Someone Talk to RP - or else this will happen.

[Lord Xar]

I know this was said upteen times last go, but this is a make or break time. No second chance!

HE NEEDS TO STEP UP HIS DEBATE GAME.

You will see a subtle decrease in time and slight manipulation every debate till the last one where he is labeled a non-such, and a weirdo. They won't go right out and rip his throat out, but they have a game plan to marginalize him every debate, increasing it.

He needs to change up his game plan. SOMEONE MUST CONVEY TO HIM THE IMPORTANCE of this marginalization and stop accepting things as the old dusty grandpa type "golly gee, they do treat me bad!". He needs Doug Wead, Tom and others and sit him down and go over things.

PLEASE PLEASE --- SOMEONE CONVEY TO HIM... you see, the more and more of a deficit he starts to run, the harder and harder it will be to turn those who will look towards Romney/Perry/Cain/Ging etc...

[D.A.S.]

But he did a great job in this last debate! Cut the guy a break -- he's not a showman but he does deliver his message without fail. You can't please everybody.

[helmuth_hubener]

He did so well in the last debate, perhaps he did sit down with Doug Wead or someone, just as you suggest. It's hard to imagine him doing much better than he did!

I guess I do think he could focus more on the positive, vibrant vision of the future liberty offers and a little less on the negatives of the current mess. Smile more, frown less. He could steal some one-liners from Harry Browne, who wrote a whole book of them. Now that man was a great communicator for liberty. "Huge tax cuts... NOW! Huge spending cuts... NOW! A balanced budget... NOW!"

[Chainspell]

wow do you know what this man has been through? all i can say is wow....

[LawnWake]

He did well last time, but not enough. He needs to be more demanding and rehearse his answers and stay on topic. I know that this isn't what 'Ron Paul is all about' but he needs to put that aside and think of the bigger picture.

Making the point Tom Woods frequently makes in distrusting the government on monetary policy buy trusting them on foreign policy while being the exact same government would be a home run.

[TheTexan]

Ron's doing great. I'm critical of him during the debate, because there's usually a snappy reply that I like that I'd want him to say, but when I review his answers after the debate... I usually wouldn't change a thing.

Cool sound bites win people for a few minutes. Truth & honesty wins people for a lifetime.

[Chainspell]

He did well last time, but not enough. He needs to be more demanding and rehearse his answers and stay on topic. I know that this isn't what 'Ron Paul is all about' but he needs to put that aside and think of the bigger picture.

Making the point Tom Woods frequently makes in distrusting the government on monetary policy buy trusting them on foreign policy while being the exact same government would be a home run.
yeah let's compromise let's just forget that we're right just so the american people will like us more. I cant believe what Im reading here. Do you want to just WIN or do you want CHANGE?

[Carole]

Dr. Paul is what he is. I do not want him to be what he is not. :D

[angelatc]

yeah let's compromise let's just forget that we're right just so the american people will like us more. I cant believe what Im reading here. Do you want to just WIN or do you want CHANGE?

We want to win, I thought. Wait - are they running an educational campaign again? Because I haven't seen that mentioned in the fundraising materials I'm getting.

[WilliamC]

All I know is Ron Paul has been consistent and honest for over 30 years with the same message and the same style.

For about 25 of those years he was largely ignored.

Starting about 5 years ago people finally started to listen, and his popularity has steadily increased since then.

Could he be a better debater? Sure, but that will never top his voting record and integrity, and that is something no other candidate can ever get by practicing.

[LibertyEagle]

we want to win, i thought. Wait - are they running an educational campaign again? Because i haven't seen that mentioned in the fundraising materials i'm getting.

^^^
this

[LibertyEagle]

wow do you know what this man has been through? all i can say is wow....

Before you say something like that in the future, you may want to check the person's start date.

[Dark_Horse_Rider]

Before you say something like that in the future, you may want to check the person's start date.

why does that matter for that post ?

[LawnWake]

yeah let's compromise let's just forget that we're right just so the american people will like us more. I cant believe what Im reading here. Do you want to just WIN or do you want CHANGE?

Compromise? How is packaging the same message in more style compromise? I don't want style over substance; I want style WITH substance.

We're doing very well, don't get me wrong, we could win if it continues like this but if we can do things better we definitely should.

[RKoho]

The guy is right. We can package the message much better. Like the healthcare answer he gave. Great message, horrible package. Philosophy isn't going to win us votes. Look at all the soundbites saying Paul would let people die because he chose to give a philosophical answer. He needs to stick to answering through Austrian economics, and the benefits/constitutionality of sticking to federalism. Can you imagine if he argued how government mandates complicate pricing in healthcare and if we just allowed the free market to work it's way in cost of medicine would drop substantially and people would only need insurance for emergencies? Republicans can go with that. Or how about he argues that it isn't up to the federal government to create healthcare for all but that state's have the rights to offer public healthcare! That'll win democrats and liberals over.

