tangent4ronpaul
05-05-2008, 04:23 AM
Has the PCC abandoned us? QUICK - find someone to blame!
This is a reply to a post on the Organizers bridge that I thought important enough to share with people here, as we are seeing the same problems here and elsewhere in Ron Paul space. If you have a short attention span, just scroll down - the last couple of paragraphs are the most important.
It has to do with my cracking down on negative posts, and the bashing of official campaign staff. Trying to find who to blame in the PCC. A few organizers are referring to this as "critical analysis" of why "the Ron Paul campaign failed".
These posts are causing organizers to leave.
Nathan
Fair enough,
and no - I wasn't referring specifically to you, but there are some here that have engaged in bashing the official campaign staff, and while "giving Benton the benefit of the doubt" helps, it was still in response to this bashing and encourages those that make post after post - most that no one replies to - bashing the campaign.
> All I know is how HQ treated Pennsylvania.
I believe you were one of the ones that stated that the official campaign gave PA no support what so ever. I happen to know that they sent a couple of truckloads of supplies into PA (as in semi-tractor trailer). To this end, the harshest criticism that can be offered is they should have sent more yard and 4 x 8 signs and fewer slim jims. They also had a state coordinator on the ground and he had a team helping him. There was one report of the campaign running TV ads, but I suspect this was the grassroots High Tide ad. So no, the campaign did not abandon PA. compared to MD, you were rolling in support! But MD wasn't viewed as a viable state, just like FL wasn't considered for TV ads because it would have cost everything the campaign had to do that, and we probably would have still lost if they had done that.
Look at it this way: The campaign had 5 Million dollars in the bank and 10 primaries and caucuses to go. If they shut everything else down and Dr. Paul stopped being on the campaign trail, they could have spent half a million per state. That doesn't buy a lot of TV ad time. Also factor in that donations were drying up. I talked to a staffer a few weeks ago and was told that the campaign is not abandoning the grassroots, but that they would only be supporting states that seemed the most viable. By support, they mean provide a state or regional coordinator, open a campaign office and give the Grassroots what physical supplies they can as well as volunteer lists (all the people that volunteered on the official campaign site - most of whom are not in our Meetups). But the campaign is about more than winning the remaining primaries and caucuses - it's about delegates, changing the state GOP platform, bylaws and changing party policy like unbinding delegates. The rest of that happens at the state conventions and the campaign is pushing for people to become delegates. There are about 40 state conventions coming up and they are working both the county and state conventions in these states. Then there is the end game - the national convention. I would think Dr. Paul is holding back something for that.
So, 5 Million dollars = 10 primaries and caucuses + 40 state conventions + on the ground campaigning by Paul + national staff + a ton of state coordinators + 10 (or less) state offices + spreading his message as best he can + endorsing and supporting at least some of the 60 or so Congressional candidates running for office under his platform + the end game.
What is that? - about 124 different slices of that 5 Million dollar pie. Doesn't look like so much now, does it? If divided equally, that's just over 40 Thousand per slice.
Just something to think about while you are weighing the campaigns purse and bemoaning not getting a bigger piece of the pie. This really reminds me of what happened on the house floor a couple of weeks ago, when the Dems pushed through abolishing a tax cut for those making over $100,000 a year, raising the tax from something like 37% ot 42%. They were all lined up like vultures - adding their pork belly spending projects to the bill. It was then that a Republican angrily spoke up "YOU'VE ALREADY SPENT MORE THAN THIS TAX INCREASE WILL BRING IN! A statement that was met with bewildered disbelief by the Dems who after a stunned moment, chose to ignore the fact and kept adding legislation to spend more money than they had coming in next year.
It's pretty obvious, to me at least, that Dr Paul is a realist and has accepted some basic facts:
Large quantities of donations are not coming in and are unlikely to come in again unless he wins the nomination.
The best way to get his message out is through his book, media appearances, the grassroots, and the delegate process. (You might have noticed that in TV interviews he lets slide comments about McCain having the nomination, but in person he says we are in it to WIN! - Keeps getting him invited back, doesn't it?)
He does not have the funds to go head to head with media chosen "front runner" candidates via TV and radio ads.
The grassroots is a lot better at promoting him than his campaign staff is.
