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Virtual Isolation
02-06-2008, 01:19 AM
Sadly tonight we have discovered that the majority of the Republican Party has not woken up, and will take some time and opportunity to make it so. As much as there are 20 more states, the lack of media coverage has completely nullified our record fundraising days. Many people had put a lot of effort into this campaign with an expectation to win, and I salute all of you for putting a lot on the line to make this possible. The outcomes of the Iowa and New Hampshire voting caused many fractures to form and a lot of lofty expectations to deflate, and it has been hard pressed since that moment. Nevertheless, it is time to shift ourselves towards a brokered convention strategy, and the election of fellow Ron Paul Republicans.

I think that as a collective we have forgotten two under-the-surface details. One, going after the largest office in the land immediately is going to be a battle of epic proportion that is extremely hard when the media gatekeepers do not take you seriously. Two, why Dr. Paul decided to run in the first place: it isn’t about him, it’s about the message.

Dr. Paul has stated many times, that we have exceeded his loftiest outlook in being receptive for his message out here in the series of tubes known as the “internets”. People asked him to run because they felt that they would be able to make an impact on the political landscape for the first time in his career. For once he has been able to find a large group of new supporters who believe in his message and in the cause of liberty and freedom. He has done what he originally set out to do, and after pushing through the last states and making one final stand (I will speak to this later), if things go as they have been he will return to his Texas district and continue the fight alongside the rest of us.

I see a lot of people clamoring on here for an immediate independent campaign launch, but this is something that Paul has said he won’t do (language is open to interpretation, but my understanding from his repeated emphasis is no). More importantly, this is something that we must not do in order to expedite our arrival into the political mainstream. This may seem like a paradox to many of you, but is the correct course of action.

Ross Perot ran in 1992 for the sole purpose of causing Bush Sr. to lose the election. This act brought us the dawn of the Clinton era. If you happen to pay notice, the Republican Party to this day, like Oakland Raiders fans and the Immaculate Reception of the Pittsburgh Steelers, revile Perot and blame the ascendancy of Bill Clinton on his independent run. Currently, the Democrats are completely locked in their little show and would not cross over to us once Obama or Hillary change back to anti-war talking points. In this case, what will happen in 2008 if, like many here insist, Paul runs independent for the sole purpose of punishing the Republicans? These are the people that we need to wake up!

If we run independent and they lose the general election to Hillary they will not blame themselves, as they should. They will blame us, and we will gain nothing. Paul will become loathed throughout the Republican Party, like Perot, and history will repeat itself: one independent allowing Bill into the White House, and another allowing Hillary. Even though their fate has been sealed by the insanity of the neconservatives, this will be the overwhelming perception amongst all Republicans, and we will be set back precious time in the development of the Revolution. Perot was 15 years ago, and they still remember him vehemently today.

We must become the “we told you so” people. We cannot become the “you cost us the election” people.

Now, you may think I’m throwing in the towel at this point, but I assure you this election cycle is far from over even with the independent run thrown out the window. Dr. Paul has every intention to remain in the race, as long as we fund him, up until the Convention. Even if he will not win the presidency, we must continue to keep him moving forward with the movement. Whether the convention will be brokered or not, if he is in the race at that point and has any pledged delegates (which we do, thanks to Iowa), he will have every right to speak at the convention this fall in an excellent timeslot, where for possibly the first time in the entire election cycle the media and the party will not be able to push him aside or ignore his presence.

They will be forced to listen, and he will deliver “The Ron Paul Ultimatum”. With his newly-published Manifesto at his side, he will pummel them with truth: that they no longer are Conservative, that they have moved away from Goldwater, away from Reagan, and that they are destined to lose because they have turned their back on their principles of limited government and freedom. His followers will never support the party until it returns to its roots. Any of you remember the aftermath of the Buchanan speech at the convention in 1992? It will be ten times stronger of an upheaval. This will be a moment that will change the political landscape forever.

It is an outside possibility that out of this chaos he could emerge as the victor in a broken convention situation, but this is a hard sell to the majority of the GOP at this time. There is a second possibility that could allow us to receive a partial victory (not a VP slot), but I will elaborate on this at some later date.

Whoever is elected President will be pressed into trying to clean up the mess that currently exists thanks to the Bush Administration. I see a lot of people pressing on and on about doom and gloom, expecting this moment to be the end of freedom in America. However, with the chaos that is about to be set off economically, and the political chaos that has existed for over 5 years, these are forces that have grown so large the government has no ability to stop them. These looming crises will keep Congress and the new president in check for at least the next 4 years, if not longer. Remember, even though all of them essentially believe in the same things, they will continue to bicker and fight and oppose one another until the bitter end.

To play a devil’s advocate position, in this situation it might be best for our movement for Paul not to be elected. Rock bottom will not be hit until after the election, and the person in control is going to take an inordinate amount of blame. Even with a President Paul at the helm bringing the troops home to stop the massive amount of overseas spending, the damage has been done, and both parties would completely stonewall his reforms while simultaneously blaming him for the chaos.

In the meantime, Paul will return to his district and be reelected to the House. Along with him we will send a new group, albeit small, of like-minded individuals (including Murray Sabrin), to join him in the 2009 Congress while the Republican Party implodes on itself and fractures into splinters of what it once was. The neoconservatives will abandon ship and move back into the Democratic Party, leaving a vapid space for leadership that will beckon our arrival. You think the Republicans would actually elect McCain? They’re going to all go to Hillary or Obama.

As a grassroots we have not been collectively mature enough to have an enormous impact on this election cycle, outside of a spoiler role. Viewing the forums here at the “Paulhive”, especially in this dark time, is enough to prove this. The internet is a double edged sword of volatility, and as members of that internet we will collectively have that quality. We need to start small during this 2008 general election with our list of state and local candidates and move forward from there, to mature our movement and our individual involvement. Go forth and plant those seeds of liberty in people’s minds – do it through casual conversation, through events that you experience every day. Yelling at the top of your lungs with an exuberant “wake up and smell the socialism” will unfortunately turn many people off, even if it is the damned truth. Take it slowly, and we will be able to reach the masses.

We have come a long way in only 9 months. What once was a small group has grown to a force that spans at least ten percent of the Republican Party. Think of the supporters that we can gain by continuing our mission for another two years! These fights will not be done on the stage of the national mainstream media; these will be done locally, on the ground. Real personable people in their local districts will convert people face to face, where the mass media has no real influence, and where we perform at our best. Passions have been awoken in all of us, so much so that even I, an extremely soft spoken individual, would consider running for an office.

The stage will be set in the 2010 for our ascendancy. The Republican Party will be ours for the taking, and we will use their existing framework to move up quickly. We will put forth a slate of liberty candidates in every district and senate seat available in the country. We will campaign tirelessly for our cause throughout every corner of the entire country, and grow our movement ten fold. We will place an entire group of Ron Paul Republicans into Congress that will redefine American politics and begin to undo the damage that has been done since 1910.

When Ron Paul walks onto a House floor full of his new followers and colleagues, he will be given an ovation that will last for hours. He will recognize that he has accomplished what he set out to do so many years ago… and we will let him know that, in those historic halls, he will never be alone again.

This is only the beginning. We will not lose the war.