What would you do if you were Ron Paul's campaign manager?

[dude58677]

I would have done the following:

1) Would have continued the 2008 email list

2) Would have listened to every suggestion on RPF and even would have spent my time here chatting

3) Would have run attack ads on Romney, Santorum, and Gingrinch

4) Would have done the delegate strategy

 

[Ekrub]

Come to RPF to consult all the brilliant strategists.

 

[Texan4Life]

5) #1 goal of the campaign is to put RP in the white house
6) keep positive attitude and boost morale, this drives fundraising, volunteerism, ect.

 

[Texan4Life]

Come to RPF to consult all the brilliant strategists.

lulz +1

I see a thread like this a place to blow off a little steam

ONWARD!

 

[smartguy911]

I honestly don't think a campaign manager has that kind of time to come to a forum and listen to everyone. I am sure it's a stressful job where everyone is asking questions left and right. It's very easy to sit here and say I'll do this and that but you have no clue what's going on behind the scene.

 

[Mini-Me]

Odds are, I'd go with what Texan4Life said. I'd also open up two-way communication lanes with mods on this forum, who would act as grassroots liasons...it would help me quickly connect with smart grassroots initiatives and keep people in the know about what the campaign is doing. For instance, doing so would have enabled this idea to really take off.

If I had the creativity to think of it in a complete vacuum, I would have sent out yesterday's email as it was, except deliberately and not out of incompetence, and then I'd totally contradict its tone today with a clarification about focusing on delegates for the purpose of winning it all. The media wouldn't contradict yesterday's story loudly enough for fear of admitting Ron's still in it, and Romney's supporters would continue to have their guard let down, but today's mayhem wouldn't be happening on these forums, and we'd all be united, upbeat, and banging our swords on our shields like Spartans from 300.

I also would have hired Frank Luntz at the outset and promised voters that Ron Paul would personally build a base on Europa with his bare hands by 2014...but not a military base, and it would be funded by private institutions.

Seriously though, I wouldn't be a good campaign manager: That takes creativity (which I'm sporadic with), confidence dealing with people (as if), confidence making concrete decisions (I get stuck in analysis paralysis), and an aptitude for logistics (not my strong point). I'm more of an analytical type, which makes me better suited for armchair quarterbacking...no, really. I can point out when an idea is stupid and why (or other possibilities that might make it less stupid), and I can point out the flaws in a prepared statement, but I don't have the experience to think on my feet or come up with a winning strategy in a vacuum, and I would warn anyone who tried to rely on me for that. In short, I'd make for a better adviser than an "executive," at least until I gained experience learning from those who know how to actually run things, like Doug Wead perhaps.

 

[BUSHLIED]

Well, I would not have sent that email out to supporters. The problem I have is WHY is Ron not actively campaigning in the remaining states, even if it's one event in each state before Tampa. Flying to a University to give a 1 hour speech cannot be all that expensive, especially if one of those States is TX and NM. He could skip AK and go to KY. Skip UT and make one last round in CA, throw in a fund-raiser there. If he has ~$1,000,000 on hand, that should be enough to maintain the image of running. A shrewd campaign manager would have not tipped his hand towards Ron's intentions this early. If they sent out the email to try and use some sorta psychology on donors, that was stupid. Didn't Ron just ask for 650K?? Isn't there a money-bomb coming up tomorrow? Furthermore, did the email sender not think about the consequences of sending that email out? What does a more focused approach to securing delegates mean anyway? What can the campaign and Ron do to ensure that he pick up more delegates besides urge people to go the state conventions and inform them of the rules etc... I don't know but if Ron just wants to have some influence on the party and have a decent sized delegation to show how much support his ideas have in the GOP, then 'idling' is not the way to go. I am perplexed.

 

[Pisces]

Well, I would not have sent that email out to supporters. The problem I have is WHY is Ron not actively campaigning in the remaining states, even if it's one event in each state before Tampa. Flying to a University to give a 1 hour speech cannot be all that expensive, especially if one of those States is TX and NM. He could skip AK and go to KY. Skip UT and make one last round in CA, throw in a fund-raiser there. If he has ~$1,000,000 on hand, that should be enough to maintain the image of running.

