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Spirit of '76
10-15-2007, 07:22 PM
WV will be the first state to announce its nominee on Super Tuesday, February 5th. The nominee's name will be released to the press early in the day, leaving them to gnaw on it until the other states count their votes that night.

Sadly, that nominee's name will not be Ron Paul.

The nominee will be chosen through a new closed convention process in which the delegates are chosen in manners to be determined by each county's Republican Executive Committee, though the members of those committees themselves are automatically delegates.

Each county does have a prescribed number of "at large" delegates, to be decided on via a new online voting process. We had assumed that this would be our strength, but we are quickly discovering that it will not be so.

People attempting to register for the online voting process and for running as at large delegates are now reporting that they are not allowed to register if they changed parties within the past 60 days. This nullifies what little support we had here already.

In other counties, internet usage is not a given, so finding enough sympathetic Republican voters to make a difference is proving to be difficult, if not impossible.

We have tried to keep the campaign apprised of the situation, but have received virtually no help aside from a brief visit by Anita Andrews. We have requested a state HQ, a state coordinator, anything... but received none of it.

All of us working for Ron here are rank amateurs at the world of campaigning. We also have jobs and responsibilities of our own that we cannot put aside to travel around the state on our own dimes and try to recruit voters and delegates.

On the other hand, Fred Thompson has a paid state coordinator -- a prominent WV campaign strategist -- working for him here. So do Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani, who have both also made numerous visits to our state in support of their campaigns.

I hope the campaign staff remembers this on February 5th, when the media spends the whole day talking about how WV nominated Rudy Rompson.

BLS
10-15-2007, 07:26 PM
Well, WHAT THE F?

Man....I AM SO SICK AND TIRED OF THIS CRAP.

WE ARE BEING STRIPPED OF OUR RIGHTS TO EVEN VOTE NOW.

Spirit of '76
10-15-2007, 07:29 PM
WE ARE BEING STRIPPED OF OUR RIGHTS TO EVEN VOTE NOW.

The irony is that the WVGOP Convention chairman went on the radio spouting some line of bull about how this was a chance for victory by an "underdog" who can "get his message to the people".

Seems the message won't get to the people. At least not the "right" people.

Mr. White
10-15-2007, 07:30 PM
Well, WHAT THE F?

Man....I AM SO SICK AND TIRED OF THIS CRAP.

WE ARE BEING STRIPPED OF OUR RIGHTS TO EVEN VOTE NOW.

You live in West V? It sucks but its a west V repub problem which will hopefully cause them some shit down the road. Doesn't help us out though :(.

Thanks for the headsup.

Spirit of '76
10-15-2007, 07:36 PM
It sucks but its a west V repub problem ...


It's a Ron Paul problem, really. That's 30 delegates to the RNC who are bound by winner-take-all nonsense to vote for whomever the convention decides. I predict that will be Mitt Romney, judging by the fact that the party hacks I talk to around here seem mainly to be backing him.

The only way to change this is for Ron Paul to come here, which shouldn't be hard since most parts of this state are less than a half-hour flight from Washington, and to spend a little money on some advertising here. Of course, this needs to start happening before the registration deadline of November 30.

They already paid the fees to participate in the convention. I hope they're not just viewing it as a write-off.

bbachtung
10-15-2007, 07:38 PM
The people being turned down for the online registration need to raise hell because the WV GOP's website (http://www.wvgopconvention.com/onlinevoting/) for the presidential primary states the following:



All registered Republicans may participate in the election of delegates to the State Convention. Voting will be on-line. Additionally, a county may decide to hold a county convention.


Oh, and here (http://www.wvgopconvention.com/content/img/f42047/Application_for_On_Line_Voting_mail.pdf) is the application, in PDF, which states the following:



You must be a Republican, registered on or before November 30, 2007, to be eligible to vote in the
election.

Spirit of '76
10-15-2007, 07:41 PM
The people being turned down for the online registration need to raise hell because the WV GOP's website (http://www.wvgopconvention.com/onlinevoting/) for the presidential primary states the following:

Very true, but even if we get those people in, that still will only net us a handful of voters/delegates.

anewvoice
10-15-2007, 07:41 PM
Can anyone describe details on the National Convention? If all the delegates go to Minnesota (?), and it is their votes that choose the candidate, are there any items of recourse?

