What I learned in New Hampshire working this weekend - *warning* divisive

[Bradley in DC]

Avery, we appreciate all of your hard work and leadership. The Google Ron Paul on the NY roof in the flight path of JFK was classic!

 

[aknappjr]

Avery (OP), this is not the time for you to stay in this forum. Please use your effort at NH for the last few hours!
Thank YOU very much!!!

Not in NH anymore.

 

[Kingfisher]

Point: Why do scrufty, baggy, long haired young people clean up, get a haircut, and wear a suit when they go before a middle aged judge?

 

[colin1]

Cut them some slack, they're kids. I'd be curious to see how some of you who are being so critical looked back in high school / college. The important thing is that they're getting excited about the message of liberty and that will last well beyond a single presidential campaign. Would it be great if they were clean cut and looked like young Mormons? Sure it would, but let's work with who we have.

 

[Spirit of '76]

1. Chase down TV personalities who have verbally attacked Ron Paul. Curse at them and insult them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p9uBLqz958

2. Grow your hair long. Longer and more unkempt the better. Republicans listen to you better. Along the same lines, grow the wildest most unkempt beard you can. Visible tattoos also help sell Republicans and undecided indepdendents in New Hampshire. Social conservatives just love those tattoos.

3. You don't need to put a suit on to GOP events - just look like you just put on whatever was laying on your floor and come to that GOP business-attire or formal dinner or bruncheon. Yellowed Ron Paul Revolution t-shirts work well with jeans. It doesn' matter that all the other Republicans are wearing suits - you'll fit in and they'll listen to you anyway.

4. Yell and interrupt all TV news appearances. It especially helps if you yell out things like "the fed is evil" and "abolish the fed". 98% of people already know that the fed causes damage and want it yelled out. Its not necessary to explain yourself in more well-mannered tones and discuss the problems of inflation and printing money and overspending. Yelling "abolish the fed" to voters is enough.

5. It doesn't matter what voters want to hear. What matters is that you say what you want to. Don't use Ron Paul's phrases to promote his message - use your own! Don't use his website, RonPaul2008.com, under Issues, to learn phraseology about how to discuss issues - come up with your own more advanced, radical ones!

6. Spend your time talking to voters who are wearing "Huckabee", "McCain", "Hillary", and "Obama" buttons. Argue with as many Giuliani volunteers as you can. Those are the people you need to convert. Just because they're volunteering for another campaign doesn't mean their minds are made up. Don't bother talking to the 40% who are undecided voters...convert other candidates volunteers!

Avery, thanks for your efforts. I'm convinced that our own supporters have done as much harm to our efforts in NH and elsewhere as the MSM has.

 

[fj45lvr]

My point is those people can be 2 or 5 or 10 times more effective in helping. And they should be. We need them to be. Ron Paul needs them to be.

And you're wrong - some of these behaviors do hurt the campaign.

I agree with you 100% especially as we head into primaries that are CLOSED to Republicans only.

the "hurt" comes from those people that AVOID the counter culture types which is too bad for the DR. Too bad the campaign didn't start out with a whole bunch of well dressed "squares" as being the predominate base of support. This is the downside to adhereing to PRINCIPLES over "selling out" for POLITICAL reasons (such as his willingness to get rid of Fed. Drug Laws or CIA or FBI etc. and etc. those are things that people can agree to when they FULLY UNDERSTAND "why" but alas it is a POLITICAL death sentence and brings out the counter culture base to drive away the typical Republican voter.)

 

[Andrew-Austin]

The young vs. old arguments are amusing.

 

[MoneyWhereMyMouthIs2]

If not for the very people you were complaining about, Ron Paul wouldn't even be where he is right now...

I say let the people do what they will do.. it isn't hurting.

Yeah, and I don't think the post was divisive. Different people have different tactics. Nothing wrong with trying to influence those with one tactic, and trying to get them to use a tactic you find more effective.

And the protester types... well... it's ok for them to be protesting. They aren't the same people we want going door to door, and we don't really want the door to door types out leading the protesting sort of functions.

That doesn't mean that the door to door types and the protester types need to have a giant battle over which one is better. There's room for all sorts of tactics and all sorts of people. We're all out there doing the best we can in the best way we know how.

 

[TheGrimace]

Maybe we should make a law that requires that all men shave and forces everyone to sport a fresh haircut.
Sadly, people do think like this, and those that do would probably not be receptive to a message of freedom.
But hey, we have to point the finger at somebody.

 

[walt]

yeah that mob didn't look like it was too focused on undecided voters - but hey OFLD funded picture taking of snufflluffgus...so that was worth it.

 

[thisisgiparti]

So you are basically complaining about what you see as a dress code violation, people not being as original as you, and yelling back at the media who attacks us routinely? Wait...I left out addressing the issues with other volunteers, they are lost souls and not actively thinking anymore.

Your hair makes you look like a hippie compared to me, so go cut it off.

