McDermit
10-15-2007, 04:36 PM
Ok, long-winded and wordy... but interesting, I think. Part of it I wrote, and part of it is copy/pasted/edited from an email our organizer sent me about the fair. It should all make sense though. Haha. Bare with me!
We recently started branching out to towns in NEPA where we didn't previously have meetup activity. During the Paint the Town weekend, the organizer and her mom ventured out on their own one night and placed appx 80 signs in the town where my ex grew up (she hadn't so much as driven through in over 5 years.) Small town of about 6 or 7000 residents, mostly older folks. Very political area, GOP majority. They got signs on every major road through the town, all the roads entering and leaving, outside of the stores and restaurants, and every decent sized intersection. Yard signs, banners, pole signs. Saturation at it's finest.
Then this Sunday, we headed down to that same town for their annual Octoberfest street fair. Amy got the group an awesome booth location at one of the intersections... there was no way anyone could have missed it. I was only able to stay for about an hour, but they were there all day. And throughout the day, people stopped in and said "Oh, Ron Paul! I've seen his signs all over town!" or asked "Who's this Ron Paul guy? His signs are down near..."
We had maybe 6 people say they've never heard of him. Far more had seen the signs and just weren't sure who he was. A few people had heard of him on talk radio recently, and a couple of folks had been following his career for years.
There was a young woman who stopped in and asked for a yard sign early in the day. She asked how much they were, and we told her that they were free so long as she promised to display it. She seemed thrilled, and asked if she could have two. No problem. Then one of the big 2x4 signs that were propped against the table caught her attention, and her eyes lit up as she asked, "Could I have a big one?!" Her mom looks at her and goes "You are NOT putting that thing in your yard!" She smiled and nodded, and exclaimed that she most certainly was! She lives on a busy street where plenty of people will see it. She went on to explain that she'd worked in DC for a while... and Ron Paul was her favorite congressman while she was there. :D We gladly gave her the giant sign, along with some bumper stickers and literature to share with her friends.
We had a couple people ask why there were signs all over this town, but none or hardly any in the neighboring towns. (We still have work to do!)
We had one couple stop in to tell us that they'd just gotten back from Las Vegas and had seen his signs everywhere and couldn't figure out who he was. They asked if he was being plugged by the unions or something. lol. Nope, just average folks. They loaded up on literature and then headed down to the next booth. A couple hours later, the same couple popped back in the booth and asked if they could have some bumper stickers and pens. Certainly! They ended up taking some Constitution Mosaic flyers and 2 yard signs as well.
We had at least a dozen people stop in and say something to the effect of "I just hope he makes it to the primaries!" or "It's really a shame they're saying he's second tier!" Even more people who were newly introduced to him said they liked what he stood for. One woman asked if she could make a donation on the spot... we gave her a donation form, and then she came back later and asked how much we wanted for a copy of RP's book. I told her that if she promised to pass it along to a friend or family member when she was finished, then it was free. She smiled, put the book in her bag, and said that she'd pass it on AND donate an extra $25 to Ron Paul for it. (We gave away 6 books throughout the day. All to people who inquired about them, and ALL promised to share them when they finished reading.)
A good number of middle aged and older folks wanted to make it known that they always get out and vote. Lots of people added "...and I vote!" after whatever positive comment they had. A few remarked, "I'll look for his name on the ballot!" A handful said they'd watch for him in the debates before making a decision. And hatred of Hillary seemed to be the most common sentiment amongst the people we spoke to. A few anti-Obama folks as well. We had one older gentleman perch himself outside our booth for over an hour, telling everyone who passed that Obama refused to wear a flag pin and that he'd never support such a person. (He wasn't an RP supporter, just a vet who took offense to something that I personally don't see as being a big deal. Most people seemed to laugh him off, but nearly all stopped in our booth after talking to him.)
The best surprise of the day were the three young gentlemen and the cute little girl who showed up at the booth wearing Ron Paul t-shirts and asking, "OK, so now who is this Ron Paul guy?" :D They weren't meetup members, and weren't even from the area. They drove quite a ways to be there though! I'm not sure if they even knew we were going to have a booth... but their sole purpose for being there was to walk around downtown, telling people about Ron Paul. And boy, did they do an awesome job! They gave every vendor a slim jim, they got the county's GOP booth to put out a stack of RP literature, and they walked the street making sure that everyone saw Ron Paul's name a few more times throughout the day. They also managed to give out a few handfuls of Ron Paul buttons, making sure that everyone who got one put it on their shirt or hat immediately.
