We need to own CPAC and the AMES straw poll

[Eric21ND]

Not only own them in a commanding fashion, but we need to make these events HUGE!!! The campaign and all of us cannot afford to go cheap on these events, they will dominate the media for months afterwards.

These events need to be in the same league as the Rally for the Republic.

[qwerty]

YouTube - CPAC 2011 Is Coming! Get Your Tickets Now! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxpIqOxda54)


:cool:

[Eric21ND]

When exactly is CPAC and AMES taking place, anyone have the dates?

[Cherder]

When exactly is CPAC and AMES taking place, anyone have the dates?

CPAC is February 10-12 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel

[CaseyJones]

The Ames Straw Poll is a straw poll that takes place in Ames, Iowa, on a Saturday in August of years in an election cycle in which the Republican presidential nomination seems to be undecided

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ames_Straw_Poll

[JS4Pat]

I am going up from Florida and ready to help in any way I can!

Ron Paul must win that Presidential Straw Poll. This year's CPAC is going to be an epic battle for the soul of the GOP. We need to make sure that the issues of sound money, non-interventionism, and civil liberties dominate. We also have to WIN people over - not FIGHT them. The fighting served its purpose in 2007 and probably helped in building the base of the liberty movement but now we have to play SMARTER...

Ideas?

[Agorism]

That straw poll will not be easy to win. Only 119,188 votes at the Iowa Caucus for GOP side. Paul got 10% in the actual Iowa caucus vote, which translated into 11,841 votes.

To win the Iowa Straw poll, we need roughly half of our total voters from last time to show up in one town....for a straw poll if we want to win because it takes about 5000 votes to win in Ames. Of course everyone knows the straw poll is really important so a lot of people do show up. Paul received 1,305 votes in the 2007 Ames Straw poll. His support statewide had not materialized yet at that time though (I doubt he was polling anywhere near 10% yet.) But beyond that, CPAC is first and more important right now if we want to have any shot at momentum.

Here's a graph of Paul's polling Iowa from wikipedia so you can see his polling statewide at the time of the straw poll. The Straw poll is done in the first Saturday in August (2007 in this case.) However, I remember Paul polling 10-13% or so and he's much lower here so this doesn't make sense, but u can see that he didn't reach his full level of support for the straw poll.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/aa/2008_GOP_Iowa.png

[Eric21ND]

I am going up from Florida and ready to help in any way I can!

Ron Paul must win that Presidential Straw Poll. This year's CPAC is going to be an epic battle for the soul of the GOP. We need to make sure that the issues of sound money, non-interventionism, and civil liberties dominate. We also have to WIN people over - not FIGHT them. The fighting served its purpose in 2007 and probably helped in building the base of the liberty movement but now we have to play SMARTER...

Ideas?
You'll run into a lot of people that like Ron Paul's domestic agenda, but can't swallow the foreign policy. I'd just tell them that the wars are winding down anyway, RP will just do it in a more economically efficient matter. :rolleyes:

[Eric21ND]

The Ames Straw Poll is a straw poll that takes place in Ames, Iowa, on a Saturday in August of years in an election cycle in which the Republican presidential nomination seems to be undecided

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ames_Straw_Poll
So either the 6th or 13th of August most likely.

[Eric21ND]

I think Ron got like 8% of the Ames straw poll vote, which is around where he was polling. I agree his climb was much more gradual in Iowa, but nearly 12,000 votes in the Iowa Caucus at that juncture isn't nothing to sneeze at. Of course we must do better. I think Palin running would actually help us cut into Huckabee's evangelical support. If Palin can divide the social conservatives, than we have a shot at winning Iowa outright.

We also have to make inroads among the social conservatives/evangelicals....as an atheist that leaves a lump in my throat, but we have to win at least 20-30% of these people to our side. Huckster and Palin can divide the other 60-70% among themselves.

[Eric21ND]

I am going up from Florida and ready to help in any way I can!

Ron Paul must win that Presidential Straw Poll. This year's CPAC is going to be an epic battle for the soul of the GOP. We need to make sure that the issues of sound money, non-interventionism, and civil liberties dominate. We also have to WIN people over - not FIGHT them. The fighting served its purpose in 2007 and probably helped in building the base of the liberty movement but now we have to play SMARTER...

Ideas?
I also recommend bringing lots of family and friends with you :D Maybe even spread it around your area you plan to attend and if you get enough interest you all could rent a shuttle bus or something.