Same message, better packaging.

[BlueFloyd]

I know this was said upteen times last go, but this is a make or break time. No second chance!

HE NEEDS TO STEP UP HIS DEBATE GAME.

You will see a subtle decrease in time and slight manipulation every debate till the last one where he is labeled a non-such, and a weirdo. They won't go right out and rip his throat out, but they have a game plan to marginalize him every debate, increasing it.

He needs to change up his game plan. SOMEONE MUST CONVEY TO HIM THE IMPORTANCE of this marginalization and stop accepting things as the old dusty grandpa type "golly gee, they do treat me bad!". He needs Doug Wead, Tom and others and sit him down and go over things.

PLEASE PLEASE --- SOMEONE CONVEY TO HIM... you see, the more and more of a deficit he starts to run, the harder and harder it will be to turn those who will look towards Romney/Perry/Cain/Ging etc...

Agreed. He needs to take more control and interupt here and there.

[chudrockz]

Ron Paul is, who Ron Paul is. And we all love him for it.

Just because if it were ME up there being ignored/ ridiculed, I would probably pick the podium up and smash it to matchsticks before stomping offstage, doesn't mean I think he should do that!

[LibertyEagle]

why does that matter for that post ?

The implication that Chainspell made was that Lord Xar didn't know what he was talking about. It's insulting and ridiculous for someone like Xar who has been very involved in Ron Paul's campaign since early in the LAST election. And this insult came from someone who joined this forum a month ago.

[JamesButabi]

I was highly critical of Ron before this last debate. Compared to the others I thought maybe he even had prepared. I was very happy with his responses and his flow.

[Sjmfury]

Go outside and tell people about ron paul. I"m going to go sign wave! Peace!

[Birdlady]

There is nothing wrong with practicing and getting more comfortable with answering questions on the spot. Certainly this can only be seen as a good thing and he could use his new skills as president too. :)

Why are some of you so resistant of this idea?

Here's an analogy...

Imagine going to a greenhouse and you see a beautiful exotic flower. You think it's lovely and buy it. Well in 2 week's time you see it is dying and you don't know why because you are watering it regularly. You go back into the greenhouse you bought it from and they explain, by watering it regularly you actually killed the flower. It needs to be watered less frequently. Now obviously this wasn't your intent at all, so you buy a new one and follow the instructions exactly on what you need to do it keep it ALIVE and beautiful. ...

This is how I feel the RP campaign is right now. There's a group of you are doing things you feel are right, but maybe we need to step back and actually do what we need to win. I feel we are at a turning point where we could seriously get the nomination if we just focus the message properly and get RP some coaching.

[gb13]

Ron's doing great. I'm critical of him during the debate, because there's usually a snappy reply that I like that I'd want him to say, but when I review his answers after the debate... I usually wouldn't change a thing.

Cool sound bites win people for a few minutes. Truth & honesty wins people for a lifetime.

What percent of average voters do you honestly think goes back, after the debate, and reviews the candidates' responses? Seriously. Most of them on monday were probably only watching the debate during the football games' commercial breaks, for crying out loud. You're right about Truth and Honesty winning out on the end. But guess what... we don't have a lifetime to wait for that.

Our "lifetime" as a nation is basically on borrowed time right now. We're on our deathbed flat-lining. There's a doctor in the room, but unfortunately he's being crowded out by a bunch of panicking fools. He needs to take charge and grab the defibrillator.



yeah let's compromise let's just forget that we're right just so the american people will like us more. I cant believe what Im reading here. Do you want to just WIN or do you want CHANGE?

We want change. But in order to get that change, we need to WIN. It's pretty obvious. "A" precedes "B"... in order to get to "B" you have to get through "A" first. Change is the destination. And we WILL get there if Ron is willing --through proper debate coaching, and implementation-- to properly navigate around the roadblocks the establishment is trying to derail him with.

That's all people are asking. No one wants Ron to change his message. NONE OF US. We just want him to refine his delivery so that the average voter might pause and, instead of flipping back to the football game, actually listen to what he has to say. Don't get me wrong, Ron is still making conversions every day, and the rate of those conversions is increasing, but we can't afford any set-backs -ESPECIALLY setbacks that could be avoided by proper debate prep. If he just refined his delivery...just a LITTLE bit... we'd be running away with the title. That's all we want.

[Tarzan]

We want to win, I thought. Wait - are they running an educational campaign again? Because I haven't seen that mentioned in the fundraising materials I'm getting.
YES!


The guy is right. We can package the message much better.
YES!


There is nothing wrong with practicing and getting more comfortable with answering questions on the spot. Certainly this can only be seen as a good thing and he could use his new skills as president too. :)
YES!


