ABC: Ron Paul Gets Bigger Soapbox for Shadow Convention

[RonPaulFanInGA]

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/07/ron-paul-gets-b.html


ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports: Ron Paul is not holding his breath for a speaking slot at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul in September and he has long planned a day-long shadow convention to give him an arena to expound his limited government mantra.

But, worried about the size of his arena, his new political action group--The Campaign for Liberty--has booked a bigger one.

They'll announce today they've changed from the Williams Arena at the University of Minnesota to the much larger Target Center, seating capacity: 18,000.

Paul's supporters have been undefinable and unknown throughout the election cycle. There are the loud and sometimes rowdy, usually young sign-waving blimp renters, omnipresent in the early primary states during the Republican race. And there is the legion of online supporters, contributing millions online and creating what Paul hopes will be a lasting grassroots framework.

But there were not (on balance) many voters for Paul, who while he stayed in the race against Sen. McCain longer than any of his GOP rivals, has very few Republican delegates.

So Paul's shadow convention (speakers include anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist, shaggy haired cable personality Tucker Carlson, and Barry Goldwater Jr.,) will be a test of his new group's staying power and organizational mettle. Supporters have been encouraged to exploit state delegate rules to get appointed to, infiltrate and make themselves known at the national convention before decamping for the Target Center.

[Kludge]

Haha... That was a great read, thanks.

"young sign-waving blimp renters" lmao...

[ARealConservative]

Supporters have been encouraged to exploit state delegate rules to get appointed to, infiltrate and make themselves known at the national convention

Look at those super charged words.

exploit.....infiltrate

Pretty fancy words for voting and participating in the electoral process!

:mad:

[SnappleLlama]

WOO HOO!!! I'm SO glad they changed the convention to a larger venue. This is going to be amazing!!

[Danke]

Anything to get a dig in: "shaggy haired cable personality Tucker Carlson" :rolleyes:

[mport1]

If you are going to comment, put campaignforliberty.com as your website :)

[Paulfan05]

I used to hate Tucker carlson hmmmmmm....

[New York For Paul]

"So Paul's shadow convention (speakers include anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist, shaggy haired cable personality Tucker Carlson, and Barry Goldwater Jr.,) will be a test of his new group's staying power and organizational mettle."

That has me worried, because many from the presidential campaign are running the Campaign for Liberty. And in general people were not too pleased with the results.

We will see if they can do better filling an eighteen thousand person arena.

[CoreyBowen999]

tucker! haven't seen him in a while.

[fr33domfightr]

If you are going to comment, put campaignforliberty.com as your website :)

Excellent idea!!!

Heck, if you post ANYWHERE, put campaignforliberty.com as your website.


FF

[fr33domfightr]

"So Paul's shadow convention (speakers include anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist, shaggy haired cable personality Tucker Carlson, and Barry Goldwater Jr.,) will be a test of his new group's staying power and organizational mettle."

That has me worried, because many from the presidential campaign are running the Campaign for Liberty. And in general people were too pleased with the results.

We will see if they can do better fill an eighteen thousand person arena.


If this 18,000 seat arena is filled, it won't be because of those running the show, it will be due to the supporters who just show up.

If 30,000 show up however, a contingency plan will be needed. They might be able to help in that regard.


FF

[Maverick]

Anything to get a dig in: "shaggy haired cable personality Tucker Carlson" :rolleyes:

Yeah, no kidding. "Shaggy-haired" isn't the first description that comes to my mind in relation to Tucker Carlson. They make it sound like he's some hippie, but c'mon, the guy wears a bow-tie for christsake.

[ItsTime]

Yeah, no kidding. "Shaggy-haired" isn't the first description that comes to my mind in relation to Tucker Carlson. They make it sound like he's some hippie, but c'mon, the guy wears a bow-tie for christsake.

if this does not say hippie I dont know what does

http://bluenova.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/tucker.jpg

[Join The Paul Side]

18K huh? Nice!

What's the seating capacity for the Neocon RNC?

[RadioDJforPaul]

We can not let Dr Paul down. This place must be rockin!

[KenInMontiMN]

18K huh? Nice!

What's the seating capacity for the Neocon RNC?