Firing his campaign staff and starting over is not an option, because by the time replacements got up to speed - it would be over. There is also the matter of old loyalties. Unlike the current crop of politicians, he doesn't ask people loyal to him to fall on their swords in order to find a scapegoat.
The best way to support the grassroots and the only way he can afford to is with state and regional coordinators, state offices, providing physical campaign material to those states that look most viable, providing volunteer lists and via the delegate process.
I'd guess that's pretty close to reality.
> At some point, the question must be asked "Why did the Ron Paul
campaign fail?"
It failed? - News to me. I'm reminded of Dr. Paul's words from that video back in Feb/March: (paraphrased) "Victory, at least in the conventional sense, appears to be beyond our grasp".
I see us winning massive victories in the unconventional sense. We have awoken public awareness, we are taking the Republican party back and returning it to it's roots. We have provoked a scared reaction from the GOP and the Mainstream media that exposes them for what they are. Let them discredit themselves in the eyes of the public - given them enough rope to hang themselves. We have changed the political campaigning process in this country. We are winning delegates, and if we are lucky we just might win the nomination.
That's not failure in my book. I know the mega corps have conditioned many to expect instant gratification, but the reality is that returning our government to it's Constitutional roots will take decades. And change, to last, must happen slowly. It will come sooner if we can roll out a grassroots movement the size of our grassroots last fall at the starting line. If our infrastructure was in place on day 1. Think about how different this campaign would have been if on January 1st 2007, we woke up and had a Meetup in every third county in the country and 1-200,000 supporters ready to hit the ground running. If our supply and support infrastructure was in place and we just had to flip a switch.
I started Operation Cat Herder with the main objective being the 2010 and 2012 campaign cycles. Supporting current projects was an afterthought. How about helping the future rather than picking at the bones of a carcase that isn't dead yet.
http://OperationCatHerder.com
> While you may think the official campaign is still active, the actions
of the campaign appear to say otherwise. The Houston Chronicle article
seems to confirm that. If I'm wrong, please correct me. Which states
are airing TV commercials? Which states are getting direct mail
campaigns? Which states are getting press releases? Which states are
getting delegate support? I'd be glad if I'm wrong. Just show me.
Tuesday 6 May 2008 (tentative date) *Indiana Primary *North Carolina Primary
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/states/north-carolina/
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/states/indiana/
Tuesday 13 May 2008 Nebraska Primary *West Virginia Primary
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/states/nebraska/
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/states/west-virginia/
Tuesday 20 May 2008 *Oregon Primary
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/states/oregon/
Tuesday 20 May 2008 (tentative date) *Kentucky Primary
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/states/kentucky/
Tuesday 27 May 2008 *Idaho Primary
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/states/idaho/
Tuesday 3 June 2008 Montana Advisory Primary, New Jersey Election of Delegates, *South Dakota Primary
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/states/montana/
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/states/south-dakota/
Tuesday 3 June 2008 *New Mexico Primary
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/states/new-mexico/
I'm pretty sure there is something after this, but I'm not finding it right now. Two caucuses, in particular.
Other
http://www.nolanchart.com/article3255.html
http://www.nolanchart.com/article3438.html
http://www.nolanchart.com/article3508.html
http://www.nolanchart.com/article3588.html
http://www.nolanchart.com/article3664.html
No, that to me does not look like the PCC is sitting around sucking their thumbs. There is a lot of work yet to do, both in this campaign and for the upcoming ones.
If anyone is to blame for not doing better, we should blame ourselves. We could have been better organizers. We could have done more canvasing and door knocking. We could have been more on top of it and gotten tables at more fairs and other events that we applied for too late, all to often. We could have put up more fliers and worked the special interest communities more, we could have donated more to the National campaign so they would have the funds to give remaining states, we could of done more of a lot of stuff and we could have done it better.
But it's not over. Are you getting your Meetup members to call voters in upcoming states? For the Congressional candidates as well as Ron Paul? Are you participating in letter writing campaigns? Can't find a letter writing campaign for state X? – WELL START ONE! Are you making banners and buttons to ship to upcoming states? If you are next to an upcoming state, are you trying to get your supporters to go there and help? Are you on top of the delegate situation for your state conventions? Are you working inside your state GOP? Are you doing the book bomb? Have you donated for the High Tide commercial? Are you working to be ready for upcoming campaigns in 2010 and 2012? - Well, why not?
