Meetup membership growth falling drastically?

[Jennifer Reynolds]

vvv

[LibertyEagle]

Yeah, I was afraid of that. We need to win one, or come close. Of course, having the media totally ignore our 9.1% hasn't helped any either.

[Johnnybags]

some kids are headed back to school and its a last vacation time, it will heat back up after Labor Day.

[Original_Intent]

A slow week does not make a trend.

[shrugged0106]

A slow week does not make a trend.

ahh, spoken like a true statistician!! (I'm a six sigma geek) lol:)

[DjLoTi]

No real good debates recently either

[Zydeco]

"Meetup groups membership falling drastically"

False statement. The rate of growth has slowed in the past week, but it's still way higher than any other candidate of either party.

Please strive to make accurate statements, Jennifer, especially in thread titles.

[max]

i still havent figured out why so many mettup members have yet to be heard from....we have a core of 12-15 doing stuff....the other 50 have yet to be heard from, despite the success of our group and the daily e-mails.

Some people think that the mere act of joining has actually done something to help.

[Jennifer Reynolds]

///

[Jennifer Reynolds]

///

[Highmesa]

"Meetup groups membership falling drastically"

False statement. The rate of growth has slowed in the past week, but it's still way higher than any other candidate of either party.

You'll never get a job in the federal Office of Management and Budget with that kind of thinking. In their perverted world, a slowing in the rate of increase is a decrease.

Jennifer. You can't say that the numbers are increasing by 100 a week and call that a drastic decrease. they are still increasing, just not as fast. You could say that the rate of growth has slowed drastically, but I think that's still overstating it.

[LarryWhite]

I'm having the same problem, I think part of it is people use their 'spam' email when signing up, the email you use when filling out forms and requesting access. Those email accounts don't get checked very often, and are filled with junk.

I haven't had any screamers or truthers yet, even the ones that are into that do it quietly with discretion. Just having a tough time getting people to say their interested in doing something. Finally just decided to do whatI want to do and if they want to show up, fine, if not, don't care anymore. I didn't start a group for social reasons anyway.

[max]

Jen,

You sure put out a lot of negative stuff, some of it hard to believe:

1. You said that an RP staffer told you to go support Hilary because you were pro-abortion? Thats a bit much to believe.

2. You claim that the Meetups you went to were run by vandals and people encouraging others to go to jail for Ron Paul. Come on!

3. You point out that Meetup membership is "falling DRASTICALLY" while it's still growing. (Of course the growth rate will fluctuate based on RP media appearences and debates! Why would you even make such a post? Besides, we never grew at a 1000 a day rate!

4. You claimed you had donors who wanted to contribute but the campaign didn't "return your E-mails". Ever think of telling folks to go to ronpaul2008.com.

To read your posts, one would think that the RP movement is full of intolerant vandals who are "turning people off." I do agree that HQ needs to step it up a notch, and I'm not averse to criticizing them...but the stuff you put out really makes me wonder.

If I'm wrong, I apologize. But I know for a fact that people have infiltrated our movement, so pardon my suspicion if I am incorrect here.

[CodeMonkey]

Up until the Iowa poll we were getting nearly 1000 new Meetup members a day. Now, it has trickled to a hundred or so.

I have been tracking the Ron Paul meetup numbers for the past month and I have completely different data...

From what I've seen, the membership has been increasing by anywhere between 250 and 450 per day. Last week it jumped 600 in one day, then slowed each day thereafter to a minimum of about 50 in one day. That scared me, but the past couple of days it has been back in the high 300s.

What methods you are using?

[Wyurm]

Well, it went from over a 1000 a day for nearly a month to less than 100 per day since Iowa. YOU DEFINE DRASTICALLY.

Perhaps if people see a need to DO SOMETHING they will get off their butts. Unless you only want good news posted on your site.

Go tup a sheep.

when I saw your thread title, I instantly thought you ment Ron Paul was loosing meetup members at a high rate of speed. I'm sure that's what new people to the campaign would think as well when they come here for info.

That said, meetup membership will go in spurts, for example, most of the people that aren't in my area but were members have quit my meetup, however, my membership has stayed the same because in the last week I've had quite a few who are actually from my area sign up. So, my meetup is growing quite rapidly and we aren't wierd or nutty. I assure you Jennifer, the sky is not falling.

[Dustancostine]

Just goggle her name and you will see that she is the one writing all of the positive articles over at gambling911.com.

Also she has done a lot to help get the campuses organized.

If she is complaining about something, I'm sure there is truth to it.

I'm not as worried about meetup growth though, we have to get the word out and the meetups can take care of themselves.

[LibertyEagle]

Jen,

You sure put out a lot of negative stuff, some of it hard to believe:

1. You said that an RP staffer told you to go support Hilary because you were pro-abortion? Thats a bit much to believe.

2. You claim that the Meetups you went to were run by vandals and people encouraging others to go to jail for Ron Paul. Come on!

3. You point out that Meetup membership is "falling DRASTICALLY" while it's still growing. (Of course the growth rate will fluctuate based on RP media appearences and debates! Why would you even make such a post? Besides, we never grew at a 1000 a day rate!

4. You claimed you had donors who wanted to contribute but the campaign didn't "return your E-mails". Ever think of telling folks to go to ronpaul2008.com.

To read your posts, one would think that the RP movement is full of intolerant vandals who are "turning people off." I do agree that HQ needs to step it up a notch, and I'm not averse to criticizing them...but the stuff you put out really makes me wonder.

If I'm wrong, I apologize. But I know for a fact that people have infiltrated our movement, so pardon my suspicion if I am incorrect here.

You are incorrect. You can start apologizing to her now, Max.

By the way, Max, Jennifer isn't the first one, by far, who has said something about their Meetup group being used to promote side agendas, rather than getting Dr. Paul elected.

[Wyurm]

Jen,

You sure put out a lot of negative stuff, some of it hard to believe:

1. You said that an RP staffer told you to go support Hilary because you were pro-abortion? Thats a bit much to believe.

2. You claim that the Meetups you went to were run by vandals and people encouraging others to go to jail for Ron Paul. Come on!

3. You point out that Meetup membership is "falling DRASTICALLY" while it's still growing. (Of course the growth rate will fluctuate based on RP media appearences and debates! Why would you even make such a post? Besides, we never grew at a 1000 a day rate!

4. You claimed you had donors who wanted to contribute but the campaign didn't "return your E-mails". Ever think of telling folks to go to ronpaul2008.com.

To read your posts, one would think that the RP movement is full of intolerant vandals who are "turning people off." I do agree that HQ needs to step it up a notch, and I'm not averse to criticizing them...but the stuff you put out really makes me wonder.

If I'm wrong, I apologize. But I know for a fact that people have infiltrated our movement, so pardon my suspicion if I am incorrect here.