Towards the end of the afternoon, the county GOP chairman stopped by the booth. He introduced himself, and then immediately proclaimed, "So it's not a joke!" :confused: Haha. He said he'd seen all the Ron Paul signs around town and in peoples yards... but he had no idea who Ron Paul was or where the signs were coming from, and he and his fellow county GOP members had initially assumed that someone was putting them out as a joke! :eek: Well, by the end of the conversation, he was quite interested in learning even more about Ron Paul. He was very impressed with our visible local support, and he invited all RP supporters in the county (and those from surrounding counties) to attend the county's GOP functions. It's a very active county politically, and the GOP has a huge presence there. They have rallies, dinners, booths, and other events nearly every week. The chairman is going to be keeping in touch and will keep us updated on all the local events. This could really give us a huge boost locally. And if we can get one pro-RP county, our neighbors will likely take notice.
Then today, Amy got 2 phone calls from local Ron Paul supporters who had found her number online and wanted to know what was going on. :confused: They googled Ron Paul and the town's name and landed on the meetup page where her number is posted. One guy was a Libertarian who voted for RP in 1988 and just saw the signs popping up in the area locally and wanted to know who was behind it and whether it was a GOP effort or the campaign was sponsoring it, and wanted to know how he could get some signs and help out. Another was a woman asking if we knew how she could get some bumper stickers and literature. She'd been at the booth on Sunday, and just found out about RP for the first time. She's hooked and wants to spread the word, but doesn't use the internet. (Her son found the number for her.)
It's been a really great couple of days for us locally. I'm stoked. And now I can't wait to get out and put up more signs! Now we know for sure that they work, so it seems imperative that we get some up ASAP in the areas that haven't been hit yet. I'd like to find a way to coordinate it so that we can hit them via another avenue after they see the signs though... the one-two effect really does seem to have a great impact. Seeing signs isn't enough. People still don't know who Ron Paul REALLY is, aside from some dude running for president. We need to get the info into their hands so they have that "Oh, the guy with the signs!" reaction and realize that not only does he have loal support, but he has a great message as well!
We recently started branching out to towns in NEPA where we didn't previously have meetup activity. During the Paint the Town weekend, the organizer and her mom ventured out on their own one night and placed appx 80 signs in the town where my ex grew up (she hadn't so much as driven through in over 5 years.) Small town of about 6 or 7000 residents, mostly older folks. Very political area, GOP majority. They got signs on every major road through the town, all the roads entering and leaving, outside of the stores and restaurants, and every decent sized intersection. Yard signs, banners, pole signs. Saturation at it's finest.
Then this Sunday, we headed down to that same town for their annual Octoberfest street fair. Amy got the group an awesome booth location at one of the intersections... there was no way anyone could have missed it. I was only able to stay for about an hour, but they were there all day. And throughout the day, people stopped in and said "Oh, Ron Paul! I've seen his signs all over town!" or asked "Who's this Ron Paul guy? His signs are down near..."
We had maybe 6 people say they've never heard of him. Far more had seen the signs and just weren't sure who he was. A few people had heard of him on talk radio recently, and a couple of folks had been following his career for years.
There was a young woman who stopped in and asked for a yard sign early in the day. She asked how much they were, and we told her that they were free so long as she promised to display it. She seemed thrilled, and asked if she could have two. No problem. Then one of the big 2x4 signs that were propped against the table caught her attention, and her eyes lit up as she asked, "Could I have a big one?!" Her mom looks at her and goes "You are NOT putting that thing in your yard!" She smiled and nodded, and exclaimed that she most certainly was! She lives on a busy street where plenty of people will see it. She went on to explain that she'd worked in DC for a while... and Ron Paul was her favorite congressman while she was there. :D We gladly gave her the giant sign, along with some bumper stickers and literature to share with her friends.
We had a couple people ask why there were signs all over this town, but none or hardly any in the neighboring towns. (We still have work to do!)