Remember, WE ARE THE CAMPAIGN!
Nathan
This is a reply to a post on the Organizers bridge that I thought important enough to share with people here, as we are seeing the same problems here and elsewhere in Ron Paul space. If you have a short attention span, just scroll down - the last couple of paragraphs are the most important.
It has to do with my cracking down on negative posts, and the bashing of official campaign staff. Trying to find who to blame in the PCC. A few organizers are referring to this as "critical analysis" of why "the Ron Paul campaign failed".
These posts are causing organizers to leave.
Nathan
Fair enough,
and no - I wasn't referring specifically to you, but there are some here that have engaged in bashing the official campaign staff, and while "giving Benton the benefit of the doubt" helps, it was still in response to this bashing and encourages those that make post after post - most that no one replies to - bashing the campaign.
> All I know is how HQ treated Pennsylvania.
I believe you were one of the ones that stated that the official campaign gave PA no support what so ever. I happen to know that they sent a couple of truckloads of supplies into PA (as in semi-tractor trailer). To this end, the harshest criticism that can be offered is they should have sent more yard and 4 x 8 signs and fewer slim jims. They also had a state coordinator on the ground and he had a team helping him. There was one report of the campaign running TV ads, but I suspect this was the grassroots High Tide ad. So no, the campaign did not abandon PA. compared to MD, you were rolling in support! But MD wasn't viewed as a viable state, just like FL wasn't considered for TV ads because it would have cost everything the campaign had to do that, and we probably would have still lost if they had done that.
Look at it this way: The campaign had 5 Million dollars in the bank and 10 primaries and caucuses to go. If they shut everything else down and Dr. Paul stopped being on the campaign trail, they could have spent half a million per state. That doesn't buy a lot of TV ad time. Also factor in that donations were drying up. I talked to a staffer a few weeks ago and was told that the campaign is not abandoning the grassroots, but that they would only be supporting states that seemed the most viable. By support, they mean provide a state or regional coordinator, open a campaign office and give the Grassroots what physical supplies they can as well as volunteer lists (all the people that volunteered on the official campaign site - most of whom are not in our Meetups). But the campaign is about more than winning the remaining primaries and caucuses - it's about delegates, changing the state GOP platform, bylaws and changing party policy like unbinding delegates. The rest of that happens at the state conventions and the campaign is pushing for people to become delegates. There are about 40 state conventions coming up and they are working both the county and state conventions in these states. Then there is the end game - the national convention. I would think Dr. Paul is holding back something for that.
So, 5 Million dollars = 10 primaries and caucuses + 40 state conventions + on the ground campaigning by Paul + national staff + a ton of state coordinators + 10 (or less) state offices + spreading his message as best he can + endorsing and supporting at least some of the 60 or so Congressional candidates running for office under his platform + the end game.
What is that? - about 124 different slices of that 5 Million dollar pie. Doesn't look like so much now, does it? If divided equally, that's just over 40 Thousand per slice.
Just something to think about while you are weighing the campaigns purse and bemoaning not getting a bigger piece of the pie. This really reminds me of what happened on the house floor a couple of weeks ago, when the Dems pushed through abolishing a tax cut for those making over $100,000 a year, raising the tax from something like 37% ot 42%. They were all lined up like vultures - adding their pork belly spending projects to the bill. It was then that a Republican angrily spoke up "YOU'VE ALREADY SPENT MORE THAN THIS TAX INCREASE WILL BRING IN! A statement that was met with bewildered disbelief by the Dems who after a stunned moment, chose to ignore the fact and kept adding legislation to spend more money than they had coming in next year.
It's pretty obvious, to me at least, that Dr Paul is a realist and has accepted some basic facts:
Large quantities of donations are not coming in and are unlikely to come in again unless he wins the nomination.
The best way to get his message out is through his book, media appearances, the grassroots, and the delegate process. (You might have noticed that in TV interviews he lets slide comments about McCain having the nomination, but in person he says we are in it to WIN! - Keeps getting him invited back, doesn't it?)
He does not have the funds to go head to head with media chosen "front runner" candidates via TV and radio ads.
The grassroots is a lot better at promoting him than his campaign staff is.
Firing his campaign staff and starting over is not an option, because by the time replacements got up to speed - it would be over. There is also the matter of old loyalties. Unlike the current crop of politicians, he doesn't ask people loyal to him to fall on their swords in order to find a scapegoat.