Sometimes it can be difficult to tell the difference between pure unhelpful negativity and truly concerned passion. I believe Jennifer's comments have been made out of concerned passion, and yes some meetups do have conflict-oriented members.

In this case I belive it's just a part of the ebb and flow of meetups, I would be worrying if the numbers were to go down, but change in growth happens constantly and is fine, as long as its growth.

[Jennifer Reynolds]

///

[jjschless]

Jen,

You sure put out a lot of negative stuff, some of it hard to believe:


Pot, let me introduce you to kettle.

[Jennifer Reynolds]

///

[LibertyEagle]

Thanks Dustan. No one else seems to care. I appreciate your nod. Here is another one from today.

http://www.gambling911.com/Ron-Paul-Online-Gambling-081507.html

I wasn't complaining so much as trying to rally the troops and get people to do a little more.

But then, just like a lot of people here, people would rather bitch than work together and drive people out of the campaign. I have over 40,000 hits minimum for my articles. And that is not counting all the people who ask if they can hand out hundreds of them at fairs and blow them up for all to read. But it seems that I am not wanted around here.

Jennifer, that's not the case at all. Don't let 'ol Max drive you away.

[LibertyEagle]

Thanks Liberty.

Every word I said was true. I said it because it needs to be said. If you don't care what is happening and you want to bury your head in the sand, be my guest! But I was trying to get a man elected. It seems you have your own bloody agenda.

Huh? :confused:

[shrugged0106]

Ok folks!! emotions high!! must pull back!!

LOL...Lets laugh at Mitt and his snowman or at freepers or something instaed. K?

[Wyurm]

Thanks Dustan. No one else seems to care. I appreciate your nod. Here is another one from today.

http://www.gambling911.com/Ron-Paul-Online-Gambling-081507.html

I wasn't complaining so much as trying to rally the troops and get people to do a little more.

But then, just like a lot of people here, people would rather bitch than work together and drive people out of the campaign. I have over 40,000 hits minimum for my articles. And that is not counting all the people who ask if they can hand out hundreds of them at fairs and blow them up for all to read. But it seems that I am not wanted around here.

We know you're just trying to help. but meet-up growth is not a very controllable thing. To worry and get upset over an uncontrollable thing is counter-productive. Now what is controllable and does need attention is people who sign up to meetups and either don't show or harm the meetup by offending everyone thus pushing people away rather than bringing people into the campaign.

And don't go just becuase some people got upset with you, most of us do greatly appreciate what you've been doing for the campaign.

[CodeMonkey]

Jennifer, I'm not accusing you of anything and I believe you're on the right side, but I am seriously curious about how you are getting your numbers. I haven't seen anything near 1000 per day since I started tracking a month ago, and since the debate I have only noticed a small dip for a couple of days which has already ended.

[Jennifer Reynolds]

[QUOTE=max;127490]Jen,
///

[Jennifer Reynolds]

///

[LibertyEagle]

I'm more concerned about the campaign donations than I am a sinking point in the growth in Meetup group memberships. It certainly is worth watching however.

[M.Bellmore]

Thanks Dustan. No one else seems to care. I appreciate your nod. Here is another one from today.

http://www.gambling911.com/Ron-Paul-Online-Gambling-081507.html

I wasn't complaining so much as trying to rally the troops and get people to do a little more.

But then, just like a lot of people here, people would rather bitch than work together and drive people out of the campaign. I have over 40,000 hits minimum for my articles. And that is not counting all the people who ask if they can hand out hundreds of them at fairs and blow them up for all to read. But it seems that I am not wanted around here.

Noooooooooooo! Don't leave!

At least to me as a new member, you seem to be one of the few giving constructive ideas vs. talking about conspiracy theories and other non-useful things. As stated by Ron Paul, the 18-24 year old crowd is very important to getting him elected and one way to do that is get college students to vote for him as you are trying to do.

Instead of nit-picking terminology, maybe others should think of how to get the word out.

BTW, at some point there are only so many web savvy people that will sign up to meetups and forums. I'd be interested in any statistics available that describe republicans that are web-savvy vs. not, #votes per district in primaries, etc.

= Mark

[Dustancostine]

Do what you gotta do Jennifer, say what you have to say, and damn the haters. I learned in Ames this past weekend to do what you have to to get the word out. No everyone is going to love it but oh well. That is what this whole campaign has been based on anyways: Do what we have to in the face of huge odds. If we try to play nice we will finish last in this system that is setup against us to begin with.

Shrug'em off, I'm sure even Thomas Paine had his critics.

--Dustan

[LibertyEagle]

For god sake's people. All I said was the Meetup membership was down since the straw poll. You all made this into a federal case. Go look in the god damn mirror and GET OFF MY BACK BEFORE I GET THE HELL OUT OF THIS CAMPAIGN FOR GOOD.

Jennifer, take a break. It's only Max who jumped on you. Some of the others just want to see if the trend you noticed, continues. No big deal. C'mon, go take a breather. A lot of us know you are one of the hardest working folks on here. :)

[DjLoTi]

Jen, I'd just like to say you're the bomb dig.

[Spirit of '76]

i still havent figured out why so many mettup members have yet to be heard from....


I went to another where a guy was pushing law breaking and yelling at us all...

Oh, so you two have actually met?

:D

[LibertyEagle]

You know what guys. It is true that when we see something we don't agree with, we sure tend to PILE ON. I've been on the receiving end of that before and I'll tell you... it's not fun. C'mon, let's take it easier on each other.

[FreedomLover]

max, my opinion of you so far is that you are very immature.

If you are that quick to throw out accusations, especially against a person like jennifer who has done a lot for the campaign so far, then it's really no wonder you call yourself a 'truther.'

[foofighter20x]

fixed the title...

happy, you guys? :)

[Dave Wood]

For god sake's people. All I said was the Meetup membership was down since the straw poll. You all made this into a federal case. Go look in the god damn mirror and GET OFF MY BACK BEFORE I GET THE HELL OUT OF THIS CAMPAIGN FOR GOOD.


Pleeez dont leave....we didnt mean it, we luv ya! We as a group are rushing things. It takes time for these things to take hold in the political world.

August is vacation month-face it!!
Have you ever heard of a disease called Ron Paul burnout? It can happen
Lets all just relax a little, all except the media, is going in our favor.
Just keep getting the word out..........if you build it they will come

Lets relax, deep breathes!:eek:

[angelatc]

i still havent figured out why so many mettup members have yet to be heard from....we have a core of 12-15 doing stuff....the other 50 have yet to be heard from, despite the success of our group and the daily e-mails.

Some people think that the mere act of joining has actually done something to help.

I think you really need to have a member or two be proactive in getting them involved.

