Topic: Ron Paul
Ron Paul's Convention Ron Paul's future clout will vary directly with the quality of the campaign's logistical performance at the Republican Conventionby Random Outlier
(Libertarian)
Friday, March 28, 2008
Let's do this right.
When next Tuesday rolls around, the Ron Paul movement wil have exactly five months, 153 days, to get its act together for the Republican extravaganza in St. Paul.
Dr. Paul goes to St. Paul (we hope) not without popular support despite being widely ignored by media kingmakers and the Republican national establishment.
Gauging that support is difficult to impossible. On Real Clear Politics he is credited with 6.5 per cent of "Republican voters" and fourteen pledged delegates. I simply accept that as a minimum. There are more.
How many is anyone's guess, but they make up a core heavy enough to build a visible presence for Dr. Paul and, more important, the ideas he represents.
My personal estimate is that with any reasonable equity in his treatment by the national media Paul would be the choice of somewhere around 20 per cent of America's voters and something well above that among Republicans who, for lack of a better term, call themselves conservatives.
With the economic peril becoming more evident, with all but universal suspicion that our blood investment in Iraq is going for very little if anything, the Paul message of constitutionality and government restraint should be gaining traction.
In fact, it probably is, and no one should suggest that we reduce by one whit our attacks on statist foolishness.
But let me also suggest creating a Paul presence at the GOP convention requires that an ambitious libertarian cadre begin thinking less about the sublime beauty of the freedom syllogisms and more about booze, food, and comfortable settees.
Too often lost is the reality that a political convention is a gathering of human beings. They differ from the next few thousand people you'll meet at random only in superficial ways -- a little wealthier, a little (though not much) better informed, a little more egotistical. And the majority of them will hold at least a trivial public or party office which they'll tell you about within seconds of being introduced.
They'll be in St. Paul to feed the ego, to store up tales of their personal triumphs for telling back home. "Martha, you just can't believe how bad they begged me to wear a styrofoam hat with ' Romney for Veep' on it."
And the delegates want this stroking in well-fed contentment with the option of a hooker of top-shelf liquor, all taken in surroundings bearing a passing resemblence to the reception parlor of an upscale Parisian brothel.
Never underestimate the power of superficiality.
Cynical? Of course it is, but those of you who have attended national conventions will recognize a ring of truth. People attend in order to be somebody, and for many it is their lifetime's crown jewel.
Accepting that, one of the primary tasks of the Paul forces becomes clear, and by Paul forces I guess I'm speaking of the campaign staff and whatever competent and disciplined volunteer doers can be rounded up. Check- list time:
--A private headquarters
--An adjacent press center
--A public hospitality suite
--A small fleet of minivans for shuttling delegates here and there
--A cadre of our best and brightest people on hand everywhere to do what good salespeople always do -- from answering the most serious question about the product to freshening the prospect's drink.
In other words, we hope that someone is paying professional attention to the nuts and bolts -- booking the space, arranging the catering, considering transportation, anticipating the needs of the reporter who may write something about us if it's convenient. (A little known facet of press agentry is that reporters are either too busy or lazy, and the successful press operation is the one that best capitalizes on this.)
It does without saying that that most of the logistics we need have to be approved by -- or at least coordinated with -- the Republican National Committee which has already booked most of the facilities in St. Paul. The RNC runs the convention, period, and by late summer John McCain will be running the RNC. If we have friends there, or if McCain's people feel secure enough to grant us fairness, no problem. If not, we face still another distracting skirmish.
It isn't glamorous, and it isn't as elevating as a long discussion of truth as Adam Smith saw it, but the dreary logistics are among the imperatives for gaining attention, affection, and potential respect.
Please pass the canapes.
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2008 Random Outlier, all rights reserved.
Published: Friday, March 28, 2008
Last modified: Friday, March 28, 2008
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Posted By: Jahfre Fire Eater
Date: 2008-03-28 08:58:40
Now that the Ron Paul poison fans have faded from the limelight, those active Republican Paul supporters who are participating in constructive ways inside the GOP are turning the momentum of Dr. Paul's message towards the future of the Party and so our country.
The GOP convention will be a true test of Dr. Paul's supporters ability to be effective in influencing the party. Whatever the results, we will learn, adapt and move forward.
The defense of liberty is a life-long endeavor, not a seasonal contest.
Wouldn't it be something if there were more Ron Paul supporters in the parking lots around the Xcel convention center than there were attendees? It seats 18,064 . All the media will be there.
Last time around I voted for Bush. I once remember voting for Ross Perrot, but each time I am let down. Bush turned out to be a Democrat wearing Republicans clothes. Now I am chasing after Ron Paul, and so are others, like the girl in the video clip.
This persons video details her voting day and how the system is trying to circumvent our vote. If they are allowed to get away with this stuff we will end up with a socialist in office. What can we do to prevent this sort of thing from happening? You don't suppose this is happening to just Ron Paul voters do you?? Check out the link... http://www.connietalk.com/ohio_primary_day_fiasco_031008.html
I thnk we should forget about the DC march, in June, & concentrate on having as many people in Minneapolis as we can possibly get ... we need to creat a total grid lock of the twin cities. I can promise we wud prolly have just as many canuuck's there as us. They luv RP & it's right there on the border with the largest cities in Canada. Shit! I'm gettin a woody !!!! I'm from the Vietnam era & I never thgt I would have the opportunity to do this again before I died... Yeah! Freedom to Fascism !!!! Let Freedom Ring !!!
I think we should go to all the Marches/Rallies that we can....continually show our numbers.......If someone can't make the TaxDay March or the Convention because of kids in school, they can still participate in the DC March since it is in the summer. And don't forget the Stimulus Package will aid in more being able to attend DC due to financial obligations...etc. This way we can reach as many people as possible and keep the excitement....what we need right now is to Wake the Revolutioners back up......Hearing Ron Paul Speak does that.....He's speaking in DC on April 15th and PA for the next month....Hopefully here in WV in May and other upcoming Primary states......
Mc Cain can't travel anymore...he has no money and in a heap of trouble......we need to get RP to get out and campaign. He still has a shot.....
Btw, I do love the idea of a convention March.....that would be awesome too.....and lots of time to plan for it.....but we can't forget the primaries between now and then....WV is a BIG state....20 delegates vote and it is a show all state...meaning these 20 delegates make the choice for WV.....and the TAXDAY March....Granny Warriors hasput ALOT into this event...the least we can do is turn out in numbers....plus I think RP needs to be reminded how many of us are with him....
Just some thoughts......Go Paul Go!! St. Louis.....Here We Come!!
Do you know for a fact that RP is gonna speak at the April 15th rally? The last I saw was that the GW's were "hoping" he would show but offering no guarantees. Personally, I can afford 1 trip only and I don't think marches on DC are very highly newsworthy anymore ... so very commonplace. My thinkin is that if we put 50,000 RP people in the streets of that lil podunk city of Minneapolis that it'll grip lock em. By that time McCain will be "God" and there ain't no way in hell he's letting RP on that stage or RP's supporters inside that venue, therefore I'm goin for MSP. Be sure to make a post about 4/15 & 6/21 to let us all know how it went.
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2008 Random Outlier, all rights reserved.