RNC's Excel Center capacity, home of Minnesota Wild Hockey:
Seating Capacity:
Hockey/Ice Show/Basketball - 18,600
Half House - 7,000
Circus - 17,400
End Stage 360 - 17,700
End Stage 270 - 15,300
End Stage 180 - 13,500
Center Stage 360 - 19,355
Ice Show - 13,475

Campaign for Liberty's Target Center, home of Minnesota Timberwolves Basketball:
Capacity Basketball: 20,500
Hockey and Arena Football: 17,500
Center-stage Concerts: 19,500
End-Stage Concerts: 13,000-19,000

The two are very comparable. The only larger indoor venue here is the metrodome, and that place is cavernous and just not as nice as these two.

[Swmorgan77]

I used to hate Tucker carlson hmmmmmm....

Are we going to hold him accountable for breaking two major hit pieces against Ron Paul on his show? The "Strippers 4 Paul" debacle and the racist magazine smear?

[torchbearer]

Are we going to hold him accountable for breaking two major hit pieces against Ron Paul on his show? The "Strippers 4 Paul" debacle and the racist magazine smear?

Did Tucker have sole control over the content of his show?
Or do the producers?
If it was the men upstairs, knowing he likes Paul, forced him in a very sick and sadistic way, to put on the show as they see fit. Holding his future fortune as collateral.
He probably got fired because they knew he wasn't going to be a good sock puppet anymore.

[Badger Paul]

Why the hell are including Republican hack Grover Norquist in our plans? He's part of the problem not the solution.

[votefreedomfirst]

Are we going to hold him accountable for breaking two major hit pieces against Ron Paul on his show? The "Strippers 4 Paul" debacle and the racist magazine smear?

Exactly! Tucker is no friend of the revolution. Let's not pretend he is stupid or naive. He knew exactly what he was doing: ostensibly portraying the image of a supporter while missing no opportunity to stab Dr. Paul in the back. It wasn't just the supposed "scandals" he propagated. I also remember him repeatedly saying garbage like "If people knew what Ron Paul really believed, he wouldn't have so many supporters."

Meanwhile, John Stossel is a much more principled libertarian who has been preaching a true freedom message to a much larger audience (network versus cable) for a much longer time. Perhaps he was offered the spot and turned it down? Kind of hard to believe, though.

[torchbearer]

Exactly! Tucker is no friend of the revolution. Let's not pretend he is stupid or naive. He knew exactly what he was doing: ostensibly portraying the image of a supporter while missing no opportunity to stab Dr. Paul in the back. It wasn't just the supposed "scandals" he propagated. I also remember him repeatedly saying garbage like "If people knew what Ron Paul really believed, he wouldn't have so many supporters."

Meanwhile, John Stossel is a much more principled libertarian who has been preaching a true freedom message to a much larger audience (network versus cable) for a much longer time. Perhaps he was offered the spot and turned it down? Kind of hard to believe, though.

If Stossel inquired about speaking, I don't think they would turn him down.
He may not be interested. May not be good for his career...

[Feenix566]

Center Stage 360 - 19,355


Even if Ron Paul's convention gets more attendees than the RNC convention, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and Fox will not mention it once.

[surf]

"Strippers for Ron Paul" was not a hit peice.

In fact, i'd say that this group (Strippers for RP) is the one i'd most like to hang out with :) if i weren't a long-time supporter, this group alone would have turned me on to Ron.

[torchbearer]

"Strippers for Ron Paul" was not a hit peice.

In fact, i'd say that this group (Strippers for RP) is the one i'd most like to hang out with :) if i weren't a long-time supporter, this group alone would have turned me on to Ron.

We had strippers for ron paul, we also had nuns for ron paul.
actually the first stripper interviewed is a great libertarian activist in Texas. Michelle.
Very beautiful women, sharp intellect, and did well in the interview. Maybe the station was so shocked by a stripper being smarter than their host, they decided not to have her on anymore.

[votefreedomfirst]

"Strippers for Ron Paul" was not a hit peice.

In fact, i'd say that this group (Strippers for RP) is the one i'd most like to hang out with :) if i weren't a long-time supporter, this group alone would have turned me on to Ron.

Most GOP primary voters are socially/culturally conservative. Tucker purposely distorted Dr. Paul’s position to make it seem as if he supported such behavior, rather than merely tolerated it in a free society. The fact is he intentionally highlighted the discrepancy between libertarianism and contemporary conservatism, knowing full well it would hurt RP with the base he would need to win the nomination. There is a reason that the AP was still publishing articles about this episode MONTHS after Tucker “broke” the story. It was just more ammo for those who did not want to see Paul catch on.