The non-profit I work with has a "new member" mentor program. People who volunteer are called, introduced to the system, and phased into responsibilities.

When the people join, they're given a sheet outlining responsibilities and asking which efforts they want to work on. Then when an event is scheduled, the new people are called and reminded they volunteered for that, and asked to pitch in. It's pretty friendly - "I saw that you said you'd be interested in making signs, and I thought you might like to come over next Saturday and help us get the next batch out."

It seems that after they come to an event or work on a project, they're likely to join the next project by themselves.

[Jennifer Reynolds]

///

[Wyurm]

Oh, so you two have actually met?

:D

I think Jennifer has made her point on that issue without even realizing it.

I've mentioned it before but this is a swiftly growing forum and filled with people of all types. There are people from all sorts of backgrounds as well as people who tend to be discouraging. I made the mistake of letting the judgemental negativity get to me once, even left for a week, then I realize I was making a mistake by letting others affect me when I'm not trying to get them elected I'm trying to get Ron Paul elected. If someone brings me down continuously, I do add them to the ignore list since my goal here is to be encouraged in what I'm doing and to support projects as well as find help and support for projects. Djloti, Jennifer, Dave, Spirit of '76, Bradley in DC (of course), and I would be a fool not to mention Josh Lowry, have all been a motivating force.

Also, Jennifer, my criticism of your thread title was not ment to bring you down. I do think it comes off as misleading and misrepresents what you are trying to get across. As for anyone that says you aren't one of us, well we know they're wrong, and perhaps you might want to look at their history.

[tmg19103]

Jennifer - I got your back. I understand your frustration in something you believe so strongly in. Don't let Max bother you. I think just about everybody else supports your efforts, and I don't have a problem with you starting this thread at all.

As for the MeetUps dropping a little, I think it probably mostly goes to vacations, college kids wrapping up their summer/going back to school and perhaps SOME Ames hangover, but I think the MeetUps will rebound.

I'm pro-choice but diehard RP. I found the first part of his Ames speech hard to stomach, but I understood that he was speaking to Iowans and trying to get as many votes for the straw poll.

I also have read on some progressive/Democrat blogs how that speech turned them off to RP when they might have voted for him. Who knows, that may have afftected MeetUps, but I only see it as temporary.

RP has to win the Republican nomination first, and fortunately or unfortunately that requires being pro-life. When RP is stumping in New Hampshire and Nevada, I expect him to hardly talk up abortion and hit on other issues. As we get into the fall I expect less on the abortion thing (as Iowa is very Christian and evangelical) and more of his core message - and increased MeetUp sign-ups.

Also, I do think you reach a point of critical mass with the MeetUps, but I hope not.

[Nash]

I think it's important for the meetup groups to stay on message completely. The message are the tenets that Ron Paul is promoting in his campaign and the ways to better get that message out.

It doesn't matter if Ron Paul believes something or not, if he's not running on that platform in his campaign they shouldn't be part of the official discussion.

Topics the Meetup Groups Should talk about are the things stripped right off his website:

- Debt and Taxes (Abolish IRS, Fed, 9 Trillion in Debt, Sound Money)
- American Independence and Sovereignty (CAFTA, NAFTA, UN)
- War and Foreign Policy (Bring home troops)
- Life and Liberty (End Roe V Wade, State Rights)
- Border Security, Immigration Reform (Anti Amnesty and Welfare)
- Privacy and Personal Liberty (End Patriot Act)
- Property Rights
- Health Freedom (FDA)

Things the meetup groups should NOT talk about in an official capacity:

- 9/11 Truth
- Diebold Voting Machines / Vote in Sunshine
- Global Warming
- Libertarian / Constitution Parties
- Decriminalizing Drugs
- Ending Social Security and Medicare
- Media Bias
- Affirmative Action
- The 2nd Amendment

I'm sure there are plenty of other topics that are / can be brought up and then should be quickly dismissed as "offline discussion" or "after the meetup". All these topics are valid topics, but they are not valid topics when you're talking about the official campaign and spreading the message of the official campaign.

If someone walks into a Ron Paul meetup because they like his stance on the war and checked out his website, and then in the middle of the meetup someone starts talking about violent revolt, 9/11 truth, legalizing pot and/or doing away with social security they may just walk right out of the meeting and never come back.

Obviously talking about said topics is only a fraction of what the meetup is about, it's spreading the message that is most important.

[tmg19103]

Nash,

Not sure I get you on things MeetUps should NOT talk about. I do hope MeetUps will be wise enough to tailor their message to their specific community while sticking to RP's platform.

For instance, you say not to talk about he 2nd Amendment. Well, support of the 2A IS a core piece of RP's platform. However, I would not make it an issue in a MeetUp in generally anti-gun Center City Philadelphia. BUT, bringing up RP's support of the 2A in rural central PA by a MeetUp will surely help RP.

It should be up to the individual groups to decided what message (that is backed by RP's platform) to emphasize and not to emphasize (in and out of the meetings). If a MeetUp hits up Ozzfest, talking about ending the war on drugs may well be helpful.

TMG

[specsaregood]

Thanks all. I appreciate the support.


It just really hurt that this guy is calling me a double agent when I am spending the last days of my life working for Ron Paul and liberty. Sorry, the migraines I get from the two brain aneurysms I have are getting to me today.

I am going to go to sleep now.

There is a reason "max" is one of the people on my IGNORE list. You are not...

[BarryDonegan]

if you want to help, please retitle this "We need a higher rate of increase on meetup.com to meet our goals!"

when you make this across the board alarmist, negative statements on here, it takes the wind out of people's sails, and makes people who come to the forum feel something untrue about this.

less words criticizing this grassroots campaign and the efforts of dr paul and more words to people who don't know dr paul are needed.

please edit and retitle this to something that isn't harmful and inflammatory or you will cause an even greater rate of decrease.

what that is called, in economic terms, is speculation.

[Nash]

Nash,

Not sure I get you on things MeetUps should NOT talk about. I do hope MeetUps will be wise enough to tailor their message to their specific community while sticking to RP's platform.

For instance, you say not to talk about he 2nd Amendment. Well, support of the 2A IS a core piece of RP's platform. However, I would not make it an issue in a MeetUp in generally anti-gun Center City Philadelphia. BUT, bringing up RP's support of the 2A in rural central PA by a MeetUp will surely help RP.

It should be up to the individual groups to decided what message (that is backed by RP's platform) to emphasize and not to emphasize (in and out of the meetings). If a MeetUp hits up Ozzfest, talking about ending the war on drugs may well be helpful.

