Topic: Democracy
Ron Paul's Latest Money Bomb, The Media Brown Out, And The Big Ironic Fatty It Is High Time To Incorporate The Media Into The Movement Whether They Want To Be In It Or Not...by Scott from Oregon
(Libertarian)
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
"The Big Ironic Fatty" is the term I use to describe the very ironic fact that the money Ron Paul raises in his campaign keeps being given to the media that mocks him or ignores him. It is as if Ron Paul needs to buy his legitimacy by paying into the club that shuns him.
His status among the media elite has been predetermined, and no amount of cash fed into their coffers is going to alter that at this point.
Remember, America is full of fair people and America LOVES an underdog. They will recognize unfairness and will sidle up to one who is being unfairly treated. Think Rocky Balboa (I mean, come on, those movis weren't THAT GOOD).
The trouble is, Ron Paul himself has been forced to play the game they have contrived for him, in the best manner possible and with the best manners possible (this makes for untenable situations, like the SC debates, where the very questioners seem to be siding with the stable of "as per usual" neo-conservatives against Dr. Paul).
If you play a fixed game according to fixed rules, you are gonna find yourself in a fix. No doubt about it.
"The Big Ironic Fatty" can be used as a springboard for some very creative thinking. Rather than take the cash collected from earnest Ron Paul supporters and hand it over to the media to get a few commercials out, why not be far more creative? Why not boycott all media and declare that you are doing so, because the media is trying to make the choices for the American people? Instead of standing on a corner holding a Ron Paul sign, why not stand on a corner and declare that even the media is afraid of the Constitution? Rather than just a Ron Paul for Presidency movement, why not expand the movement to include the media (who can easily be shown to be trying to steer the election with verifiable and well documented facts)?
Instead of traditional ads run on traditional televison, why not another blimp, this one proclaiming that the media is trying to be the next "Decider", and if you care about America, you will find out why they don't want Ron Paul's message out?
Why not a cross country parade?
Why not fifty parachuters with Ron Paul parachutes landing on the roof of Graceland? Why not, I say. Why the heck not?
Traditional politicking by one already scorned by the insiders, will produce traditional results.
The American people love a spectacle. They love an underdog. They love it when you can make them think and giggle at the same time.
It is high time all of those who want to reduce the monstrous malignancy of the Federal government and make it managable in size again, get outside the box and start acting like free radicals.
The movement doesn't need to raise funds in order to join the ranks of the established contenders. The movement needs to get outside of the box and stay there, spending the cash in never-before-used schemes to get the message out.
Unless, of course, you think the media deserves that money...
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2008 Scott from Oregon, all rights reserved.
Published: Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Last modified: Tuesday, January 22, 2008
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Unfortunately, it's probably impossible to succeed without TV exposure. I wonder how difficult it would be to only purchase time from local stations, and syndicated programs, bypassing the networks.
Posted By: Scott from Oregon
Date: 2008-01-21 23:40:23
Rick H- I say that that is not thinking outside the box. If you want to be kept in the box the media has made, then think that way. I say, it is time to get unconventional on their a*ses...
Well, I agree with your intention alot, but I'm not sure if it's being realistic. It sure would be nice to not pay the same media that ignores him. But the real deal is how many people you can reach, and that is the draw to TV.
The grassroots itself is priceless however. That is where people make the biggest difference. The money itself has just been used mostly by the grassroots as a way of getting attention, that is how the whole money bomb idea got started. After the 5 million quarter recieved all the attention, and the media was talking donation numbers all the time, it was just a way of making them report on him, or get seen as obviously bias.
And the best thing the grassroots can do outside of getting hsi name is educate people on the positions. And people are doing that.
But new ideas should always be welcome, maybe someone will come up with something great. It's just hard to compete with the amount of people reached against the TV.
I should have added that your "guerrilla advertising" ideas are not without merit, as well. Airplanes trailing banners, and even skywriting are very visible.
Posted By: Scott from Oregon
Date: 2008-01-21 23:52:24
The media will come, but it will be a different sort of media. Ron Paul is now a household name to all of those who are "likely causus goers". Those are the people who traditionally go to rallies and watch the big three News channels for political coverage. Ron Paul got most of those he was gonna get, the media has already convinced the rest that he is a fringe candidate worthy of derision and scorn. It is the non-involved ones, the ones who, once they get it, will really get it that need to be brought into the fold. You aren't going to do that with a media that asks the same tired old condescending questions, now are you?
Posted By: Jacques B. Poirier
Date: 2008-01-21 23:59:36
If Americans dont want or dont want to know Ron Paul, I know many many Canadians that would like to appropriate him. Here we have some fair non-commercial media outlets and, quite frankly, we never had a candidate in our election with half the human qualities of Dr Paul. Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind having 100,000 of your young "thinking' volunteers in the deal. We could use them too. Since I have several British, French, Italian and Swiss friends who feel the same way, I thought I should be first with a formal invitation.
I know our weather sucks, but then we copied parts of your constitution years ago. Why not go all the way?
