to be thankful for in finding each other, Ron and Carol sacrificing so much of themselves, for having this opportunity in this great country...

Excellent! Short and sweet (and clear!!). I'm in the middle of writing one that's Virginia specific and will use this as a guide. Thank you!

 

[therealjjj77]

I agree.

I think we can do a lot more with less.

 

[Change]

Alright, Bradley. No tears for the campaign.

If God himself got off his throne, descended from the heavens, trumpetted at my door, and announced that I was wasting my time trying to get Ron Paul into the Whitehouse, I would thank him for his concern and ask him to leave me to my business. I've wasted lots of time on far less noble causes.

Let's pump some enthusiasm back into this effort.

So agree with this statement, as well! Making my Saturday morning bright with these gray skies, and light snow. Go Ron GO!

 

[LibertyEagle]

(In actuality it has always BEEN their show, Ron's name was merely attached in the same way that his name was attached to the LewRockwell racist newsletters 20 years ago; once again,...[/I]

Still behaving like the judge, jury and executioner, I see.

 

[WRellim]

I don't know who is staying or not. That's secondary. One, HQ now has adult supervision with Messrs. Tate and Elam at the top, and more importantly, the grassroots now has to understand the reality of what we're up against and stop deferring to the official campaign as if they are magically going to win this race. They're not. If it's going to be won, it's going to be us.

Ummm, Bradley,

Again I WISH what you were saying was true, but it's not. You are seeing what you WANT to see in that letter, but it's NOT THERE.

Elam and Tate are NOT "on top" at Virginia HQ, they are both busy elsewhere.

Elam was given a "temporary title" and the task of salvaging the Feb 5th Media buy, but he remains in TEXAS, where is is chairman of the CONGRESSIONAL campaign. His hands are far too full of THAT important task for him to baby-sit the Arlington nursery.

I am fairly certain the same is true of Tate -- the "title" was a temporary one (it like Elam's "title", was made formal and announced solely in order to quiet down the revolting peasantry) and I am fairly certain that any "duties" he had were also solely surrounding Feb 5th.

The Snyder & Moore Co is completely in tact, and in charge again. And if all that is left is a few University visits & speeches, and winding down the campaign offices & stuff. Then I'm sure Ron feels they will do an adequate job.

They will probably keep a few kids on board to fill store orders. And the BEST evidence that nothing has changed will come in this form: in coming weeks people will start to complain about getting "different stuff" (wrong types of slim-jims, etc) than what they ordered. The cause will often be "substitutions" for things that are out of stock (and sometimes just sloppiness). Yes, they SHOULD receive a printed shipping ticket note telling them that, but they WON'T -- because Snyder & Moore, Inc. *is* that arrogant & stupid about things, complaints will be ignored (and excuse will be "inadequate staff").

I for one was NEVER deferring to HQ for how to run the race -- just that we CANNOT win a race without a candidate, and we cannot win without at least SOME presence on the ground, and on the airwaves (preferably with a candidate as a guest on TV news shows, but minimally some TV ads). Otherwise people will start thinking that not only is he NOT running anymore, but that he actually doesn't exist ("those wacko RonPaul types have invented a candidate from thin air!")

The game is basically over. As the NYT online piece already spun it around Midnight last night "Ron Paul is OUT... kind of" -- they seem to be ignoring it today, but within the next few days (when they see NO activity from the RP headquarters) they will confidently make it "official" by televising his exit (and characterizing it as similar to Romney's a "suspension" of campaigning -- and they won't really be lying this time.)

Here in Wisconsin, our primary is now only 10 days away, so we may as well finish the job. But we now have little hope of anything, as the GOP leadership is going to begin PUBLICLY beating the boards for a "unity" behind McCain (mainly for the benefit of their own political careers -- the fools, they are actually committing mass suicide along with JM. Next year anyone who ACTIVELY pushed for McCain will be purged.)

And Santa Claus and the Ether Bunny are not in charge either, so quit dreaming.

 

[WRellim]

Originally Posted by WRellim View Post
(In actuality it has always BEEN their show, Ron's name was merely attached in the same way that his name was attached to the LewRockwell racist newsletters 20 years ago; once again

Still behaving like the judge, jury and executioner, I see.

No, just stating things that are FACTS (instead of delusions and dreams).

