dlb8685
11-05-2007, 11:14 PM
I'm wiriting this as a call to Ron Paul supporters to take their support for him to a further level, in a way that will personally show nearly every man, woman, and child in America his name and his message. Before I go any further I must warn that I am not well connected to any Ron Paul group, and that I'm a fairly new supporter (though I did read a couple of Harry Browne's old books), so if I suggest something that is already in the works, I apologize.
Today has been a good day for supporters of Ron Paul. Today a message was sent that he does have broad, grassroots support, that he is a "serious" candidate for President, and that he will be in position to win the primary elections this winter. I was hoping for the best, and I did believe that there would be some serious support for Ron Paul, but I was expecting when all was said and done to see him raise maybe $1.5 million today. What has actually happened has surpassed even my wildest expectations. When all is said and done he has just set the single-day fundraising record for a Republican and he did it by getting contributions galore of $50 and $100... not by hosting $5000 a plate dinners for the elite, power brokers.
So what is next? Even after a day like this, there is still no guarantee that Ron Paul will get the coverage he deserves in the mainstream press that the average voter tends to base their opinion on. It's going to require relentless pressure from the very supporters who made this record-breaking day possible today. One way a lot of people have been putting the word out is by holding rallies. These have consisted of anything from a couple spirited followers on a street corner to thousands of people gathered at big downtown and college rallies. Predictably, these have mainly been overlooked by the main news outlets. The problem with a big, downtown type rally is that it is easy to marginalize and ignore. The average person might see three hundred people in a park for a couple minutes as they drive by, and then forget all about it. If we're lucky, the local news might devote a minute or so to the whole event. On the other hand, one or two random people on a street corner, while good, is obviously a very small ripple in the scheme of things. Therefore, I am suggesting a demonstration that brings together the best elements from both of these tactics, and one that could really make everyone in the country sit up and take notice at the most crucial point in the election. Keep in mind, this is just an idea I am bringing up, and I don't claim to have all the answers. I mean this to be a starting point for debate so that collectively we can come up with the best possible way to make an impact in cities and towns across the country.
The basic idea is that we select a day and get as many Ron Paul supporters as possible out on the streets, waving signs, building name recognition, and explaining to the American voters just who Ron Paul is and why he is the best possible candidate for president. For this to have the maximum impact, it's important to get as many Ron Paul supporters outside demonstrating on the same day everywhere in the United States. I recommend that we choose Saturday, December 15th for several reasons. First and foremost, December 15th represents the 216th anniversary of the day the Bill of Rights came into effect. By holding mass demonstrations on December 15th, we can show the American people that Ron Paul is the only candidate running who respects each and every part of the Bill of Rights, without prejudice. In this modern age, many Americans if not most do not know the significance of December 15th, and with the Bush Administration doing everything it can to undermine these very rights which are the lifeblood of our nation, it is more critical than ever that they be defended and upheld.
In addition, there are some very good practical reasons to be getting people out on December 15th. It being a Saturday in the thick of the holiday shopping season, there will be more people out and around on December 15th than almost any other day the rest of the year. Obviously, the more people there are out in public on a particular day, the more of a chance a massive, pro-liberty demonstration has to make an impact. December 15th is also one of the last days many people will spend shopping or just doing things out in public before they visit their families for Christmas. An effective demonstration on this date has a very good chance of feeding on itself over the holiday season. Even if it's just a passing remark by someone that they saw Ron Paul supporters all over town, it will be heard by everyone in the house, many of whom will undoubtedly be receiving their first exposure to Ron Paul and his message of peace and liberty. Politically, December 15th is also one of the last good days to hold a demonstration before the first primaries in the election. The resulting momentum from this event has the best chance to give Ron Paul the momentum he needs to win in Iowa and New Hampshire and announce to the whole world that he is the front-runner in the Presidential race. I'm inviting spirited debate on this issue, but personally I strongly believe that for all of these reasons, December 15th is the best day to hold the kinds of demonstrations that I am about to describe.