We had one couple stop in to tell us that they'd just gotten back from Las Vegas and had seen his signs everywhere and couldn't figure out who he was. They asked if he was being plugged by the unions or something. lol. Nope, just average folks. They loaded up on literature and then headed down to the next booth. A couple hours later, the same couple popped back in the booth and asked if they could have some bumper stickers and pens. Certainly! They ended up taking some Constitution Mosaic flyers and 2 yard signs as well.
We had at least a dozen people stop in and say something to the effect of "I just hope he makes it to the primaries!" or "It's really a shame they're saying he's second tier!" Even more people who were newly introduced to him said they liked what he stood for. One woman asked if she could make a donation on the spot... we gave her a donation form, and then she came back later and asked how much we wanted for a copy of RP's book. I told her that if she promised to pass it along to a friend or family member when she was finished, then it was free. She smiled, put the book in her bag, and said that she'd pass it on AND donate an extra $25 to Ron Paul for it. (We gave away 6 books throughout the day. All to people who inquired about them, and ALL promised to share them when they finished reading.)
A good number of middle aged and older folks wanted to make it known that they always get out and vote. Lots of people added "...and I vote!" after whatever positive comment they had. A few remarked, "I'll look for his name on the ballot!" A handful said they'd watch for him in the debates before making a decision. And hatred of Hillary seemed to be the most common sentiment amongst the people we spoke to. A few anti-Obama folks as well. We had one older gentleman perch himself outside our booth for over an hour, telling everyone who passed that Obama refused to wear a flag pin and that he'd never support such a person. (He wasn't an RP supporter, just a vet who took offense to something that I personally don't see as being a big deal. Most people seemed to laugh him off, but nearly all stopped in our booth after talking to him.)
The best surprise of the day were the three young gentlemen and the cute little girl who showed up at the booth wearing Ron Paul t-shirts and asking, "OK, so now who is this Ron Paul guy?" :D They weren't meetup members, and weren't even from the area. They drove quite a ways to be there though! I'm not sure if they even knew we were going to have a booth... but their sole purpose for being there was to walk around downtown, telling people about Ron Paul. And boy, did they do an awesome job! They gave every vendor a slim jim, they got the county's GOP booth to put out a stack of RP literature, and they walked the street making sure that everyone saw Ron Paul's name a few more times throughout the day. They also managed to give out a few handfuls of Ron Paul buttons, making sure that everyone who got one put it on their shirt or hat immediately.
Towards the end of the afternoon, the county GOP chairman stopped by the booth. He introduced himself, and then immediately proclaimed, "So it's not a joke!" :confused: Haha. He said he'd seen all the Ron Paul signs around town and in peoples yards... but he had no idea who Ron Paul was or where the signs were coming from, and he and his fellow county GOP members had initially assumed that someone was putting them out as a joke! :eek: Well, by the end of the conversation, he was quite interested in learning even more about Ron Paul. He was very impressed with our visible local support, and he invited all RP supporters in the county (and those from surrounding counties) to attend the county's GOP functions. It's a very active county politically, and the GOP has a huge presence there. They have rallies, dinners, booths, and other events nearly every week. The chairman is going to be keeping in touch and will keep us updated on all the local events. This could really give us a huge boost locally. And if we can get one pro-RP county, our neighbors will likely take notice.
Then today, Amy got 2 phone calls from local Ron Paul supporters who had found her number online and wanted to know what was going on. :confused: They googled Ron Paul and the town's name and landed on the meetup page where her number is posted. One guy was a Libertarian who voted for RP in 1988 and just saw the signs popping up in the area locally and wanted to know who was behind it and whether it was a GOP effort or the campaign was sponsoring it, and wanted to know how he could get some signs and help out. Another was a woman asking if we knew how she could get some bumper stickers and literature. She'd been at the booth on Sunday, and just found out about RP for the first time. She's hooked and wants to spread the word, but doesn't use the internet. (Her son found the number for her.)
It's been a really great couple of days for us locally. I'm stoked. And now I can't wait to get out and put up more signs! Now we know for sure that they work, so it seems imperative that we get some up ASAP in the areas that haven't been hit yet. I'd like to find a way to coordinate it so that we can hit them via another avenue after they see the signs though... the one-two effect really does seem to have a great impact. Seeing signs isn't enough. People still don't know who Ron Paul REALLY is, aside from some dude running for president. We need to get the info into their hands so they have that "Oh, the guy with the signs!" reaction and realize that not only does he have loal support, but he has a great message as well!