I need help to become a delegate!

[Libertydad88]

Ok, I have decided to join my local GOP and try to become a delegate. I just have one several problems...

1. I look like a mess. I should obviously get a hair cut, but after that how "dressy" should I look? casual? business?

2. Every time I open my mouth about politics it's hard to keep anything but the most extreme, principled views from coming out.. and in a very unorganized way. I need to find a way to tone down my rhetoric and become a better speaker in general. Also, when around new people i tend to put up a front, and as a result i act a bit antisocial...

3. I have no idea how the delegate process works. I don't want to walk in and say "Time to take back the GOP, bitches!", but I also don't want to seem so timid that they won't consider me as a leader.

4. I'm completely ass-broke.

Can anyone give me any advice? Would joining a toastmasters group work? Should I be obviously Ron Paul or stay in the closet? I really want to do everything I can, I just need advice on how to do it...

Any resources on learning how to speak in public, how the system works, any inside knowledge on how the GOP likes to nominate? ANYTHING!

[QueenB4Liberty]

I'm interested in this as well.

[angelatc]

It probably varies from state to state. You should contact your local C4L coordinator - they're up to speed locally.

Here in Michigan, we put our names on the ballot for the primary election. In most cases here, that was enough to get a precinct delegate slot. Some precincts had more candidates than delegate positions available though, so the person with the most votes won. There were about 150 total delegates from my county.

All those delegates went to the county convention, where they voted to select 52 people who will then attend the state convention as voting delegates.

I didn't get a delegate position, but my husband did. I'm floored at all the attention he's getting from the candidates.

[t0rnado]

This all depends upon what state you are in. Some states nominate and choose their delegates at state GOP conventions and county GOP conventions, which usually occur after primaries, while in other states, you need to collect signatures to be placed on a ballot.

You don't need a haircut or a suit to become a delegate. You just need to show up at the state conventions for the most part. You don't have to to hide your views either if the Ron Paul supporters at the convention are in the majority, but tone it down if they aren't. You won't have more than a couple of minutes to make a speech at the conventions.

Read some of Robert's Rules of Order and try to get a Ron Paul supporter or sympathizer voted as the chairman of the convention.

[ronpaulhawaii]

Ok, I have decided to join my local GOP and try to become a delegate. I just have one several problems...

1. I look like a mess. I should obviously get a hair cut, but after that how "dressy" should I look? casual? business?

2. Every time I open my mouth about politics it's hard to keep anything but the most extreme, principled views from coming out.. and in a very unorganized way. I need to find a way to tone down my rhetoric and become a better speaker in general. Also, when around new people i tend to put up a front, and as a result i act a bit antisocial...

3. I have no idea how the delegate process works. I don't want to walk in and say "Time to take back the GOP, bitches!", but I also don't want to seem so timid that they won't consider me as a leader.

4. I'm completely ass-broke.

Can anyone give me any advice? Would joining a toastmasters group work? Should I be obviously Ron Paul or stay in the closet? I really want to do everything I can, I just need advice on how to do it...

Any resources on learning how to speak in public, how the system works, any inside knowledge on how the GOP likes to nominate? ANYTHING!

1- You might not need a haircut, clean and combed is usually good. Most people are surprised by the variety of folk who get involved. Same with clothes, dress for the event...

2- Toastmasters might be good. When just starting out try to do more listening than talking. Being quiet can be "a front", as well...

3- By getting involved now you have a better chance of working your way into a delegate slot. I did not go through the process so others will have better thoughts on that.

4- It might be a good place to find some side jobs :D

Good on ya for stepping up

[Libertydad88]

I'm in Riverside County, CA. Don't I need to win the support of the county GOP before moving up? Don't I need *everyone* to like me? You make it sound so simple!

In any case, I'll check out Robert's Rules of Order in the meantime.

Any other advise?

[Koz]

I wear a suit as part of my daily work life, people do show you more respect. I am always just about the best dressed guy in the room and I spend very little to do so.

You can buy a suit for about $200 at Stein Mart or a discount suit dealer in any major city. If you don't have a suit, buy a navy blue suit as your first color, you can use the suit coat with tan trousers as well, or even jeans, it will go with just about anything. Spend a few bucks to get it taken in our out so it fits right.

Do not buy ties for more than $10, to to TJ Maxx, Stein Mart or Marshalls and pick through them. They have $50 ties for $10. Buy striped and solid ties only. Simple but classic. Only buy white and powder blue shirts, because you can mix and match them.

As far as being comfortable talking to people, start slowly and develop a few talking points, something you can repeat any time with clarity and get your point across. In business I have hundreds of conversations with people, but they are always the same or similar conversations that I have in a coversational manner. People think I am talking off the top of my head because I have said it so many times. Practice iwth your dog, sister, wife, etc.