The most important thing about the December 15th Ron Paul demonstrations is that they be decentralized. I cannot emphasize this enough. Even if we could get 300,000 Ron Paul supporters marching in the streets of Manhattan, I'm going to explain why I strongly believe a decentralized demonstration would be more effective. A large rally in one place is only seen one time by the people passing by, and it is easy to dismiss as a random, one-time occurrence. The media is unlikely to cover these sorts of events anyways, so a lot of the advantage to congregating is lost through this factor as well. Instead, we should get Ron Paul supporters out on the streets, but have them spread out over a very large area. For instance, if you live in a big town of about 150,000 people, and there are about fifty people who are willing to spend December 15th spreading his message of peace and freedom, the traditional thing to do would be to have fifty people gather on the busiest corner in town and impress people with their numbers. However, I'm suggesting it would be much more effective to split this group of people into 25 groups of two, and disperse them throughout the city. This way, the typical person who drives from their house to the local mall on December 15th won't be seeing one Ron Paul demonstration, they'll be seeing five or ten Ron Paul demonstrations.
Consider this statistic. If we could get 100,000 people to demonstrate in a decentralized protest, and if the average group had three people, there would be more Ron Paul rallies on December 15th than there are McDonald's franchises! Someone driving around town who sees five or six signs saying, "Ron Paul for Peace and Liberty!" and "Ron Paul will end the war in Iraq!" will remember Ron Paul, and they are even likely to ask other people, "Who is this Ron Paul who had supporters everywhere?" If there are more Ron Paul signs by the side of the road than there are McDonald's signs, then it will be impossible for anyone to not know his name, and it will be impossible for the mainstream media to ignore the truth that he has enough support to become President of the United States.
This, in a nutshell, is the challenge: to get 33,000 separate small groups of Ron Paul supporters to stand on 33,000 separate corners in massive cities like New York and Chicago, small cities like Dayton and Eugene, and small towns like Lake Jackson, Texas across the United States on December 15th. After this it will be impossible for anyone to not know who he is and what he stands for. From what I've seen today November 5th, I think we could achieve that and more.
I also see that people are planning another cash bomb for Sunday, December 16. An event like this would build huge momentum for a cash bomb the next day honoring the Boston Tea Party.
Today has been a good day for supporters of Ron Paul. Today a message was sent that he does have broad, grassroots support, that he is a "serious" candidate for President, and that he will be in position to win the primary elections this winter. I was hoping for the best, and I did believe that there would be some serious support for Ron Paul, but I was expecting when all was said and done to see him raise maybe $1.5 million today. What has actually happened has surpassed even my wildest expectations. When all is said and done he has just set the single-day fundraising record for a Republican and he did it by getting contributions galore of $50 and $100... not by hosting $5000 a plate dinners for the elite, power brokers.
So what is next? Even after a day like this, there is still no guarantee that Ron Paul will get the coverage he deserves in the mainstream press that the average voter tends to base their opinion on. It's going to require relentless pressure from the very supporters who made this record-breaking day possible today. One way a lot of people have been putting the word out is by holding rallies. These have consisted of anything from a couple spirited followers on a street corner to thousands of people gathered at big downtown and college rallies. Predictably, these have mainly been overlooked by the main news outlets. The problem with a big, downtown type rally is that it is easy to marginalize and ignore. The average person might see three hundred people in a park for a couple minutes as they drive by, and then forget all about it. If we're lucky, the local news might devote a minute or so to the whole event. On the other hand, one or two random people on a street corner, while good, is obviously a very small ripple in the scheme of things. Therefore, I am suggesting a demonstration that brings together the best elements from both of these tactics, and one that could really make everyone in the country sit up and take notice at the most crucial point in the election. Keep in mind, this is just an idea I am bringing up, and I don't claim to have all the answers. I mean this to be a starting point for debate so that collectively we can come up with the best possible way to make an impact in cities and towns across the country.