Once your country is in the slippery hands of the Clintons, Americans would be so jealous they would build a golden bridge for Paul to jump back in in 2012.
Not trying to be mean or anything. But I do think that Ron Paul hasn't been able to project himself as the leader of the pack when we the grassroots gave him the 2 earlier money bombs. Those were the times when he was given extra exposure and should have made some tough talk and trashing other politicians. Only very recently has he called out a candidate by name. I think it should have been done LOT earlier. I do feel the media bias is killing his campaign...however I am staying hopeful. Cuz neither an American Indian Muslim wants a Clinton in the Hot seat! Go ROn Go!
I'm not going to second-guess his campaign style. He's won 10 terms as a congressman, and is obviously spending wisely to stay in the contest as long as possible. The longer he's in it, the more people can hear the truth.
Posted By: Donald Conner
Date: 2008-01-22 02:00:59
How about a water to water march for the constitution and it's solitary champion, RON PAUL? How bout an interstate 40 march from NYC to.SF, each city supplying volunteers for the walk and the campaign supplying accomodations for the same. Think Woodstock left a mark on history, what about this . I'm 60 I'm ready to march Rain, Snow, Up hill, cold or hot I'm ready to march, water to water for freedom. Any one want to join or support me ? or us? For freedom, for a Ron Paul Presidency?
www.therapeutic-messenger.blogspot.com E-mail. theramess@gmail.com. C'mon I dare ya. Lets do it. !!!!
There are so many alternative ways to get Ron Pauls name out there. I would advertise in classified ad sections in all papers nationwide. Three line add with a website address. I would buy 3-4 ads per paper and run it till super tuesday. Thousands read the classifieds every day.
If I was Ron I would have bought and gave magnet signs to all meetup groups to put on their members car doors.
I would have delivered Ron Paul lawn signs to all meetup groups so we could plug the cities with them instead of having to wait 2-3 weeks for them to arrive.
I would buy newspaper inserts in Sundays paper for Super tuesday. I live in Syracuse NY, it costs $325 per run... Cheap. I would also run it in the weekly papers as well since many older people read them.
There are many ways to get around the big media but the only way people are going to realize there is a black out on Ron is if Ron TELLS everyone there is. People want to know why the big media isn't telling them the truth but I don't hear Ron pitch his side of the story too often.
There is nothing wrong with crying foul especially when your message is of major concern for America. If I was Ron, I would run hog wild with the slogan "Why The Media Doesn't Want You To Know Who I Am".... You can have the best message in the world but if you aren't creative with your advertising, your sunk.
Good article/blog. With regards to your mentioning traditional methods of campaigning, I think it was Einstein who stated something regarding to the defintion if insanity; ie, doing the same thing over and over again and getting the same results.
Paid advertising in this day in age does not buy credibility. Everyone knows it is bought & paid for (and edited). Real displays of passionate backing that are not paid for build influence.
The 60's peace movement was huge & it was not scripted. People love when you are being real.
Clinton Obama Romney ads look like they are scripted & filled by central casting.
Posted By: William Breeck
Date: 2008-01-22 09:58:18
I like the I idea of I water to Water march I think it should be held sometime before Super Tuesday there is not much time left... this could be the big event that we need to get the medias attention although they might try to spinn it like this to the public "Thousands of Pual supporters march from the east coast to the west coast inraged that their candiate is not winning the primaries bring with them hatred for everything Americain." for some reason I can see the words literaly coming out of Bill O'rielies mouth... so when should we set the datefor the march I'm all for it. My name is William I'm 20 and live in Norfolk VA, I would even skip out on school to do this I'm mean whats more important than the future of our great nation I'm not gonna let the Federal Government flush my future down the toliet and I will fight tooth and nail to protect it even if it kills me. Va Vie La Revolution!
The sad reality of the time we live in, thanks to the evolution of "visual" media is the "celebrity" mentality it produces. If OJ Simpson were to run and said he is truely reformed, he would probably be right up there with the other comparables, Clinton and Obama.
I really like the idea of spending more of the money creatively and boycotting the MSM.
Print ad campaigning has worked. I believe it was Jefferson County in Iowa was won by Ron Paul and this was one of their tactics in getting out the Dr.'s Name.
In Austin, we've started a media campaign on our own - without waiting for the national campaign and I would suggest other meetups do the same. One thing this movement has shown me is the talent and creativity of the people involved. Think outside the box and all kinds of good things can happen.
Buy tons of flyers there cheap and hand them to every one you see,ask them to go online because the media does not want you to know his meesage.Give the ones about no taxes to waitreses,give them several to pass to there co workers,at walmart/grocery store put them in the shopping carts..leave one every where you go,give them 3 or ask them to hand some out..but yea the maul service is slow,so buy alot..
"Why not fifty parachuters with Ron Paul parachutes landing on the roof of Graceland? Why not, I say. Why the heck not?"
Uh, good idea. Though you are gonna have to find someone else to jump out of the airplane besides me. I support Ron Paul and all, but there is no way I'm jumping out of an airplane (not unless it's fixin to crash).
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2008 Scott from Oregon, all rights reserved.