That's all people are asking. No one wants Ron to change his message. NONE OF US. We just want him to refine his delivery so that the average voter might pause and, instead of flipping back to the football game, actually listen to what he has to say.
and, YES!


Ron Paul had the same problem in the last election cycle... and it needs to be addressed and fixed, now! To scream it again nice an loud so people hear it again: He does not needs to change his message... only his presentation.

The folks hired and paid to run his campaign are not capable of implementing this (better than last time, yes... but still not good enough).. Tom Woods is not the answer either... But, he does has Doug Wead as a senior adviser and Wead has worked and succeeded at this level before. Hopefully, Doug Wead can get through to Ron Paul. Unless Ron Paul is willing to make some changes and present a coherent, easy to understand message he will lose... and so will we... just like last time.

We need to win because time is running out... this may be the last presidential election where a new leader can actually make enough difference to save this country... otherwise, all bets are off for the future. Ron Paul is our guy... he has got to deliver his message better and win this thing. These calls for a change in presentation were made last time... and no change came. If he is all in, then lets see an all in effort. Make the presentation changes needed to win supporters, votes and win the election.

[libertygrl]

I know this was said upteen times last go, but this is a make or break time. No second chance!

HE NEEDS TO STEP UP HIS DEBATE GAME.

You will see a subtle decrease in time and slight manipulation every debate till the last one where he is labeled a non-such, and a weirdo. They won't go right out and rip his throat out, but they have a game plan to marginalize him every debate, increasing it.

He needs to change up his game plan. SOMEONE MUST CONVEY TO HIM THE IMPORTANCE of this marginalization and stop accepting things as the old dusty grandpa type "golly gee, they do treat me bad!". He needs Doug Wead, Tom and others and sit him down and go over things.

PLEASE PLEASE --- SOMEONE CONVEY TO HIM... you see, the more and more of a deficit he starts to run, the harder and harder it will be to turn those who will look towards Romney/Perry/Cain/Ging etc...

Thanks for this post. I agree. Listen, we have to realize as much as we love RP, we aren't the people he HAS to win over. I think he has improved greatly since 2008, but he needs to now take it up to the next level. Unfortunately, it's human nature to be pursuaded by appearances and slick/aggresive oratory. This doesn't mean he has to be aggresive, but he does have to be more assertive. I can't watch these debates without getting an ulcer. I see questions being asked of other candidates on topics such as The Fed, and they don't even bother to direct questions to the man who actually came up with the bill to audit it! I was hoping Ron would step in and say, "Hey, I'd really like to get in on this topic because afterall, I'm the guy who started the whole Audit the Fed movement!"

RP is an intellectual in the midst of slick political vultures. He's already playing on an unlevel playing field, so his people really DO need to get him to step up. Hey, I know it's not easy because I'm someone who actually took a class on how to become more assertive! But it can be done and it HAS to be done SOONER rather than LATER. This is all just constuctive criticism. He needs to get more assertive and while it sounds trivial, he DOES need to wear better suits that fit him. Even the Republican strategist said this on Freedom Watch the other night. He said that he looks more like a professor.

There are times that I have seen him in interviews where he does wear some suits well, such as the one below:


http://theblacksentinel.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/ron_paul.jpg?w=500


It's time to start playing THEIR GAME. This doesn't mean he has to change who he is, but he does need to tweek the presentation part.

[Give me liberty]

Well D.A.S Ron Paul had a few miss opportunities in his last debate, because CNN never gave him a fair time, to answer the questions at all.

Once again it was all Rick Perry vs those two.

[JohnGalt23g]

Dr. Paul is what he is. I do not want him to be what he is not. :D

With all due respect, I want Dr. Paul to be something he is not.

He is not President of the Untied States. I want him to be President of the United States.

[helmuth_hubener]

If he just refined his delivery...just a LITTLE bit... we'd be running away with the title. I think he did refine his delivery at least a little bit if you look at the last debate compared to the ones before. So, I look forward to running away with the title. :)

Of course it can always be better. But ultimately we can't control this. This is all up to Ron Paul. So why fret too much? Spend time thinking about things you can control, like your local grassroots.

[SilentBull]

What the establishment and media are doing they will do regardless of how Paul answers questions, but he could obviously convert a lot more people if he delivered the message differently.

[PaulConventionWV]

He did well last time, but not enough. He needs to be more demanding and rehearse his answers and stay on topic. I know that this isn't what 'Ron Paul is all about' but he needs to put that aside and think of the bigger picture.

Making the point Tom Woods frequently makes in distrusting the government on monetary policy buy trusting them on foreign policy while being the exact same government would be a home run.