 

[Bradley in DC]

Ummm, Bradley,

Again I WISH what you were saying was true, but it's not. You are seeing what you WANT to see in that letter, but it's NOT THERE.

Elam and Tate are NOT "on top" at Virginia HQ, they are both busy elsewhere.

We have seen changes already: the ads are much better and the campaign started following up on the endorsements we'd been sending our way, etc. I do NOT have rose-colored glasses on and see it for what it is. No, no one has sprinkled pixie dust and made it all better.

 

[Perry]

By the time you're reading this post, you would have read the email from Dr. Paul disavowing a third party run and announcing the slimming down of the official presidential campaign HQ.

Thank God, and finally. Now we can move forward seriously.

There have been no shortage of reasons for frustration. We're frustrated with the what's going on with the direction of the country and the world--that's why we're part of the rEVOLution and here in the first place. We're frustrated with the lack of more and better choices among political candidates. We're frustrated that for all of our hard work, time and money, we get so little attention from the MSM, so few votes, even fewer delegates to the national convention, etc.

Why was I happy when I read Dr. Paul's email? Because it's the slap in the face the rEVOLution needs to move forward in a serious way.

I know it didn't make me universally popular for saying so, but the official campaign staff has been the weak link in our chain. That is by far the nicest way to put it. Getting rid of the dead wood will now let us grow to our full potential. Because I've not wanted to air dirty laundry in public that would adversely affect Dr. Paul, I've not said what all of the DC metro area volunteers and supporters know about the arrogance and incompetence of the Arlington HQ staff. We are better off without them.

Now of course, we, the real campaign, the grassroots, are going to have to pick up the slack. No more excuses of deferring to the official campaign.

First off, no more delusions of electoral grandeur. Blog posts saying Dr. Paul has really won a majority of the delegates are a load of crap. Dr. Paul wouldn't put out that email if it were true. We weren't really winning. The official campaign staff dropped the ball and wasted millions of dollars. Apologists for them are the traitors to our movement. John McCain, while born in Panama, is a natural born citizen. The scientific polls are far from perfect, but they aren't biased against us--use them to our benefit to learn how to craft our message to win. The deceptions need to stop now.

A few of us are working on a state-by-state strategy based on an examination of the actual rules as they are--not as we can twist them the way we want them to be. The same goes for the RNC by-laws. That strategy is going to depend on working with Huck's Army and others to have the greatest effect derailing the McCain train. Politics ain't pretty; if you ain't got the stomach for it, get out of the kitchen (or something like that).

The McCain train is going to derail. I just hope it happens in time for us to make the difference we want it to make before he gets our party's nomination. Let's face it, Senator McCain is an honorable man in many ways who has served our country with distinction. He is also, however, a walking time bomb. His "mercurial" personality will doom his presidential aspirations. For these and other reasons, the Romney people are helping the Paul supporters openly at CPAC, etc. We've already cut deals to our mutual benefit with the Huckabee camp in West Virginia. This is how we win.

Is the road before us easy? No. Do we have our work cut out for us? Hell, yeah. Likelihood of success? How should I know? This is politics. For all I know some six year old Cuban kid will wash up on the Florida shore and that will be the galvanizing issue in the campaign deciding the other half of the votes for delegates.

What to do from here? Work our tails off--in a smart way. Hard-headed and realistic ways. If you want someone to sing you lullabies, tell you the failure-seeking official staff was really doing a great job and that we were on the road to victory, you deserve another bitch slap.

It was after McCain fired his dead weight that his campaign retooled and took off--all the way to presumptive nominee. No more delusions. Realistic, hard-headed thinking. We need to act now, together, to push the rEVOLution forward. Make everything we do count, not just for Ron Paul delegates to the national nominating convention but coupled with other candidates for office to help save our country. EDIT: Dr. Paul as already done so much as a Congressman, we need more of us!

Peace and love.

It's too late Bradley.
I have too admit I knew all along this wasn't going to happen but I allowed myself to believe my own lie, not anyone else's lie, about how things were going.
I've been around long enough and knew better but that's what it took to keep me going as the alternative was too painful.
It's too late for a victory and I do believe the U.S. will look somewhat different in four years than it does today.
This was our best opportunity and it is gone.
I will go on and speak the truth but I won't hold out hope that we'll ever get this opportunity again.