Reality Check

[justinc.1089]

I think some people here need a reality check about things.

1. Money.

Just because we stunned everyone raising $5 million does not mean we're going to stun them again, or that we will gain tons of donating supporters and be able to raise even more money this time.

Even if we do gain a lot of donations from new support, and we will, it may only end up equaling out and compensating for the lack of donations that is going to happen due to holidays. People are going to spend money then and donate less, a lot less.

The fundraising is failing right now. We're not meeting our October goal, and people are talking about how we can reach outrageous goals because the math seems good. Well if we can't even reach the monthly goal how can we possibly reach some huge goal?

2. Name recognition and Polls

Ron Paul still has very little name recognition because while we're on the internet and look for him, and see him everywhere here, they look on CNN and Fox seldomly. And Paul is not on there. So they don't know about him. The people that do know about him know about him only because of the debates. If he was not in the debates almost no one would know about him.

Paul is doing good in some polls while terrible in others. This is not a result of extreme bias, although there is some bias but not extreme, it is a result of people liking Paul but not thinking he has a shot at winning. This along with the people that don't know about him cause him to be polling low.

No matter what you think you must come to realize reality is that at least SOME of these polls are accurate, and that Paul is NOT polling where he needs to be. We need to quit taking comfort in the fact that people are choosing him in some polls because in others they are not.

3. Offline Hard Work

If we're going to win this you are going to have to take this energy to places other than the internet to help spread Paul's name and therefore also help to raise more money for him, and help him in polls, and ultimately get votes.

Only consistent, constant hard campaigning, as in like 10 hours a week of work, is going to possibly win this. We need ALL 50,000 people putting in 10 hours a week to win. And sitting behind your computer does not count because we already dominate the internet. Lets go dominate the streets now.

[goRPaul]

"All I want for Christmas is my country back!" <<--- This Christmas season has Ron's name all over it.

[militant]

sobering, but too pessimistic i think. good to kick us in the butts and remind us not to start partying just yet. i know one of my biggest jobs over the next week or two is to motivate as many people as i can, so we have the apparatus in place come january.

[justinc.1089]

Sorry for sounding a little pessismistic but I am pessismistic about how people seem to be in their own little bubble on here sometimes. A bubble world isn't going to translate to the real world lol. I just want to get people to remember they have to MAKE this happen you know?

[blamx8]

Hey Justin,
I'm the one that threw out the math. It wasn't intended to say take it easy, instead I wanted to show that with it that our hard effort could make the same thing happen this quarter as we have seen the previous three quarters.
I've been reading on this board for quite a few months and I know that sometimes I felt discouraged about getting the word out with success. I put that post on here as encouragement for those who need it. I'm thrilled about the growth we've seen., and I say we can continue to see similar growth if we kick it in the pants.

[Craig_R]

If we're going to win this you are going to have to take this energy to places other than the internet.

Leave my parents basement? heck no. :rolleyes:

[NewEnd]

I say, post newer, more pessimistic threads on ronpaulforums, encouraging everybody else to work harder.

That's how I am going to contribute.

[davidhperry]

Thanks for the post - I agree with your assessment. This is not Ron Pauls race to lose - we need to fight for every inch. The main thing is that we're running out of time and we need to work like crazy to spread the message to enough people before they vote in the primaries. If you're not in a meetup group, I highly suggest you join one (or start your own at meetup.com)

[Craig_R]

you folks do realize of course that we could tell everyone and their mother about Ron Paul and it may not make a bit of difference right?

we need to target the electors in every state, the popular vote counts for nothing.

every state has electors, the number of which is the same as represenatives and senators in that state. This is the electoral college they are the only votes that count.

If we have any chance at winning we need to make it an "inside job". find out who are electors in your state. become one if you can. but please find them and target them.

[AMack]

1. Money
Donations are always slow near the beginning of the quarter. We may not meet this month's goal, but the last month I'd be willing to bet that we will make up for any shortcomings.

2. Name Recognition and Polls
http://the-fifthhorseman.blogspot.com/2007/10/of-yankee-fans-and-ron-paul-polls.html
I say we aim for 10% in the polls, because I don't expect to be the leaders of the pack (poll-wise) before the primaries. Anyone who voted in the 2004 primary is probably hardcore pro-Bush. We've converted 5% of them so far, but many are not quite as open to Ron Paul as we would hope. A poll done on these forums not too long ago suggested that only about 40% of RP's supporters self-identify as republicans, which I use to make a guestimate about our actual support vs. our support as it appears in the polls. I would confidently guess that we've got more like 15%. The main issue will be getting the young voters to turn our for the primaries.

3. Offline Hard Work
I talk to my parents one a week, and they're always telling me that they see Ron Paul signs multiple times each week, in various locations. It seems like this is happening elsewhere too, so we're at least getting some people to notice. We need more face-to-face campaigning so that the people who have noticed the signs will experience that "Oh! I've seen those signs before! I'll check him out!" moment. Me and some buddies are planning to do that on our campus sometime soon, and hopefully register some new voters for RP.

[Richandler]

I think the campaign will raise at least 10 million for the quarter. That number will shock the mainstream. Imagine too if he has that much in the bank. Haha.

[wgadget]

And I wear my Ron Paul t-shirts as often as possible, pass out liberty cards at every retail and service establishment, have magnetic signs on both doors of my van plus a Revolution sticker inside my windshield and a bumper sticker on the back. I drink water out of a Ron Paul plastic cup at work, wear my Ron Paul button whenever I don't have on my t-shirts.

I bake chocolate chip cookies in RP's name for every outreach meetup event, go to local GOP functions, pass out slimjims to neighbors, stand in downtown intersections passing out flyers, stand on downtown sidewalks holding homemade signs, and have given a whole professional ballet company (20-somethings) the awareness of who Ron Paul is.

It sure is fun!

[kylejack]

If its to be, its up to me.

[freelance]

One positive that we haven't talked about much is that RP supporters WILL vote. Showing up is 90% of the game, and the supporters have proven that they will show up--again and again. And, while the rest of America is stuffing potato chips into their mouths in front of the TV, WE will be at the polls.

[Lois]

We can do all the hard work of getting Name Recognition, raising all kinds of Money, and winning all the Polls, but like Sunny said in another post --

IF WE DON'T BECOME DELEGATES, RON PAUL CANNOT WIN !!

Get it through your heads!

Lois

[wgadget]

Becoming a delegate is my next great aim in life...seriously. I'll get on it.