I actually listened to the entire Benton conference call and Jesse said that Ron will still be visiting college campuses and giving speeches. I'm almost starting to think that the reason for the email was to lower supporters' expectations. They're not really doing anything all that different. They just made it clear that their main goal is influencing the party going forward rather than winning the nomination. I wonder now if the reaction to Doug Wead's facebook event might have had something to do with this decision. Everyone was expecting good news and a big announcement. When that didn't happen a lot of people lost it.

My question is will there be as much enthusiasm for taking over the GOP if supporters have lost hope in winning the nomination.

 

[Charlie Harris]

I would have done the delegate strategy, however I would have not visted so many colleges and I would have actually had Ron campaign in places where Romney and Santorum were so I could get a few straw poll wins so the media would stop a little bit on the whole not winning thing. I would have attacked Mitt a lot sooner and I would have occasionally taken a look at the RPF to see what some outsiders thought.

 

[fr33]

Hire someone to make an ad that shows clips from some of Ron's best speeches and show the massive crowds that support him. And attack Romney.

 

[fr33]

Tell the grassroots to keep up the good work and inspire our delegates rather than hint that our delegates are barbarians like he did.

I would not tell RP supporters that Romney will win. Leave that to the skeptics and be positive instead.

 

[parocks]

I'm wondering what strategy someone would come up with that would get the msm talking about Ron Paul. A lot of people get their news still from msm, and they barely knew Ron Paul was running. We noticed this last October, with Black This Out. It's really really hard to win if the msm acts like they did. None of anyones suggestions would make any material difference if the msm would still be ignoring, lying about, etc Ron Paul.

 

[parocks]

Hire someone to make an ad that shows clips from some of Ron's best speeches and show the massive crowds that support him. And attack Romney.

And the money for this comes from?

 

[MelissaCato]

Make my dog the Mascot. MSM loves Mascots and so do team players = money maker. Seriously though, I would have approved Kenny Wallace's Ron Paul Racing NASCAR promotion back in 2008.The #39 car will do. Thanks Tony.

 

[floridasun1983]

For somebody who was the campaign's media guy, Jesse Benton seems to not understand how that job function works. You never do ANYTHING to demoralize your own troops, much less do you do it over and over and over and over again. The last 48 hours will go down in the history books under the section of what not to do with a campaign.

Anyway, since you asked, here would have been my suggestions:

1. Know that your surge in the polls right before Iowa was going to bring out the media attack and the newsletters. Have a prepared defense ready for that.
2. Follow up strong showing in New Hampshire with a blitzkrieg assault on South Carolina. This is where the campaign totally derailed in my opinion. Yes I know, some here said "well he wasn't going to win anyway" and that's true, but showing up and then abandoning ship, and totally bypassing Florida afterwards sucked all the wind out of our sails and gave the media a reason to ignore us going into Nevada.
3. Actually campaign. I'm talking old fashioned campaigning. Town halls, breakfasts, bus tours, meet and greets. Mega pep-rallies filled with people who already love Dr. Paul did not help us.
4. Attack Romney as soon as he started getting momentum, not Santorum/Gingrich. We needed those guys to siphon off Romney votes, but instead we went after them instead.
5. Advertise on traditional mediums.

 

[fr33]

And the money for this comes from?

They made and paid to air ads during this campaign with our donations. At some point they had the money. Some of the best online videos were made by grassroots supporters.

 

[parocks]

They made and paid to air ads during this campaign with our donations. At some point they had the money. Some of the best online videos were made by grassroots supporters.

Ok, you're talking past tense? I thought the tv was good. The ads were rich looking, and got good reviews.

The belief in 2011 was that the "tea party" candidate would beat the "establishment RINO". The polls seemed to indicate that. The idea was for a head to head, Paul vs Romney. We did not get the tea party vote. The Santorum and Gingrich supporters should be voting for us now, but we're not getting those votes.

 

[MelissaCato]

Or so we think. What if RonRules graphs are right?

 

[afmatt]

3. Actually campaign. I'm talking old fashioned campaigning. Town halls, breakfasts, bus tours, meet and greets. Mega pep-rallies filled with people who already love Dr. Paul did not help us.

This times 1776 - based on the info I got from my RP leaning but undecided friends in Iowa this is what hurt us the most there and gave Santorum such a boost cause he did it "right".

 

[parocks]

One thing to note, now, is that the official campaign has said "no more commercials". If there is a desire for commercials, it will have to be met by other sources.

I'd like a see a website, with ready to air tv commercials, and chipins to air them.