Someone has mentioned something about the campaign going to the convention to speak? Does that mean Ron Paul can speak to the delegates directly?

Have prior candidates' supporters ever attended the conventions in an un-official manner, an outside rally?

bbachtung
10-15-2007, 07:46 PM
Very true, but even if we get those people in, that still will only net us a handful of voters/delegates.

With such a crowded field, ANY delegates are going to be a good thing because the more fractured the vote, the better off RP is (it will lengthen the primary process and make later states more important).

McDermit
10-15-2007, 07:51 PM
Someone has mentioned something about the campaign going to the convention to speak? Does that mean Ron Paul can speak to the delegates directly?
Yes. Candidates *should* be given the opportunity to speak at the convention.

McDermit
10-15-2007, 07:52 PM
And we should all be working on becoming delegates in our respective state, if it's possible. HQ is working on this in some states, but others have yet to even hear about it.

Spirit of '76
10-15-2007, 07:54 PM
With such a crowded field, ANY delegates are going to be a good thing because the more fractured the vote, the better off RP is (it will lengthen the primary process and make later states more important).

No, I'm talking about delegates to the WV GOP Convention. I think we have a little over 30 delegates lined up for Ron out of a total 1,446 delegates to the convention.

The nominee chosen at the convention will appoint his own slate of delegates to attend the Republican National Convention.

mdh
10-15-2007, 08:15 PM
Don't feel down, buddy - new things are in the pipeline.

Call me if you're really curious, otherwise I'll write you about it later...

Bryan
10-15-2007, 08:28 PM
Here's my thought on this. Much of what we do on the grassroots level will either be magnified or nullified by what happens on the national stage. For example, if Ron Paul bombs a debate or something (not going to happen) then all the grassroots efforts in the world can't change anything. But if Dr. Paul hits some big homeruns in the near future with excellent media coverage and all there can be a flood of new supporters coming into the fold which the grassroots needs to be prepared to absorb and maximize for these primary conventions.

Please keep us posted.

Spirit of '76
10-16-2007, 04:40 AM
If Ron wants to win this state, he's got to make it look like he wants to win this state.

And it has to happen soon.

walt
10-16-2007, 04:52 AM
Have you tried contacting local press? smaller newspapers without alot of stories are more likely to listen.

Badger Paul
10-16-2007, 07:39 AM
I appreciate the work people are trying to do in West Virigina to line-up delegates but we all should understand one thing:

What will happen in that convention on Feb. 5 will ultimately be tied to what happens in January.

Look, the only way RP can win is IF he can win the small states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. If he does well in these states, enough money and momentum and support will roll into the campaign to helped in big states like Michigan and Florida and eventually Super Tuesday where 16 states will be voting which should overshadow this rinky-dink convention they're organizing in West Virginia to benefit party insiders.

Mitt Romney may have support from party insiders now, but let me tell you, if his camapaign is dead in the water on Feb. 5, you think they're going to support him on the convention floor? Nope. Political machinery is pretty fickle. Nobody wants to back a loser.

They're going to support the guy who looks like he's got the momentum and looks like he's going to win the nomination.

And hopefully by then, after a successful month of January, that will be Ron Paul.

Momentum and precpetion of inevitablility, those will be our key allies IF we do well in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.

speciallyblend
10-16-2007, 07:44 AM
I hear you,but in reality,any state that doesnt nominate Ron Paul,just means the gop is dead in the water and will lose the general election.The point i would spread in WV and other places is simple.THE GOP IS DEAD IN THE WATER WITHOUT RON PAUL.IF WV or any state ignore ron paul,LEAVE THE GOP and let it flop around as you watch them die and lose the general election.

Matt Collins
10-16-2007, 09:55 AM
We should sue on the grounds that West Virginia is not Constitutionally a State and was an illegal creation of Lincoln. It just might fly.

Bradley in DC
10-16-2007, 09:59 AM
We should sue on the grounds that West Virginia is not Constitutionally a State and was an illegal creation of Lincoln. It just might fly.

Yeah, that'll endure us to the people there. :rolleyes:

I've emailed and spoken on the phone with the head of the WV party there who has been very helpful and responsive with no animosity at all towards Dr. Paul or his supporters.