TMG

As far as I can tell he isn't talking about it that much in the debates nor does he highlight it as an issue he is running on on his website. Yes I realize he's mentioned it in some stump speeches but I think that's different. In short he doesn't highlight his views on gun control to joe sixpack and because of that I don't think we should either at the meetup groups. Note that doesn't mean we shouldn't go to a gun show and hand out Ron Paul literature highlighting his voting record because obviously that's an audience that is going to respond positively to that message. This also doesn't mean that if someone has a question you don't answer it honsetly, it just means it shouldn't be a major focus of the meetup in any official capacity.

The meetup group is a point of entry for the Ron Paul activist in the off-line world. Granted, many people may already know about his positions on gun control or social security, but to the person who wants to get involved and only saw what he was talking about in the debates (abolish IRS and end the war) it's probably not a good idea to direct the whole group to talk about dismantling social security or repealing assault weapon bans. This is stuff you and I and even Ron Paul believes, but it isn't stuff that he is promoting to the typical voter about why they should elect him.

Anyway it's a judgement call but it's better to err on the side of caution and consistency. If you start talking about how great getting rid of the postal service is then you open a pandora's box of a host of other topics that may be completely overboard or even inaccurate (9/11 truth for example) and can risk alienating people from the meetup.

Just stay on Ron Paul's campaign for president message is my point. Great grassroots organizations have fallen apart from the inside out because people started promoting personal pet agendas in an official capacity within the organization. People can lose sight of the message that way and I just think it's important to stay on the message of the offical campaign.

[paulitics]

Well this thread is for discussion on why the drop in meetup group.
Here is the answer
expectation - reality = disappointment.

lesson: keep expectations realistic, set realistic goals and surpass them. We should be gaining on momentum right now, not the opposite. Our expectations should have been 5%, not 25%. To know where your going you have to know where you are coming from. Thats just my opinion, so...I think we all need to keep things in perspective. When we don't there is alot of negativity, which is contagious, which can spread throughout the meetup groups, etc.

[specsaregood]

On a sidenote:

When you are out advocating Ron Paul and talking to people; make sure to INVITE people to join your meetup groups. Even people sitting on the fence. The feeling at the meetup groups can be infectious. Anybody with the slightest bit of interest I make sure to invite and tell them to go to ronpaul.meetup.com and find other people in their area. Also, our business cards have the meetup.com website on them.

[Darren McFillintheBlank]

..

[PatriotOne]

Hey Jennifer. Oddly, I never put 2 and 2 together and figured out you were the Gambling911 writer. I just want to say your articles are genuinely my favorites. I love your style. I get excited when I get an email notifying me of a new Gambling911 article!

With that said, I've been tracking RP's Meetup group members since the end of June. Just doing some crude math in my head, it looks like the past 2 weeks have netted 3000 new members per week, which about average since I started tracking (more than some weeks, less than others). I don't see anything to be alarmed about anyways.


6/29 19,835
7/6 21,825
7/14 25,397
7/22 29,005
7/31 32,403
8/15 38,353


Seems like almost everyone on the boards are on edge these days and testy. I've been taking a break from the boards because I was wanting to go through the screen and strangle several people here...I'm sure the feeling was mutual...LOL. My break from the boards have done wonders for my attitude and I am even planning on letting those people who pissed me off live now.

The Iowa Straw Poll was draining and I wasn't even there!

Maybe you need a couple days off? Refresh, step back, put things back in perspective, mental health break? Long hot bath with bubbles and candles and a good book. You deserve it girl.

Don't burn yourself out, we need you for the long haul!

[BIG_J]

Jen,

Thank you!

Jeremy

[jonahtrainer]

Hey Jennifer. Oddly, I never put 2 and 2 together and figured out you were the Gambling911 writer. I just want to say your articles are genuinely my favorites. I love your style. I get excited when I get an email notifying me of a new Gambling911 article!

With that said, I've been tracking RP's Meetup group members since the end of June. Just doing some crude math in my head, it looks like the past 2 weeks have netted 3000 new members per week, which about average since I started tracking (more than some weeks, less than others). I don't see anything to be alarmed about anyways.


6/29 19,835
7/6 21,825
7/14 25,397
7/22 29,005
7/31 32,403
8/15 38,353


Seems like almost everyone on the boards are on edge these days and testy. I've been taking a break from the boards because I was wanting to go through the screen and strangle several people here...I'm sure the feeling was mutual...LOL. My break from the boards have done wonders for my attitude and I am even planning on letting those people who pissed me off live now.

The Iowa Straw Poll was draining and I wasn't even there!

Maybe you need a couple days off? Refresh, step back, put things back in perspective, mental health break? Long hot bath with bubbles and candles and a good book. You deserve it girl.

Don't burn yourself out, we need you for the long haul!

Hey PatriotOne,

How do you get the current Meetup numbers? I have tried here (http://www.meetup.com/topics/polact/cand/pres/)but it shows only 29,431. That would be three weeks old according to your numbers. Could it be the Meetup server? Barack only has 4,035.

Since you keep track of the numbers perhaps you could create a webpage with a graph? I know I shouldn't be nominating people to do stuff.... but it would be handy ;)

FYI, all the meetup groups I have attended throughout the country have been focused solely on Ron Paul and seem to be growing at a decent rate.

[Hurricane Bruiser]

The meetup group in Marietta OH has not done anything collectively but quite a number of our members have been passing out bumper stickers, flyers, and other materials out. I hope to see our group do some larger events and I am working on signs..... I just talked to about 30 pastors and teachers in WV about Ron Paul and they were quite receptive.

[robatsu]

Jennifer,

My last bout with activism was establishing/invigorating the civic association of 500 home gentrifying neighborhood in which I live. We had a million battles to fight, since the county gov was used to ignoring the area, and the media had written it off as a tattered area, the cops had a business as usual, etc. I was president of this civic assocation for a couple of years, got the orgs going in neighboring areas as well, etc, probably could be prez for life, but was time to move on. We got tons of stuff done, millions of dollars out of gov coffers for local projects, local media, we learned to manipulate, etc, etc.

There are two things I learned in this exercise in (wildly successful) grassroots activism, and as much as I didn't like them, I went along with them rather than fight the tide, which is a big reason that that effort was so successful (yes, I'm breaking my arm patting myself on the back...).

1) In voluntary activism, people are going to give just about as much as they are willing to, and no amount of exhortation will change that, at least in the short term. Being successful does tend to draw more volunteers, but that is a long term strategy. In the short term, one just has to work with the often meagre man-hours that are available, and spending much effort in the hope that one can get much more out of the readily available herd than is freely offered up is just about wasted time. So my approach was what was the best leverage of a fixed amount of volunteer capital - e.g, some people would say, hey, lets have a neighborhood cleanup day, trash bags, etc, and maybe 8 people would show up, dirty, sweaty work all day, and then that was their contribution for the year. My approach would be, hey, get those 8 people on the phone to the county, write a couple of shaming emails to the local paper from the air conditioned comfort of their homes, the county sends out a crew, gets as much done as 50 volunteers, and those 8 people still have some juice left for something else to do later that year.