If you walk into a room where you don't know anyone do not worry, no one is paying attention to you. Try to find someone that is alone and go up and introduce yourself to them. Many people go to these types of meetings not knowing anyone. Make it your goal to connect with two people at every function. After a few functions you will know several people in the room, then they will start introducing you to others.

I have no clue about the other stuff.

[WaltM]

I'm in Riverside County, CA. Don't I need to win the support of the county GOP before moving up? Don't I need *everyone* to like me? You make it sound so simple!

In any case, I'll check out Robert's Rules of Order in the meantime.

Any other advise?

stay away from conman George Hemminger

[QueenB4Liberty]

I remember going to vote in the primary in Austin in 2008 (Democrat) and we just wrote Obama's name down. I wasn't a delegate or anything but I think that was going on in the same room. I'm in TX if someone wants to help me out.

[angelatc]

You won't have more than a couple of minutes to make a speech at the conventions.

That's the truth. If you're trying to win votes, I noticed that everybody was touting the constitution, pro-life, gun rights. The people that stood out were people who talked about projects they had been specifically involved with, and people that had obviously researched the candidates.

[ronpaulhawaii]

I don't know this guy, but he is FB friends with some good friends of mine in CA. He is probably an RP supporter and should be able to help you

http://ryanmagnon.com/

[Libertydad88]

I don't know this guy, but he is FB friends with some good friends of mine in CA. He is probably an RP supporter and should be able to help you

http://ryanmagnon.com/

I looked him up, seems spot on. He's the organizer of the Riverside Republican Liberty Caucus Meetup, which I joined. Thanks for the hookup!

Hopefully he'll be at the next GOP county meeting then I can get some "insider" info and get the ball rolling.

Thanks for the advice everyone...

For Ron!

[Bergie Bergeron]

bump

[speciallyblend]

Libertydad88 , awesome:) just be yourself and get involved . that is half the battle;)

we should find a wealthy donor and everytime some registers republican for Ron Paul a small donation is made and everytime one becomes a delegate more is donated! any rich folks game???

[speciallyblend]

I looked him up, seems spot on. He's the organizer of the Riverside Republican Liberty Caucus Meetup, which I joined. Thanks for the hookup!

Hopefully he'll be at the next GOP county meeting then I can get some "insider" info and get the ball rolling.

Thanks for the advice everyone...

For Ron!

instant message him on fb and make sure he goes with you;)

[Libertydad88]

instant message him on fb and make sure he goes with you;)

Well, in order to do that, I would need a FB account.


Not a horrible idea though. I knew that one day I would get sucked back in to the social engineering networking nightmare...

[Bergie Bergeron]

You don't need to add anyone, just make the account and message him.

[speciallyblend]

Well, in order to do that, I would need a FB account.


Not a horrible idea though. I knew that one day I would get sucked back in to the social engineering networking nightmare...

Welcome to the Ron Paul GOP. You are not alone:)

you have got me even more excited:) watch out RPF:):):):):)

the so-called ron paul supporters that are not registered republican? I will be your worse nightmare until you register Republican. I might even be banned;)

[speciallyblend]

blimpin, this is the type of threads that will get Ron Paul 2012 the gop nomination;)

[Libertydad88]

I found my old account and re-activated/updated it...

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/profile.php?id=649230941&v=info

You like?

/throws up


For... Ron...

[Son of Detroit]

Angelatc,

I'm thinking about trying to become a delegate myself. It's nice to have someone on here from Michigan who is familiar with the process.

What's my first step? I'm in Oakland County, but it shouldn't be much different than in your county right?

[muzzled dogg]

We all need to be delegates

[TheTyke]

I remember going to vote in the primary in Austin in 2008 (Democrat) and we just wrote Obama's name down. I wasn't a delegate or anything but I think that was going on in the same room. I'm in TX if someone wants to help me out.

Perhaps you can get in contact with CFL, or perhaps We Texans? That's Debra Medina's group, and if I recall she was instrumental in organizing convention efforts and even ran for state chair.

THANK YOU to everyone willing to get involved and do this! This is what we need more than anything else... real change comes from constitutionalists directing the party instead of leaving it up to the neocons.

I do think we need an organization to coordinate all this... we should be able to supply contact information and convention rules to anyone who asks, right away! The campaign barely kept us informed in KY, and most of our research was done on our own... I wonder if CFL will do a better job, or if we need to start our own?

I've pondered the merits of making a "Constitutional Delegates" website promoting delegate involvement, and trying to collect and disseminate local party rules... there could even be a moneybomb-style pledge counter for people willing to be delegates for Ron. The downside would be our competition could sign up and learn the rules too but that seems a small threat to me considering most of "them" are already the Establishment and our people benefit more from this. Plus, it'd be great if we could generate a buzz, make videos, etc. and get people aware early. Any thoughts on this?

[speciallyblend]

Perhaps you can get in contact with CFL, or perhaps We Texans? That's Debra Medina's group, and if I recall she was instrumental in organizing convention efforts and even ran for state chair.