I saw this on other threads. A young woman said she tried talking to her landlady, who was leaning toward McCain. The LL's words were "because McCain wants to end the war."

Well, he HAS said that. "I want to bring the troops home with honor." He also said that he would happily keep the troops in Iraq for 100 years. That should have been her immediate response, and that should have led to a civilized discussion.

Instead she said, "You're crazy! Only Ron Paul wants to END THE WAR. Watch this video on youtube called "Hope For America" or something." The LL left halfway through it. She said she had a headache.

So many people are on the defensive, that they have taken on this mentality of social activists. There should be a cohesive strategy employed by grassroots. The campaign is ignoring a valuable asset in the grassroots and coming off as flaky by not organizing the very enthusiastic volunteers. These forums could be better moderated, because many people come here for suggestions. The good advice is drowned out by the idiot rabble.

The landlord thread was endless pages of "you should have jumped her in the hallway" or "she needs to die" and "yeah, kill her. there are too many stupid people in the US."

An Us Against Them mentality is not serving this campaign well. Maybe Paulites really are the brainwashed ones; they've bought into media-fed conspiracy theories and only reinforce them with this behavior.

 

[leglock]

Good post.

I agree with you especially about keeping yourself well groomed when you're speaking publicly.

 

[fj45lvr]

Point: Why do scrufty, baggy, long haired young people clean up, get a haircut, and wear a suit when they go before a middle aged judge?

Awesome way to put it.

Well look at it this way, if this is a "revolution" the revolutionaires will have to figure out what can ACTUALLY work or they will simply get their asses kicked and go NOWHERE. In a "war" you have to adapt yourself by changing your tactics which takes a STRONG LEADER (Paul's campaign lacks a strong and respected LEADER to have the SOLDIERS get their direction from as to the TACTIC needed to win.

 

[Hope]

Cut them some slack, they're kids. I'd be curious to see how some of you who are being so critical looked back in high school / college. The important thing is that they're getting excited about the message of liberty and that will last well beyond a single presidential campaign. Would it be great if they were clean cut and looked like young Mormons? Sure it would, but let's work with who we have.

Uh, no. Most people in this forum are college-aged (according to the numerous poll posts that asked about age) and I myself am 23. There is absolutely, positively no excuse for this kind of stuff.

On my own time, sometimes I wear pajamas to the grocery store and sometimes I wear goth/punk clothes and sometimes I wear mini skirts and most of the time I wear a t-shirt and jeans. But when I'm campaigning for Ron Paul I make a conscious decision about the image I'm impressing upon people.

Saying that this kind of behavior is to be expected from people my age is insulting and untrue. You don't have to be Mormon or "wise beyond your years" to figure this stuff out. The people who are doing this stuff KNOW to some extent that they are acting out and they're doing it because they want to be anti-establishment emo kids. If you find yourself thinking, "Hey, I've been doing that," to any of these bullet points, no matter your age, you need to get on the ball and start thinking about what's best for the campaign and Dr. Paul's message.

 

[Rahl]

very good post hope

 

[scooter]

Without the young people who are fired up out on the streets not wearing the clothes that you have deemed appropriate, this campaign would be nowhere.

I understand that you want this to go mainstream and appeal to all, but there are just people out there who can't be changed.

Knocking the guys on the ground because they are young and excited about righting the wrongs is not the proper thing to do.

I find their passion to be very encouraging. These are the voters of the future and as long as they keep these principles, we have hope that America will get better.

 

[aknappjr]

Maybe we should make a law that requires that all men shave and forces everyone to sport a fresh haircut.
Sadly, people do think like this, and those that do would probably not be receptive to a message of freedom.
But hey, we have to point the finger at somebody.

You're missing the point. My point was that if you want to be effective at convincing Republican voters, act in accordance with their standards, social norms, and manners.

 

[tsetsefly]

image matters, yes it does, especially when you are representing a candidate...

 

[noztnac]

I don't believe there's anything fake about acting like Ron Paul. There's nothing fake about doing your best and being your most effective for the Freedom Movement.

You may have to change yourself to do that, but that's not fake. Its certainly disingenuous to say you believe in the cause and are dedicated to that end but not change yourself in order to achieve it.

Wow! Stunning. I completely disagree with you. Being an American is about being an individual, not conforming to some perceived ideal. You should be happy Ron Paul attracts a broad spectrum of people.

And I'll end with this. It is extremely disingenuous to emulate a 70 something year old Republican in order to get him elected. Ron Paul is running to be our public servant not our king. Fortunately Ron Paul understands that the movement makes him and not the other way around.

Are you sure you are an American?

 

[Cigaboo]

Maybe it's starting to dawn on those "misguided youth" that being perfect little gentleman isn't changing a damn thing about this country. We've got people getting routinely tasered, FBI people knocking down doors, an economy that's about to collapse, and we're supposed to act like a bunch of well-groomed Mormons?!

We should be out with pitchforks and torches, tar and feather ready, if you ask me.