As I said earlier, Tucker is not stupid or naive. No one gets to the point he has without understanding the nature of the game. He is the most dangerous kind of enemy to the movement…one who masquerades as a supporter.

edit: That said, I hope I'm wrong and he does a great job as emcee. I have a sinking feeling that his intention is to disrupt and divide, though. The CfL people better know what they're doing.

[RickyJ]

Is anyone here concerned about all of us being in the same place and TPTB making an example out of us by having a terrorist attack take place at the alternate convention?

I can see the headlines now, "Anti-war group struck by terrorists." The people we are up against are ruthless and would relish an opportunity to take out some folks that have woken up to their tyranny.

[torchbearer]

Is anyone here concerned about all of us being in the same place and TPTB making an example out of us by having a terrorist attack take place at the alternate convention?

I can see the headlines now, "Anti-war group struck by terrorists." The people we are up against are ruthless and would relish an opportunity to take out some folks that have woken up to their tyranny.

No- I'm not worried about it.
The people in power control you with fear. It is a chain that keeps you in your place. You carry it with you everywhere you go.
Just let go of it. Lose the fear... and you will see, how much freer you feel.
Fear is the mind killer.

[CasualApathy]

Call me paranoid, but is anyone else a little worried about the fact that the arena is actually called "The Target" Center? :D

*Puts on tinfoil hat, sits in corner*

EDIT: Oh, i guess someone beat me to it :p

[RevolutionSD]

Exactly! Tucker is no friend of the revolution. Let's not pretend he is stupid or naive. He knew exactly what he was doing: ostensibly portraying the image of a supporter while missing no opportunity to stab Dr. Paul in the back. It wasn't just the supposed "scandals" he propagated. I also remember him repeatedly saying garbage like "If people knew what Ron Paul really believed, he wouldn't have so many supporters."

Meanwhile, John Stossel is a much more principled libertarian who has been preaching a true freedom message to a much larger audience (network versus cable) for a much longer time. Perhaps he was offered the spot and turned it down? Kind of hard to believe, though.

"Strippers for Paul" was fine with me.
I have a big issue with Tucker's slimy flip flopping with his guests, even making fun of Ron Paul at times when he thought it would win him points.

Stossel, good idea.

[votefreedomfirst]

"Strippers for Paul" was fine with me.


Yes, it's fine with us libertarian types. We only make up a minority of GOP primary voters though. Stunts like that hurt his chances among the social conservatives who he needed to win the nomination.

[RideTheDirt]

RNC's Excel Center capacity, home of Minnesota
Circus - 17,400

So this is their capacity, right?

[torchbearer]

So this is their capacity, right?

Yes. McCain featured in the center ring.

[itshappening]

will anyone show up for McCain? DRUDGE REPORT says only 1 reporter showed up to cover him today lol

[Nate SY]

Haven't posted in a while.

Thought I'd drop back by and say I'm ecstatic about the larger venue. =D

Keep spredin' the message!

[kigol]

:)

[fr33domfightr]

I heard some good news earlier, on AM radio. One of the local AM News Channels, News 98, mentioned Ron Paul's Convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul, to kick off his Campaign For Liberty, on Sept. 2nd.

At least they gave him something. I was glad to hear it.


FF

[RonPaulFanInGA]

RNC's Excel Center capacity, home of Minnesota Wild Hockey:
Seating Capacity:
Hockey/Ice Show/Basketball - 18,600
Half House - 7,000
Circus - 17,400
End Stage 360 - 17,700
End Stage 270 - 15,300
End Stage 180 - 13,500
Center Stage 360 - 19,355
Ice Show - 13,475

Campaign for Liberty's Target Center, home of Minnesota Timberwolves Basketball:
Capacity Basketball: 20,500
Hockey and Arena Football: 17,500
Center-stage Concerts: 19,500
End-Stage Concerts: 13,000-19,000

The two are very comparable. The only larger indoor venue here is the metrodome, and that place is cavernous and just not as nice as these two.

Paul's convention outdraws McCain's:

http://i38.tinypic.com/wlvuz4.jpg