Topic: Ron Paul
The Next Step What is the Next Step forward? Where do we go from here? A proposal for solidifying and expanding the current momentum for freedomby EJ Moosa
(Libertarian)
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Unless we are going to fool ourselves, the possibility of a brokered Republican convention is slim to none. What the powers that be would like to see is that we return to our holes, cease communicating with one another and return to our normal operating mode: complacency.
The Ron Paul Movement has proven one thing quite clearly: If the cause is the right one, the money and effort will soon follow. For our purposes for this election cycle it is probably too late. But, if we seize upon some of the items that were successes for Ron Paul, we can use them to build our successes for the future.
One item in particular I would like to discuss is the idea of the Meetup Group. This concept was used quite effectively for the Ron Paul Supporters. I attended my first meeting in December. Unfortunately, because of all the work that needed to be done prior to Super Tuesday, it was also the last Meetup I attended that focused purely on talking to other like minded individuals. Yet it was the conversations around that table that effectively galvanized my support for Ron Paul.
Ayn Rand wrote about The New Intellectuals. They were people that would think. They were people that did not accept what they are told because they were told to accept it. I believe that we, the many writers and readers of Nolanchart.com, as well as the individuals that made up the Ron Paul movement represent The New Intellectuals today. It is our responsibility to continue if we want to enjoy the success of what we have started.
I would like to propose that we adopt the Meetup strategy of getting together, in person, locally and when possible regionally and nationally. We must be able to put names and faces to the thinkers amongst us. We must be able to invite outsiders to sit with us, break bread with us, and challenge each of us to think a little bit harder and a little bit differently than we have in the past.
None of us have all the answers. But what we have together is brainpower, ideas, and support for one another. We have to move out from behind the keyboard, where it has been so easy for cynics and critics to label us inappropriately. Instead, we need to be seen on a regular basis in restaurants or other locations meeting and discussing important and critical ideas. We must show each other respect when doing so, and we must be sure not to make our disagreements personal attacks.
There was a time past where thinkers got together and just talked about the issues. That is what we need to do. We must challenge each other. We must work on our debate skills, and we must encourage our friends and neighbors to listen and think along with us.
We must also listen better than any others involved to be successful. If we listen, we will learn what we need to get the momentum needed for succecss in the future. If we listen, we will learn what it is our hesitant friends and neighbors are concerned about. If we listen, they will also bring new and good ideas to the table.
This thing called the Internet has given us an excellent tool to reach many people and share the best of ideas. It's not a surprise why so many countries aim to clamp down and stop their citizens from using it as we have this year.
Let's start some Meetup groups for the sole purpose of getting together and sharing ideas with like minded individuals. Let's get together once every month or two to discuss the topics of the day. Let's have a beer and share and realize that together we can reach millions of people in a positive way. We have a lot to offer intellectually and we need to make the most of our opportunity.
What are your thoughts? Would you get together with like minded individuals in your area a few times a year to dine and discuss the topics of importance? Would you be willing to coordinate such a group in your region of the country?
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2008 EJ Moosa, all rights reserved.
Published: Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Last modified: Tuesday, February 19, 2008
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Posted By: Jahfre Fire Eater
Date: 2008-02-19 23:24:34
Funny, in my experience the meetup groups were self-limiting mobs of very ineffective people. I avoided them like the plague but did end up participating in parades and training sessions and fund raisers with them over the last 10 months.
They wouldn't focus on the facts of how a party works. Most of them resented having to be a Republican to support Ron Paul in the caucus and will never attend regular GOP meetings.
The ones who did want to learn how to organize a precinct or canvass their neighborhood were overshadowed by the sign waving mobs who just wanted to shout on a street corner. I personally know a dozen or more GOP party members who expressed an interest in Dr. Paul early on but were turned off by his supporters behavior. We were able to turn many of them around by our completely different, consistent and constructive behavior. Knocking on doors and meeting your neighbors is the only way to win. Ron Paul supporters simply weren't willing to do this.
If the meetups were useful for anything it was by accident of who started the group. I knew meetup leaders who thought their group was their personal staff and demanded they attend sign wavings or he would bar them from the group. I know a leader who acted as a gatekeeper by refusing to forward information to his group unless he agreed with it and all he wanted to do was pass off liberty coins as legal tender and deface federal property. They demanded and got attention from the campaign but wouldn't take direction from experienced campaigners.
By following traditional political victory patterns, canvassing and participation in our local GOP, we won our precinct for Ron Paul with no help from any meetup. Neighboring counties where there was rabid meetup activity they couldn't get organized and didn't canvass. All their passion was wasted and Ron Paul did not benefit from any of it.
The meetup website is a great tool for managing a group but not for coordinating the efforts of a large number of groups. Every group must invent their own approach. That just isn't effective in the world of politics.
I'm sure some meetups did organize effectively to conduct constructive political activities. I just saw absolutely none of that in Colorado; not a single one. I saw a lot of dedicated, passionate people who were crushed, disillusioned or intimidated by the meetups they tried to join.
We're working to harness the momentum and passion demonstrated by the meetup groups by offering a way for leaders to self-select and lead by example.
No one needs a group to promote their values in their government. The real work is done by individuals doing the right things all by their lonesome.
This organization supports pretty much the entire Ron Paul platform - but they hope to do it through pressure on your elected representatives. They have lawyers developing simple bills that hope to acheive a more transparent, constitutionally limited government. There are easy links to contact your representatives, encouraging them to support these bills.
This is an organization that will persist beyond any one candidate with our support. The explanation for their methods isbetter than any I can provide:
My optimism is grounded in the recognition that political campaigns are not the best path to success. When you elect someone, you need a majority of voters (or, in some cases, the largest plurality). And electing one person won't do, you need a majority of both houses of Congress. And once you send these fine folks to Washington, with the trappings of power and the joys of saying yes to so many interest groups, you'll need to keep an eye on them.
If you believe that we need to elect people, elect a majority, and then watch them like a hawk to change the direction of our federal government, well, I can see why you might feel hopeless. DownsizeDC.org is about watching Congress. Even though Congress doesn't currently share our Downsize DC philosophy, we have already won several victories. As we continue to grow, there will be more victories.
But our vision is even larger than that! We call it Operation Everywhere. And Operation Everywhere will change the world. Operation Everywhere is easy to understand: everyone, everywhere, hearing and seeing our message, every day. And with the constant repetition of that message, we'll set brushfires in the minds of the people. Through our compelling marketing, we'll create a spark. Through our constant advertising, we'll ignite the flame. And we won't need a majority to prevail! We'll do it as a tireless minority, large enough to call the Downsize DC Army. And we won't need to wait for the caffeinated thrill of the next electoral horse race to make our move.
Always remember - "It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds." - Samuel Adams
We already have an irate, tireless minority - now lets set the brushfires.
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2008 EJ Moosa, all rights reserved.