2) Every activist organization has a significant fraction of hangers on whose ultimate output is carping, complaining, second-guessing, grand strategizing, squashing opposing views, but won't do anything productive. In these people's defense, they aren't trying to be worse than useless, they do sincerely believe that their priceless opinions are keeping the lummoxes from going off track, but they are worse than useless. If you refer back to 1), there is a relatively fixed amount of energy people will put into a cause, and the effort that they spend in unproductive arguments with difficult people comes of the bottom line for resources available for moving an effort forward. In the volunteer realm, there isn't much discipline, so you can't really tell anyone to shut up, all you can do is route around them and try to keep them from infecting/draining energy/effort hours from other unsuspecting volunteers.

My 2 cents. Keep up the good work.

[PatriotOne]

Hey PatriotOne,

How do you get the current Meetup numbers? I have tried here (http://www.meetup.com/topics/polact/cand/pres/)but it shows only 29,431. That would be three weeks old according to your numbers. Could it be the Meetup server? Barack only has 4,035.

Since you keep track of the numbers perhaps you could create a webpage with a graph? I know I shouldn't be nominating people to do stuff.... but it would be handy ;)

FYI, all the meetup groups I have attended throughout the country have been focused solely on Ron Paul and seem to be growing at a decent rate.

I use this page jonah.

http://ronpaul.meetup.com/about/

Not sure why there is a difference in total members. Also, I include the members waiting for a group in my totals. I figure they are boots on the ground while waiting :)

I'll take your suggestion under advisement about a webpage with stats. In the meantime, here's a graph just for you :cool:

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e198/Yekt40/Meetup815.jpg

[tmg19103]

As far as I can tell he isn't talking about it that much in the debates nor does he highlight it as an issue he is running on on his website. Yes I realize he's mentioned it in some stump speeches but I think that's different. In short he doesn't highlight his views on gun control to joe sixpack and because of that I don't think we should either at the meetup groups. Note that doesn't mean we shouldn't go to a gun show and hand out Ron Paul literature highlighting his voting record because obviously that's an audience that is going to respond positively to that message. This also doesn't mean that if someone has a question you don't answer it honsetly, it just means it shouldn't be a major focus of the meetup in any official capacity.

The meetup group is a point of entry for the Ron Paul activist in the off-line world. Granted, many people may already know about his positions on gun control or social security, but to the person who wants to get involved and only saw what he was talking about in the debates (abolish IRS and end the war) it's probably not a good idea to direct the whole group to talk about dismantling social security or repealing assault weapon bans. This is stuff you and I and even Ron Paul believes, but it isn't stuff that he is promoting to the typical voter about why they should elect him.

Anyway it's a judgement call but it's better to err on the side of caution and consistency. If you start talking about how great getting rid of the postal service is then you open a pandora's box of a host of other topics that may be completely overboard or even inaccurate (9/11 truth for example) and can risk alienating people from the meetup.

Just stay on Ron Paul's campaign for president message is my point. Great grassroots organizations have fallen apart from the inside out because people started promoting personal pet agendas in an official capacity within the organization. People can lose sight of the message that way and I just think it's important to stay on the message of the offical campaign.

Disagree. I agree the truther stuff is not part of his platform, but your argument that if it is not on his website that it should not be spoken about does not hold water. If it's a selling point that will bring on supporters and voters in a certain area - go for it. If college kids don't want to pay into social security because they will never see it, sell it on campus. If I am in Lancaster County, PA - I'm talking his pro-gun stance. I don't quite see where you get the authority to narrow down the field and close down the big tent along these lines. Stick to the campaign website if you want. I'll stick with his platform and what sells depending on the demographics.

[Spirit of '76]

The meetup group in Marietta OH has not done anything collectively but quite a number of our members have been passing out bumper stickers, flyers, and other materials out. I hope to see our group do some larger events and I am working on signs..... I just talked to about 30 pastors and teachers in WV about Ron Paul and they were quite receptive.


Hey, thanks, man. Keep up the good work!

I stumbled across a "Wood County GOP Perspective" blog. I don't know if you know any of these cats, but there's a mysteriously short but sweet Ron Paul post on there:

http://woodcountygopperspective.blogspot.com/2007/07/ron-paul-on-rader.html

I took the opportunity to leave a couple of comments, which they let through moderation. If any of you locals want to make contact with these guys, they might be receptive.

[jj111]

Well, it went from over a 1000 a day for nearly a month to less than 100 per day since Iowa. YOU DEFINE DRASTICALLY.


Not according to my statistics. Gain of 1100+ between 8/11 and 8/15, 4 day duration. More than 250 per day gain average.

Current 10 day running average gain as of today 7pm PT 347 new members per day.

10 day running average gain in membership peaked at its highest 7/18/07 at 444 new members per day.

The growth rate has decellerated a bit since last month, but the membership is still growing at a reasonably fast rate.

Comparable size of Ron Paul Meetup Group membership versus competitors:
7.3 times bigger than Obama
15 times bigger than Edwards
21 times bigger than Kucinich
35 times bigger than Hillary.

Comparable growth rate of membership size of Ron Paul Meetup Group versus competitors (over period 6/17 through 8/15):
51 times faster than Edwards
108 times faster than Hillary
320 times faster than Kucinich
352 times faster than Obama

[klamath]

Hang in there Jen. I know exactly how you are feeling.

[jj111]

I think it's important for the meetup groups to stay on message completely. The message are the tenets that Ron Paul is promoting in his campaign and the ways to better get that message out.

It doesn't matter if Ron Paul believes something or not, if he's not running on that platform in his campaign they shouldn't be part of the official discussion.

Topics the Meetup Groups Should talk about are the things stripped right off his website:

- Debt and Taxes (Abolish IRS, Fed, 9 Trillion in Debt, Sound Money)
- American Independence and Sovereignty (CAFTA, NAFTA, UN)
- War and Foreign Policy (Bring home troops)
- Life and Liberty (End Roe V Wade, State Rights)
- Border Security, Immigration Reform (Anti Amnesty and Welfare)
- Privacy and Personal Liberty (End Patriot Act)
- Property Rights
- Health Freedom (FDA)

Things the meetup groups should NOT talk about in an official capacity:

- 9/11 Truth
- Diebold Voting Machines / Vote in Sunshine
- Global Warming
- Libertarian / Constitution Parties
- Decriminalizing Drugs
- Ending Social Security and Medicare
- Media Bias
- Affirmative Action
- The 2nd Amendment

I'm sure there are plenty of other topics that are / can be brought up and then should be quickly dismissed as "offline discussion" or "after the meetup". All these topics are valid topics, but they are not valid topics when you're talking about the official campaign and spreading the message of the official campaign.