THANK YOU to everyone willing to get involved and do this! This is what we need more than anything else... real change comes from constitutionalists directing the party instead of leaving it up to the neocons.

I do think we need an organization to coordinate all this... we should be able to supply contact information and convention rules to anyone who asks, right away! The campaign barely kept us informed in KY, and most of our research was done on our own... I wonder if CFL will do a better job, or if we need to start our own?

I've pondered the merits of making a "Constitutional Delegates" website promoting delegate involvement, and trying to collect and disseminate local party rules... there could even be a moneybomb-style pledge counter for people willing to be delegates for Ron. The downside would be our competition could sign up and learn the rules too but that seems a small threat to me considering most of "them" are already the Establishment and our people benefit more from this. Plus, it'd be great if we could generate a buzz, make videos, etc. and get people aware early. Any thoughts on this?

yes i totally agree;) our #1 goal should be getting every ron paul supporter to register republican and get involved and become a delegate!!
If they are unable to do this. Then they are ignoring Ron paul and i doubt their honest support! anyone that can bitch about securing the nomination for Ron paul in the gop should ask any early ron paul forum member? If i(kenny) can join the gop and i have for 4 yrs. There is 0 excuse for anyone to register republican and get involved and become a delegate! If your unwilling to do this simple thing that Ron Paul asked you to do not me! Then honestly stop now! your wasting everyone's time and money!!!!! especially Ron Paul's Money!!!!!

our only focus should be registering republicans and getting involved! aravoth we need your help and all you tubers and the internet tubes! great idea tyke ,about organizing rules and info for states to help ron paul supporters become Ron Paul Republicans anything less is a waste of time!!!

ps dannno check your messages/mail

[speciallyblend]

tyke, if you approach the constitutional delegate angle! Couldn't we form this as a pac and actually endorse constitutional republicans and candidates from all parties? this is legal right?? Ron paul sets the bar for politicians, so endorsements would be fairly easy? just tossing ideas!! we could more effective as a pac maybe!!

[Libertydad88]

Update: Ryan Magnon has been incredibly receptive to me, and has given me a fairly simple outline on how to accomplish my goals. It turns out he is also in C4L...

I would encourage anyone willing to get involved yet unsure about it to first check in with your local C4L and let them know what you want to do. This was the same advice given to me, and it deserves to be repeated.

I really like the idea of a centralized delegate assistance program for Ron Paulers!

[TheTyke]

Glad to hear CFL has been so helpful! I noticed on the County Coordinator page, they have a place to submit all kinds of information, from voter demographics to Republican Party rules etc. That sort of mechanism could wield immense power if utilized properly. Unfortunately, I never got around to submitting all that info, and the forms were buried so deep in the website, I was afraid few others had either.

That's an interesting thought, SB. We'd have to check the rules, I think candidate supporting PACs have different tax rules or something (which is why CFL went "educational" instead?) I'm going to be pretty tied up for the next few months, being that I'm in KY supporting Rand and also running for office myself (which I'll probably post about in a week or two)... but we definitely need an easy mechanism to A) Advertise and inform people of the benefits of becoming delegates, B) Provide easy access to local party rules and C) Motivate and help activists to network and get in the game.

Perhaps we should contact CFL and see if they're confident they can do this. If they don't have a clue what we're talking about, we might do our own. :)

[muzzled dogg]

this thread has to be moved to the rp2012 subforum

[Melissa]

I love that so many are willing to be be delegates. I have been one in 2008 and 2010 and will try again in 2012. The next election is very very important as the state delegates determine their national delegates and the state delegates also vote on the electorial college people. Get informed every state is different and I know that CFL coordinators would love to help anyone in this process.

[angelatc]

I am so sorry I did not see this. 4 months later....

To be a delegate, you have to put your name on the ballot. I think the next opportunity will be in 2012. In our township, there were two people on the ballot, plus two blank positions. My husband and I wrote each other in, and voted for each other. One other person did the same thing, and her husband voted for her, so there was a 3 way tie - I lost a straw draw but it's all good.

The best advice I can give is to start going to your county GOP meetings. It is usually once a month. In my county, delegates can be replaced by the committee if they leave their position (some people move, run out of time, etc etc). If they know who you are from seeing you at all the meetings, getting them to appoint you shouldn't be an issue.

What county / township are you in?

[Elwar]

Join Toastmasters.

I joined about 3 months ago. It cost $35.

Not only does it help with giving speeches, it helps your communication skills in every day life.

I gave a fairly decent impromptu speech this past meeting. It was a liberal giving me the topic which was "what is the most important thing we can do to help our community and our world"...I gave a speech about looking at yourself and taking care of your own self and your own family before ever considering the lives of others.

Had I been given that topic before toastmasters I would've stumbled all over myself as my mind raced in every different direction trying to spout off the benefits of liberty. In this case he came back with a positive comment saying that it was sound advice.

[muzzled dogg]

i'll look in to this toastmasters