Matt Collins
10-16-2007, 10:05 AM
Yeah, that'll endure us to the people there. :rolleyes: Hey, facts are facts.

Spirit of '76
10-16-2007, 10:28 AM
I've emailed and spoken on the phone with the head of the WV party there who has been very helpful and responsive with no animosity at all towards Dr. Paul or his supporters.

Dr. McKinney? Yeah, he's been very nice to me, and has invited me to speak at several events. His wife is the chair of my county's Republican Executive Committee. They're both backing Mitt, but they have been cordial.

Still, I can't help but think that this new system stacks the cards against us.

Badger raises some very valid points above, but I still believe that if Ron wants to win this state he should at least visit. Hell, parts of WV are a thirty minute car ride from DC. The whole state is within 20-30 minutes by air. I know he's busy, and other states have higher priority, but it'd go a long way.

Rudy and Mitt have found time to be here several times each.

Daveforliberty
10-16-2007, 10:31 AM
Rudy and Mitt don't have jobs.

mdh
10-16-2007, 10:51 AM
Ron Paul should definitly visit WV. I strongly agree on that point.

What this whole thing comes down to is, in my opinion, an attempt by a GOP that does not get much support to be relevant on the national stage. WV is a heavily Democratic state. Does the system stack the cards against us? In a way, sure, it also lowers the bar in other ways. Overall, I'd say it makes things harder than it makes them easier. That said, we have an opportunity to appeal to a smaller group of people and give them what they want.

Romney isn't in the lead here because he's a Mormon, he's in the lead here because he's a businessman. McKinney and several members of the GOP state EC are apparently actually friendly with libertarians around the state on economic grounds; our problem with actually garnering support from them is the war. We have a chance here, though, so build - to quote Bradley - broad coalitions and get these people on board, though. It is not hopeless. Know your demographics.

Spirit of '76
10-16-2007, 11:06 AM
Matt, I'm with you on that.

I guess I'm just wishing for more guidance and/or participation from the campaign. I just have a sinking feeling that there are too few of us here to affect real change.

Please email me regarding the new developments you mentioned.

Akus
10-16-2007, 11:19 AM
hey spirit of 76 do you think you can take advantage of this

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?p=277767#post277767

Spirit of '76
10-16-2007, 11:26 AM
hey spirit of 76 do you think you can take advantage of this

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?p=277767#post277767

Not sure exactly how.

I s'pose it depends on what they say at the press conference and how much media attention it actually garners.

Akus
10-16-2007, 11:27 AM
Yeah, that'll endure us to the people there. :rolleyes:

I've emailed and spoken on the phone with the head of the WV party there who has been very helpful and responsive with no animosity at all towards Dr. Paul or his supporters.

You meant endear, didnt' you.;)

Akus
10-16-2007, 11:28 AM
Not sure exactly how.

I s'pose it depends on what they say at the press conference and how much media attention it actually garners.

COntact them and say, hey, this is WV RP supporter and we're dying over here, send us RP, we're close, blah blah blah

Matt Collins
10-16-2007, 12:13 PM
I guess I'm just wishing for more guidance and/or participation from the campaign. I just have a sinking feeling that there are too few of us here to affect real change.You can't depend on campaign HQ for ANYTHING.

WE HAVE TO DO THIS OURSELVES!!!


See this post:
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=25536

bbachtung
10-16-2007, 12:46 PM
We should sue on the grounds that West Virginia is not Constitutionally a State and was an illegal creation of Lincoln. It just might fly.

I actually saw a fairly well-researched law review article on that topic a few years ago. It is ironic that West Virginia seceded from Virginia when Virginia seceded from the Union, and that after the War for Southern Independence the U.S. government (which was very anti-secession, of course) didn't return West Virginia to Virginia to fully restore the Union to its pre-war condition.

Suzu
10-16-2007, 01:04 PM
I think we have a little over 30 delegates lined up for Ron out of a total 1,446

In that case let me suggest an emergency strategy. What you need is about 1,400 copies of a good Ron Paul DVD, put into the hands of all the non-Paul delegates, ASAP, so Ron can sell himself without being physically present. And include a short letter with each DVD, asking them not to commit themselves before viewing the DVD.