If someone walks into a Ron Paul meetup because they like his stance on the war and checked out his website, and then in the middle of the meetup someone starts talking about violent revolt, 9/11 truth, legalizing pot and/or doing away with social security they may just walk right out of the meeting and never come back.

Obviously talking about said topics is only a fraction of what the meetup is about, it's spreading the message that is most important.

I disagree with you about not talking about the 2nd Amendment. Right on his campaign site is a statement about his never voted to restrict gun ownership. Our group worked a gun show last weekend and said it was quite successful. Ron Paul has been quite outspoken about his desire to respect the 2nd Amendment.

[RCA]

Look how much time has been wasted on this semi-useless thread. You all could be doing SOMETHING more constructive!

[jj111]

Ron Paul Meetup Group Statistics since 6/17/07

http://files.meetup.com/496508/Ron%20Paul%20Meetup%20Group%20Membership%20Statist ics.xls

Based on statistics from this page

http://www.meetup.com/topics/polact/cand/pres/

Which do NOT include people who are not yet in a meetup group but are looking for one to join in their area.

The higher numbers some people are recording are including these people without a group yet.

[jonahtrainer]

I use this page jonah.

http://ronpaul.meetup.com/about/

Not sure why there is a difference in total members. Also, I include the members waiting for a group in my totals. I figure they are boots on the ground while waiting :)

I'll take your suggestion under advisement about a webpage with stats. In the meantime, here's a graph just for you :cool:

Thanks! I checked out the spreadsheet and the trend is very encouraging. It will be interesting to see the 'momentum' phase. Perhaps there will be millions of Meetup members by July. We ought to do our best to make the meetings as fun and passionate as possible.

[G-khan]

Jennifer, I'm not accusing you of anything and I believe you're on the right side, but I am seriously curious about how you are getting your numbers. I haven't seen anything near 1000 per day since I started tracking a month ago, and since the debate I have only noticed a small dip for a couple of days which has already ended.


I have been watching it also and I would have to say we average about 300 a day and some days less and some more.. Last couple of days have been very good from what I see...

[quickmike]

Jennifer - I got your back. I understand your frustration in something you believe so strongly in. Don't let Max bother you. I think just about everybody else supports your efforts, and I don't have a problem with you starting this thread at all.

As for the MeetUps dropping a little, I think it probably mostly goes to vacations, college kids wrapping up their summer/going back to school and perhaps SOME Ames hangover, but I think the MeetUps will rebound.

I'm pro-choice but diehard RP. I found the first part of his Ames speech hard to stomach, but I understood that he was speaking to Iowans and trying to get as many votes for the straw poll.

I also have read on some progressive/Democrat blogs how that speech turned them off to RP when they might have voted for him. Who knows, that may have afftected MeetUps, but I only see it as temporary.

RP has to win the Republican nomination first, and fortunately or unfortunately that requires being pro-life. When RP is stumping in New Hampshire and Nevada, I expect him to hardly talk up abortion and hit on other issues. As we get into the fall I expect less on the abortion thing (as Iowa is very Christian and evangelical) and more of his core message - and increased MeetUp sign-ups.

Also, I do think you reach a point of critical mass with the MeetUps, but I hope not.

I think were pretty much at the point of critical mass right now. Thats why we need to get out on foot talking to people in person. Everyone on the internet is pretty much covered already. Whats so scary about the internet reaching critical mass anyway? Is it because you guys are too lazy to get out in the real world and do some campaigning? Is it because someone thinks they can get Ron Paul elected merely by voting on internet polls and joining meetup groups? Who knows, but one thing is for sure, I dont see alot of talk about people doing the door to door thing very much on here, which makes me think its not being done. If thats the case, were gonna lose for sure because the MSM sure isnt going to help us get the message out. So if thats what youre waiting for, forget it.

I grow more frustrated by the day with people not willing to talk to people just because its "just not their thing". Better make it your thing real quick, or were gonna lose for sure. Hit the houses, knock on doors and hand out a flyer. Its good exercise and you end up getting RP known to someone who would have never known about him. If we lose, im gonna be there saying "I told you so"


PS
Anyone have a guess as to how many Ron Paul supporters there are in the US right now?

[stevedasbach]

PS
Anyone have a guess as to how many Ron Paul supporters there are in the US right now?

Best guess: 50% of 100 million voters = 50 million Republican leaners
2% of 50 million = 1 million Ron Paul supporters.

Actual number of Republican leaners is probably lower, with a sizable number of true independents. Ron Paul does better among independents, so the actual number is probably somewhat larger. 2 million is probably an upper limit (right now)

Number was probably about 200,000 prior to the first debate, based on 0.4% average in polls.

[Source for polling data: www.pollster.com]

[quickmike]

Best guess: 50% of 100 million voters = 50 million Republican leaners
2% of 50 million = 1 million Ron Paul supporters.

Actual number of Republican leaners is probably lower, with a sizable number of true independents. Ron Paul does better among independents, so the actual number is probably somewhat larger. 2 million is probably an upper limit (right now)

Number was probably about 200,000 prior to the first debate, based on 0.4% average in polls.

[Source for polling data: www.pollster.com]

So basicaly, if there are roughly 2 million RP supporters, that means that if each of them handed out 100 flyers door to door, we would have educated 200 million people to the Ron Paul message. Thats why its so frustrating to me why this isnt being done. Anyone have any guesses as to why? It would take maybe 3 weeks tops and such a simple thing to do. No more wringing our hands trying to figure out how to get his name out there, no more trying to come up with schemes that dont really pay off in the effort vs. results category. Just a simple campaign rush. Thats all it would take. Guess we cant even bring ourselves to do that huh?

I bet ill get maybe 2 responses to this............ tops.

[stevedasbach]

So basicaly, if there are roughly 2 million RP supporters, that means that if each of them handed out 100 flyers door to door, we would have educated 200 million people to the Ron Paul message. Thats why its so frustrating to me why this isnt being done. Anyone have any guesses as to why?

2 million supporters doesn't mean 2 million activists and/or donors. Maybe 100,000 people who have done something to actively promote Ron Paul (including donating money).

Of those, different people are willing to do different things. Not everyone is willing to distribute literature. However, those that are willing to will likely distribute more than 100 each.

The key is to keep growing. More supporters means more donors, more volunteers, more advertising, higher poll numbers, etc.

Does anyone know how many SlimJims have been distributed to supporters by RPHQ?