For some people, it will never be enough. I kind of like the idea of him getting a little practice, but I also don't claim to know that this is what we need. I don't know if it will shoot him up to 30% in the polls. I just don't know. I do know that Ron is a capable speaker, though. I also know he is very old. I think sometimes we expect too much. It's hard to imagine being that old and having all that pressure on him. I know he probably handles it quite well for someone his age, but he's NEVER going to be a Romney or Perry. Never. That's one thing that just won't happen.

[Von Helman]

that and what he needs is more supporters out there doing his work for him, spreading his word, and defending him and demanding his message and record be discussed and shown.

he needs people to send in emails to the TV stations Radio stations and make a public post stating what they have done to get his message out and to where so when the message doesn't get out people know who is playing games.

I think its a great Idea for him to answer on Youtube every debate question asked so his policies are shown and much as people buy into the patriotism of the military he should use his standing there to promote more support

Supporting your troops is supporting Ron Paul in 2012

[The New Fury]

I know he probably handles it quite well for someone his age, but he's NEVER going to be a Romney or Perry. Never. That's one thing that just won't happen.

Absolutely true. However, I believe that we can recognize this fact and still recommend that the good doctor makes some changes to his presentation without becoming something that he is not. By honing his innate strengths, he will have an upper hand that Perry and Romney could only dream of having.

Let me try out a vague and potentially irreverent simile: Think about a kid in high school who is having trouble finding a girlfriend. Maybe he is intelligent and partakes in interesting hobbies, but is socially awkward and shy around girls. Perhaps he feels overshadowed by guys that are considered to be cooler or more athletic than him.

The kid could try to mimic the "cooler" guys, but everyone is going to see through this in the long run. People will be able to notice that he isn't being true to himself.

However, he can still play to his own strengths. He can use that brain of his to develop a sharp wit by being proactive in social situations and speaking his mind. He will be far more successful this way than by attempting to put on some cool facade. With self confidence and practice, he will start to be seen as original (and therefore "cool"), and respected by others.

Know what I'm saying? The target of improvement doesn't have to be/ shouldn't even be "Perry-Like" or "Romney-Like." That would be plain silly, and no one would buy it. But I think that the potential for growth outside of that paradigm is worth some analysis.

[trey4sports]

ron has refined his delivery. He talks about militarism rather than defense and has talked up shoring up entitlements rather than just getting rid of them. There is always someone who wants him to touchup his speech a little more, and then a little more, and more, etc etc. Ron is nearly 80 years old and he is an incredible statesman, however, he is not perfect. I think you're just going to have to accept Ron for who he is.

[DinahWest]

yeah let's compromise let's just forget that we're right just so the american people will like us more. I cant believe what Im reading here. Do you want to just WIN or do you want CHANGE?

THANK YOU!!!

The sad thing is not only do many just want to "WIN" many don't realize that a "WIN" is only the beginning. If Ron Paul were to win the Republican Nomination and the General Election, do we honestly think that the establishment of either party would just roll over?

It is why I question if people are more for the flash show and person than the actual ideas that built the country and can make it great again?

[satchelmcqueen]

i was getting sort of upset that paul spoke to fast and stumbled on his words during debates but in interviews he did perfect. i now understand why he does this.

he knows that he is only going to be allowed to speak for probably about 10 minutes or less, so he is trying to get in all that he can. upon thinkng this way , i am now very happy with how he debates. he just has to get it all in. i would stumble on my words to.

but with that said, id love to see him jump in once or twice during upcoming debates and "pick a fight" or just force a rebuttal like romney and especially perry does.

[WilliamC]

Absolutely true. However, I believe that we can recognize this fact and still recommend that the good doctor makes some changes to his presentation without becoming something that he is not. By honing his innate strengths, he will have an upper hand that Perry and Romney could only dream of having.

Let me try out a vague and potentially irreverent simile: Think about a kid in high school who is having trouble finding a girlfriend. Maybe he is intelligent and partakes in interesting hobbies, but is socially awkward and shy around girls. Perhaps he feels overshadowed by guys that are considered to be cooler or more athletic than him.

The kid could try to mimic the "cooler" guys, but everyone is going to see through this in the long run. People will be able to notice that he isn't being true to himself.

However, he can still play to his own strengths. He can use that brain of his to develop a sharp wit by being proactive in social situations and speaking his mind. He will be far more successful this way than by attempting to put on some cool facade. With self confidence and practice, he will start to be seen as original (and therefore "cool"), and respected by others.

Know what I'm saying? The target of improvement doesn't have to be/ shouldn't even be "Perry-Like" or "Romney-Like." That would be plain silly, and no one would buy it. But I think that the potential for growth outside of that paradigm is worth some analysis.

I wish that this would attract girls but in my experience it only drives them away. heh.

What we all need to realize is just how long Ron Paul has been doing this and how alone he has been most of this time.

It's not his speaking style, or his age.

It's that the entire power structure of Washington, D.C. is against him.

That is Ron Paul's, and our, problem. Not his debate style.