Can the WV contingent manage that? If not, what help do you need from the rest of us?

jmdrake
10-16-2007, 01:18 PM
WV will be the first state to announce its nominee on Super Tuesday, February 5th. The nominee's name will be released to the press early in the day, leaving them to gnaw on it until the other states count their votes that night.

Sadly, that nominee's name will not be Ron Paul.

The nominee will be chosen through a new closed convention process in which the delegates are chosen in manners to be determined by each county's Republican Executive Committee, though the members of those committees themselves are automatically delegates.

Each county does have a prescribed number of "at large" delegates, to be decided on via a new online voting process. We had assumed that this would be our strength, but we are quickly discovering that it will not be so.

People attempting to register for the online voting process and for running as at large delegates are now reporting that they are not allowed to register if they changed parties within the past 60 days. This nullifies what little support we had here already.

In other counties, internet usage is not a given, so finding enough sympathetic Republican voters to make a difference is proving to be difficult, if not impossible.

We have tried to keep the campaign apprised of the situation, but have received virtually no help aside from a brief visit by Anita Andrews. We have requested a state HQ, a state coordinator, anything... but received none of it.

All of us working for Ron here are rank amateurs at the world of campaigning. We also have jobs and responsibilities of our own that we cannot put aside to travel around the state on our own dimes and try to recruit voters and delegates.

On the other hand, Fred Thompson has a paid state coordinator -- a prominent WV campaign strategist -- working for him here. So do Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani, who have both also made numerous visits to our state in support of their campaigns.

I hope the campaign staff remembers this on February 5th, when the media spends the whole day talking about how WV nominated Rudy Rompson.

I hear your frustration. All I can say is this really is a bottom up campaign. Here in Tennessee our statewide coordinator is a meetup organizer and a volunteer. (We are the volunteer state. ;)) We got the Anita Andrews visit which was VERY helpful. Dr. Paul did come for the statewide rally but it wasn't on a whim. The rally had long been planned by local Meetup volunteers and most of the legwork was done locally. Had Ron Paul not been able to come there still would have been a rally, although his appearance greatly increased the attendance I'm sure. I guess what I'm saying is, give it your best shot. Pull together the biggest statewide rally you can muster. Invite the campaign to come but realize they're working on a tight schedule and limited budget. And as someone else said, if there is anything any other meetup groups can do let us know.

Regards,

John M. Drake

Inflation
10-16-2007, 01:19 PM
This is a guerilla war we're fighting. We live off the land because there are no supply lines for us. We attack the other candidates' resources and take what we need.
Think asymmetrical, think force multipliers. And don't lose the Spirit of '76.

Badger Paul
10-16-2007, 01:46 PM
Again, recruit the students at places like WVU and Marshall. They're going to be your best bets for delegates

pyrazole2
10-16-2007, 02:36 PM
I've been feeling the same kind of thing, Spirit. Luckily, I'm 48 seconds away (depends on traffic) from crossing the river into OH, things look a little more doable over there, although the primary is later.

Very sad that we had quite a push and spent a chunk of money to get people with us and registered...only to have them change the rules AGAIN! We were worried, for good reason, I guess.

As far as what we can do now? What do we need and in what order?
1) Ron Paul Rally to lift our "spirit"s and get media.
2) money for republican voter lists (which I hear the campaign already has but don't respond when we ask), DVD's, etc.
3) someone who has time to manage said money
4) volunteers
5) uppers to keep volunteers moving quickly

A problem I've faced with pre-registered republicans is lack of internet access...and hotspots, forget about it, it's WV. Our slogan should be [hillbilly accent]'you can't get cancer from radio waves here 'cause there aren't any flyin' around'[/hillbilly accent]. The guy who hooked up my cable broadband said there was only about 300 or so cable broadband customers in Parkersburg (pop. 35,000). People are not well off here and I blame the Democrats...not Byrd, but all the others. And I'm sure the brilliant idea of table gaming will fix everything. But I digress....
...Anyway, so I offer to let them use my broadband connection. It's very hard to convince someone to come over to register, come back to get their username/password, come over again to actually vote. They just go back into apathy mode. It's not so bad to get them to go to a polling place...if we only had it that easy. What do you think about the May primary...we could still work on the what, 6 or 9 delegates left...it's something at least.