[Brandybuck]

I bet ill get maybe 2 responses to this............ tops.
Not everyone is an activist. Not everyone is a leader. Not everyone is willing to take the initiative. It doesn't matter how disgraceful you think this is, it is a fact of life. There is an adage in politics, "think globally, act locally". Instead of yelling at people nationwide on a forum, what about acting locally with your meetup? What have YOU done to organize your local meetup to hand out flyers? Don't worry about what other people are doing, just worry about yourself.

Even worse than that negative guy at meetups bitching about everything, is that loudmouth yelling at everyone for not following his orders.

[quickmike]

Not everyone is an activist. Not everyone is a leader. Not everyone is willing to take the initiative. It doesn't matter how disgraceful you think this is, it is a fact of life. There is an adage in politics, "think globally, act locally". Instead of yelling at people nationwide on a forum, what about acting locally with your meetup? What have YOU done to organize your local meetup to hand out flyers? Don't worry about what other people are doing, just worry about yourself.

Even worse than that negative guy at meetups bitching about everything, is that loudmouth yelling at everyone for not following his orders.

So suggesting everyone hand out flyers is a bad thing I guess. Ive been doing it since middle of may on weekends, handing out 50 a day. Reaches alot of people. You dont need to join a meetup group to hand out flyers, but if thats what you want to do, fine.

Im not saying follow orders and make everyone do something, Im just trying to be logical about this. Fact - MSM will not help us, signs only get to people with internet access and most older people will not ever learn about Ron Paul even if they see 30 signs in one day with Rons picture on it. So where do you go after you have everyone on the internet knowing about Ron Paul? What about the other 50% of the population?

How is some old lady driving under an overpass seeing a Ron Paul sign gonna learn more about Ron Paul if she doesnt have a computer? There are MILLIONS and MILLIONS of people just like that old lady that will end up voting for people like Mitt Romney etc. the whole time knowing that "some guy named Ron Paul is running, but I dont know anything about the guy and I never see him on the news so he must be some local guy" Now if someone showed up at her door takling more specifically about him or just giving a flyer, that might just be what she needed to make an informed decision. We will definitely have to do this on a mass scale if we stand any chance at all of getting him elected. I hope those people "not willing to take initiative" will reconsider this stance.

If MSM suddenly gave him more time, that would change everything, but I think we all know thats not gonna happen.

[Man from La Mancha]

Nice articles Jen, didn't know that was you. Why don't you do what Ron says and have fun. If the parties you were going to were a bummer. Start your own. A new meetup group where you could mention you would like people who want to actively support Ron and keep other subjects to a minimum. You might find some like mined people like in Memphis or Phoenix. Good luck.

.

[Sematary]

Well, it went from over a 1000 a day for nearly a month to less than 100 per day since Iowa. YOU DEFINE DRASTICALLY.

Perhaps if people see a need to DO SOMETHING they will get off their butts. Unless you only want good news posted on your site.

Go tup a sheep.

tup - lol, that's great.

[SwordOfShannarah]

...

[SwordOfShannarah]

For god sake's people. All I said was the Meetup membership was down since the straw poll. You all made this into a federal case. Go look in the god damn mirror and GET OFF MY BACK BEFORE I GET THE HELL OUT OF THIS CAMPAIGN FOR GOOD.

You mean you would stop supporting Ron Paul because someone pissed you off?

[Hook]

Eventually the meetup growth will slow down and stop because there are only a finite number of people in the country. When that happens, don't panic. Just keep the ones signed up busy spreading the word.

[Roxi]

tulsa gained 11 new members since saturday... thats a pretty decent growth for us

[Ron Paul Fan]

Eventually the meetup growth will slow down and stop because there are only a finite number of people in the country. When that happens, don't panic. Just keep the ones signed up busy spreading the word.

Yeah, I mean it's not really a cause for concern. The growth rate has to slow down at some point. It can't keep growing and growing forever. And it's not going to grow at the same rate all the time. It just doesn't happen that way. We aren't even to the fall yet when politically, things start to pick up. People will start paying more attention to the debates, some debates will be on national tv in primetime, caucuses and primaries will be getting started. I think we saw a lot of initial growth that is starting to die down, but will pick back up again next month. For now, just remember what Bobby McFerrin used to say, "Don't worry, be happy." And don't get bent out of shape if a few people on an internet forum are giving you a hard time. Just continue spreading the message and who cares what they think or say. Getting Ron Paul elected is what matters and that's all we should be focused on.

[Roxi]

Thanks all. I appreciate the support.


It just really hurt that this guy is calling me a double agent when I am spending the last days of my life working for Ron Paul and liberty. Sorry, the migraines I get from the two brain aneurysms I have are getting to me today.

I am going to go to sleep now.



don't worry I feel ya, hope things get better, we had a guy infiltrate our meetup group for his own agenda and accused me of being a commie on mitt romney's team that was paid to get ron paul out of the race (max im not comparing you)

with so many shills coming in lately (we are in attack mode for sure) people have been on edge and this sucks. lets be careful about judging a dish before you eat it...JMHO

[aravoth]

Some on people on this board need to knock this playground shit off. She made a typo, no big deal. I know everyone is wound up tighter than a frog's ass, but thats no need to freak out over a simple misunderstanding. Wasting time, bickering at people that are helping the cause hinders the message.

And stop argueing over who does more. We're all in the same liberty-deprived authoritarian, borderline socialistic, shithole nation we where taught to believe is so great. And if you think thats a bold statement, I'd suggest you take a look around at the State of the Country and shut the hell up. This is not the country I was born in, it is not the country I served, and it sure as shit will not be the country I die in.

We're all from different backrounds, political persuasions, and philosophies. It's a miracle we get along at all. Ron Paul was right, "The freedom Message brings us together". The only thing that will divide us is our ego's, our pride, and our unwillingness to bite our damn tounges when someone says something we don't like. 50% of the crap spewed on this board and every other board pisses me off like you wouldn't imagine. You know why I don't bitch anyone out over it? Because it's none of my god damn business. Becuase for whatever reason, we all support one man. Because We all support one message.

The fact is no-one is in charge here. Grassroots is nothing more than a bunch of pissed off and highly motivated civilians that get ragingly active and start kicking ass by going door to door, phone to phone, and e-mail to e-mail. Let Hillary have a suprano's ad with her adulterous husband. That shit won't fool anyone by the time we are done. If you have talked to one person, and converted them, you have done more than anyone else supporting any other canidate, I'd bet money on that.

In closing, just lighten up. We all have jobs, shit I have two. We all have obligations and resposibilities, adding a campaign onto that can really ruin your sleep cylce. Just relax, this election is a huge deal, it is not just "saving the nation", it's also changing the way people think about government. And we are making outstanding progress. Keep your eye on the target. We will be heard, we will be seen, and the world will see again why American Patriotism is ledgendary.

[Roxi]

Some on people on this board need to knock this playground shit off. She made a typo, no big deal. I know everyone is wound up tighter than a frog's ass, but thats no need to freak out over a simple misunderstanding. Wasting time, bickering at people that are helping the cause hinders the message.

