tangent4ronpaul
03-17-2008, 12:55 PM
I am forwarding some messages from Tom Lizardo. He is Ron Paul's long time policy adviser, though his official title is Chief of Staff in the Congressional (official government) Office.
The first part is his response to the MO caucus lessons learned/experience. The second is part of an e-mail in follow-up.
-n
MSG 1:
Learning is always good.
Anybody who thought this would be easy should understand that easy
is not what this business is or is all about. This will take time,
commitment and training. People have shown they are ready for that
but, are they really and truly ready to "go the distance" on a
multi-year process?
People talking about being "future libertarians" (ie LP folks)
don't understand that if we choose to live in a political ghetto we'll
be doing just what the establishment wants. We need to fight a long
battle to retake this party, our party (and it is OURS even for people
who have never been in it before!).
The fact is that we have done far better at caucus than in
primaries. When we have a stronger team running the primary efforts
we'll begin to do better there. We got about 5-% in Texas and still
did pretty well at the caucuses. Imagine if we had been able to secure
30-40% of the popular vote in Texas how well we'd do at caucuses and
conventions.
If folks do the rational and long-term oriented things then "the best is yet to
come."
Everybody needs to keep their head up and keep moving forward.
==
MSG 2:
[...]
I have been described by some as a "long time political adviser" -- my title is Chief of Staff in the Congressional (official government) Office. But, I have been a paid staffer and consultant on Congressional campaigns in past years and worked with Ron when he came back to Congress in 1996. I have also been a "volunteer" and "supporter" for both Ron's Presidential campaigns and several of his Congressional campaigns when I was not on the paid staff.
Most of Ron's staff folks are "non-political" (have not been heavily engaged in electoral politics) whereas I (along with people like Penny, Mark Elam and a few others -- mostly consultants) have been closely involved with his successful electoral endeavors.
I have no problem with you sending out my thoughts -- but I do not wish to appear (or to be) too harsh on the LP, I believe it serves a useful function -- the answer to the GOP establishment mistreating movement folks has never (in my opinion) been to "start our own outside party" instead it has been to fight them, and to take over the party.
This is not an easy mission. They will fight to keep control and "use every rule" (and likely violate several). What THEY WANT is for our people to "get frustrated and go away" (to the LP, etc). The answer then is to do the opposite. It is to become a precinct chairman, and then a city or town chairman, and then a county chair and then a state chair. It is to run for state committee, and national committee etc, etc, etc.
First we need to reclaim the movement, then the party, and then the country. That is a paraphrase of Pat Buchanan but it is a pretty accurate political assessment. The Bushies did not hand the party to the Reaganites (before they gave it right back) -- it was a battle. People who don't like being mistreated by their opposition will not survive this business.
The ironic thing is that the LP, the Constitution Party, etc all have "in fighting" as well. The problem is that they are heretofore unable to make serious electoral gains. I'm not young enough to wait for the LP to become politically viable. I want to start winning battles soon, now, not in two decades. It may take that long to win the war, but we need to be fighting with some chance of winning some battles.
Tom
The first part is his response to the MO caucus lessons learned/experience. The second is part of an e-mail in follow-up.
-n
MSG 1:
Learning is always good.
Anybody who thought this would be easy should understand that easy
is not what this business is or is all about. This will take time,
commitment and training. People have shown they are ready for that
but, are they really and truly ready to "go the distance" on a
multi-year process?
People talking about being "future libertarians" (ie LP folks)
don't understand that if we choose to live in a political ghetto we'll
be doing just what the establishment wants. We need to fight a long
battle to retake this party, our party (and it is OURS even for people
who have never been in it before!).
The fact is that we have done far better at caucus than in
primaries. When we have a stronger team running the primary efforts
we'll begin to do better there. We got about 5-% in Texas and still
did pretty well at the caucuses. Imagine if we had been able to secure
30-40% of the popular vote in Texas how well we'd do at caucuses and
conventions.
If folks do the rational and long-term oriented things then "the best is yet to
come."
Everybody needs to keep their head up and keep moving forward.
==
MSG 2:
[...]
I have been described by some as a "long time political adviser" -- my title is Chief of Staff in the Congressional (official government) Office. But, I have been a paid staffer and consultant on Congressional campaigns in past years and worked with Ron when he came back to Congress in 1996. I have also been a "volunteer" and "supporter" for both Ron's Presidential campaigns and several of his Congressional campaigns when I was not on the paid staff.
Most of Ron's staff folks are "non-political" (have not been heavily engaged in electoral politics) whereas I (along with people like Penny, Mark Elam and a few others -- mostly consultants) have been closely involved with his successful electoral endeavors.
I have no problem with you sending out my thoughts -- but I do not wish to appear (or to be) too harsh on the LP, I believe it serves a useful function -- the answer to the GOP establishment mistreating movement folks has never (in my opinion) been to "start our own outside party" instead it has been to fight them, and to take over the party.
This is not an easy mission. They will fight to keep control and "use every rule" (and likely violate several). What THEY WANT is for our people to "get frustrated and go away" (to the LP, etc). The answer then is to do the opposite. It is to become a precinct chairman, and then a city or town chairman, and then a county chair and then a state chair. It is to run for state committee, and national committee etc, etc, etc.
First we need to reclaim the movement, then the party, and then the country. That is a paraphrase of Pat Buchanan but it is a pretty accurate political assessment. The Bushies did not hand the party to the Reaganites (before they gave it right back) -- it was a battle. People who don't like being mistreated by their opposition will not survive this business.
The ironic thing is that the LP, the Constitution Party, etc all have "in fighting" as well. The problem is that they are heretofore unable to make serious electoral gains. I'm not young enough to wait for the LP to become politically viable. I want to start winning battles soon, now, not in two decades. It may take that long to win the war, but we need to be fighting with some chance of winning some battles.
Tom