The best way to support the grassroots and the only way he can afford to is with state and regional coordinators, state offices, providing physical campaign material to those states that look most viable, providing volunteer lists and via the delegate process.
I'd guess that's pretty close to reality.
> At some point, the question must be asked "Why did the Ron Paul
campaign fail?"
It failed? - News to me. I'm reminded of Dr. Paul's words from that video back in Feb/March: (paraphrased) "Victory, at least in the conventional sense, appears to be beyond our grasp".
I see us winning massive victories in the unconventional sense. We have awoken public awareness, we are taking the Republican party back and returning it to it's roots. We have provoked a scared reaction from the GOP and the Mainstream media that exposes them for what they are. Let them discredit themselves in the eyes of the public - given them enough rope to hang themselves. We have changed the political campaigning process in this country. We are winning delegates, and if we are lucky we just might win the nomination.
That's not failure in my book. I know the mega corps have conditioned many to expect instant gratification, but the reality is that returning our government to it's Constitutional roots will take decades. And change, to last, must happen slowly. It will come sooner if we can roll out a grassroots movement the size of our grassroots last fall at the starting line. If our infrastructure was in place on day 1. Think about how different this campaign would have been if on January 1st 2007, we woke up and had a Meetup in every third county in the country and 1-200,000 supporters ready to hit the ground running. If our supply and support infrastructure was in place and we just had to flip a switch.
I started Operation Cat Herder with the main objective being the 2010 and 2012 campaign cycles. Supporting current projects was an afterthought. How about helping the future rather than picking at the bones of a carcase that isn't dead yet.
http://OperationCatHerder.com
> While you may think the official campaign is still active, the actions
of the campaign appear to say otherwise. The Houston Chronicle article
seems to confirm that. If I'm wrong, please correct me. Which states
are airing TV commercials? Which states are getting direct mail
campaigns? Which states are getting press releases? Which states are
getting delegate support? I'd be glad if I'm wrong. Just show me.
Tuesday 6 May 2008 (tentative date) *Indiana Primary *North Carolina Primary
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/states/north-carolina/
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/states/indiana/
Tuesday 13 May 2008 Nebraska Primary *West Virginia Primary
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/states/nebraska/
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/states/west-virginia/
Tuesday 20 May 2008 *Oregon Primary
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/states/oregon/
Tuesday 20 May 2008 (tentative date) *Kentucky Primary
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/states/kentucky/
Tuesday 27 May 2008 *Idaho Primary
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/states/idaho/
Tuesday 3 June 2008 Montana Advisory Primary, New Jersey Election of Delegates, *South Dakota Primary
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/states/montana/
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/states/south-dakota/
Tuesday 3 June 2008 *New Mexico Primary
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/states/new-mexico/
I'm pretty sure there is something after this, but I'm not finding it right now. Two caucuses, in particular.
Other
http://www.nolanchart.com/article3255.html
http://www.nolanchart.com/article3438.html
http://www.nolanchart.com/article3508.html
http://www.nolanchart.com/article3588.html
http://www.nolanchart.com/article3664.html
No, that to me does not look like the PCC is sitting around sucking their thumbs. There is a lot of work yet to do, both in this campaign and for the upcoming ones.
If anyone is to blame for not doing better, we should blame ourselves. We could have been better organizers. We could have done more canvasing and door knocking. We could have been more on top of it and gotten tables at more fairs and other events that we applied for too late, all to often. We could have put up more fliers and worked the special interest communities more, we could have donated more to the National campaign so they would have the funds to give remaining states, we could of done more of a lot of stuff and we could have done it better.
But it's not over. Are you getting your Meetup members to call voters in upcoming states? For the Congressional candidates as well as Ron Paul? Are you participating in letter writing campaigns? Can't find a letter writing campaign for state X? – WELL START ONE! Are you making banners and buttons to ship to upcoming states? If you are next to an upcoming state, are you trying to get your supporters to go there and help? Are you on top of the delegate situation for your state conventions? Are you working inside your state GOP? Are you doing the book bomb? Have you donated for the High Tide commercial? Are you working to be ready for upcoming campaigns in 2010 and 2012? - Well, why not?
Remember, WE ARE THE CAMPAIGN!
Nathan