And stop argueing over who does more. We're all in the same liberty-deprived authoritarian, borderline socialistic, shithole nation we where taught to believe is so great. And if you think thats a bold statement, I'd suggest you take a look around at the State of the Country and shut the hell up. This is not the country I was born in, it is not the country I served, and it sure as shit will not be the country I die in.

We're all from different backrounds, political persuasions, and philosophies. It's a miracle we get along at all. Ron Paul was right, "The freedom Message brings us together". The only thing that will divide us is our ego's, our pride, and our unwillingness to bite our damn tounges when someone says something we don't like. 50% of the crap spewed on this board and every other board pisses me off like you wouldn't imagine. You know why I don't bitch anyone out over it? Because it's none of my god damn business. Becuase for whatever reason, we all support one man. Because We all support one message.

The fact is no-one is in charge here. Grassroots is nothing more than a bunch of pissed off and highly motivated civilians that get ragingly active and start kicking ass by going door to door, phone to phone, and e-mail to e-mail. Let Hillary have a suprano's ad with her adulterous husband. That shit won't fool anyone by the time we are done. If you have talked to one person, and converted them, you have done more than anyone else supporting any other canidate, I'd bet money on that.

In closing, just lighten up. We all have jobs, shit I have two. We all have obligations and resposibilities, adding a campaign onto that can really ruin your sleep cylce. Just relax, this election is a huge deal, it is not just "saving the nation", it's also changing the way people think about government. And we are making outstanding progress. Keep your eye on the target. We will be heard, we will be seen, and the world will see again why American Patriotism is ledgendary.


ding ding ding.... right answer

[DjLoTi]

aravoth, its ur fault because u suck at making videos.

[aravoth]

aravoth, its ur fault because u suck at making videos.

You're telling me, I blame the IRS/income tax, without it, I could probably afford better software.

[DjLoTi]

That was supposed to turn into a petty argument! You wern't supposed to agree with me!

[Nash]

Disagree. I agree the truther stuff is not part of his platform, but your argument that if it is not on his website that it should not be spoken about does not hold water. If it's a selling point that will bring on supporters and voters in a certain area - go for it. If college kids don't want to pay into social security because they will never see it, sell it on campus. If I am in Lancaster County, PA - I'm talking his pro-gun stance. I don't quite see where you get the authority to narrow down the field and close down the big tent along these lines. Stick to the campaign website if you want. I'll stick with his platform and what sells depending on the demographics.

Who said I had any authority? I'm just making a suggestion. I've been part of other grassroots campaigns before that got off message and it wound up splintering the groups.

If you're savvy enough to pick out a person's interest just by looking at them then more power to you. I just don't recommend bringing up legalizing heroin in a meetup group among people you don't know personally.


I disagree with you about not talking about the 2nd Amendment. Right on his campaign site is a statement about his never voted to restrict gun ownership. Our group worked a gun show last weekend and said it was quite successful. Ron Paul has been quite outspoken about his desire to respect the 2nd Amendment.

Noted. I didn't see that part under the "Issues" section of his website.

[stevedasbach]

If you would like to get more volunteers:
1. talk with them
2. find out what they like to do, are interested in, and/or are good at
3. ask them to do something that matches their interests and/or skills
4. use these words: "we really need your help". Make them feel special (cause they are!)

[Revolution9]

Some on people on this board need to knock this playground shit off. She made a typo, no big deal. I know everyone is wound up tighter than a frog's ass, but thats no need to freak out over a simple misunderstanding. Wasting time, bickering at people that are helping the cause hinders the message.

And stop argueing over who does more. We're all in the same liberty-deprived authoritarian, borderline socialistic, shithole nation we where taught to believe is so great. And if you think thats a bold statement, I'd suggest you take a look around at the State of the Country and shut the hell up. This is not the country I was born in, it is not the country I served, and it sure as shit will not be the country I die in.

We're all from different backrounds, political persuasions, and philosophies. It's a miracle we get along at all. Ron Paul was right, "The freedom Message brings us together". The only thing that will divide us is our ego's, our pride, and our unwillingness to bite our damn tounges when someone says something we don't like. 50% of the crap spewed on this board and every other board pisses me off like you wouldn't imagine. You know why I don't bitch anyone out over it? Because it's none of my god damn business. Becuase for whatever reason, we all support one man. Because We all support one message.

The fact is no-one is in charge here. Grassroots is nothing more than a bunch of pissed off and highly motivated civilians that get ragingly active and start kicking ass by going door to door, phone to phone, and e-mail to e-mail. Let Hillary have a suprano's ad with her adulterous husband. That shit won't fool anyone by the time we are done. If you have talked to one person, and converted them, you have done more than anyone else supporting any other canidate, I'd bet money on that.

In closing, just lighten up. We all have jobs, shit I have two. We all have obligations and resposibilities, adding a campaign onto that can really ruin your sleep cylce. Just relax, this election is a huge deal, it is not just "saving the nation", it's also changing the way people think about government. And we are making outstanding progress. Keep your eye on the target. We will be heard, we will be seen, and the world will see again why American Patriotism is ledgendary.

This is the first post I totally agree with.. Everything else has been shrill, contained slights or slanders against others who support The Good Doctor, ragged on folks who didn't quit their life to pursue this 48 hours a day and cast sin amongst others they do not understand. There were a few other bright posts but they sounded suck up and were still divisive as in.. I agree with you Jen..don't let the bad news bears get you down as they are ALWAYS like that - paradigm.

It looks to me like the campaign is doing fine and growing. I will convert ten more this weekend and several over the course of next week. I now who to get. I know who around here has large cliques and followings. I will do this under my own steam, using my own interpretations of what the person I am talking to is interested in, whether IRS, FedRes, The Iraq War, the upcoming Iran War, fake terrorism, The Constitution, 911, police brutality, the war on drugs. I am well read and informed on each of these subjects and can handle the most skeptical in any of these areas. Nobody on this board could come into my area and get done what I can.. The same with your areas. I could not roll into rural Texas and convert folks. My persona is not suited for such. LibertyEagle for example would probably be non-plussed how to reach the non-voters in my area. But the non-voters look at me and figure..if this guy here looking all wild and rocked out is voting for a Republican and is excited and enthusiastic then maybe I need to take a look at this situation.

This has been effe tive the last week. I mention to potentials that this is similar to the big protests where you got the oinks on one side and they are outnumbered by the protestors.. the protestors won't make a move until someone righteous rushes the pigs. Then everybody surges forward. I tell them Doctor Paul s that righteous protestor and damnit I got his back and am rushing the pigs too. Works great in my area..may not in yours..

Best
Randy