The basic idea is that we select a day and get as many Ron Paul supporters as possible out on the streets, waving signs, building name recognition, and explaining to the American voters just who Ron Paul is and why he is the best possible candidate for president. For this to have the maximum impact, it's important to get as many Ron Paul supporters outside demonstrating on the same day everywhere in the United States. I recommend that we choose Saturday, December 15th for several reasons. First and foremost, December 15th represents the 216th anniversary of the day the Bill of Rights came into effect. By holding mass demonstrations on December 15th, we can show the American people that Ron Paul is the only candidate running who respects each and every part of the Bill of Rights, without prejudice. In this modern age, many Americans if not most do not know the significance of December 15th, and with the Bush Administration doing everything it can to undermine these very rights which are the lifeblood of our nation, it is more critical than ever that they be defended and upheld.
In addition, there are some very good practical reasons to be getting people out on December 15th. It being a Saturday in the thick of the holiday shopping season, there will be more people out and around on December 15th than almost any other day the rest of the year. Obviously, the more people there are out in public on a particular day, the more of a chance a massive, pro-liberty demonstration has to make an impact. December 15th is also one of the last days many people will spend shopping or just doing things out in public before they visit their families for Christmas. An effective demonstration on this date has a very good chance of feeding on itself over the holiday season. Even if it's just a passing remark by someone that they saw Ron Paul supporters all over town, it will be heard by everyone in the house, many of whom will undoubtedly be receiving their first exposure to Ron Paul and his message of peace and liberty. Politically, December 15th is also one of the last good days to hold a demonstration before the first primaries in the election. The resulting momentum from this event has the best chance to give Ron Paul the momentum he needs to win in Iowa and New Hampshire and announce to the whole world that he is the front-runner in the Presidential race. I'm inviting spirited debate on this issue, but personally I strongly believe that for all of these reasons, December 15th is the best day to hold the kinds of demonstrations that I am about to describe.
The most important thing about the December 15th Ron Paul demonstrations is that they be decentralized. I cannot emphasize this enough. Even if we could get 300,000 Ron Paul supporters marching in the streets of Manhattan, I'm going to explain why I strongly believe a decentralized demonstration would be more effective. A large rally in one place is only seen one time by the people passing by, and it is easy to dismiss as a random, one-time occurrence. The media is unlikely to cover these sorts of events anyways, so a lot of the advantage to congregating is lost through this factor as well. Instead, we should get Ron Paul supporters out on the streets, but have them spread out over a very large area. For instance, if you live in a big town of about 150,000 people, and there are about fifty people who are willing to spend December 15th spreading his message of peace and freedom, the traditional thing to do would be to have fifty people gather on the busiest corner in town and impress people with their numbers. However, I'm suggesting it would be much more effective to split this group of people into 25 groups of two, and disperse them throughout the city. This way, the typical person who drives from their house to the local mall on December 15th won't be seeing one Ron Paul demonstration, they'll be seeing five or ten Ron Paul demonstrations.
Consider this statistic. If we could get 100,000 people to demonstrate in a decentralized protest, and if the average group had three people, there would be more Ron Paul rallies on December 15th than there are McDonald's franchises! Someone driving around town who sees five or six signs saying, "Ron Paul for Peace and Liberty!" and "Ron Paul will end the war in Iraq!" will remember Ron Paul, and they are even likely to ask other people, "Who is this Ron Paul who had supporters everywhere?" If there are more Ron Paul signs by the side of the road than there are McDonald's signs, then it will be impossible for anyone to not know his name, and it will be impossible for the mainstream media to ignore the truth that he has enough support to become President of the United States.
This, in a nutshell, is the challenge: to get 33,000 separate small groups of Ron Paul supporters to stand on 33,000 separate corners in massive cities like New York and Chicago, small cities like Dayton and Eugene, and small towns like Lake Jackson, Texas across the United States on December 15th. After this it will be impossible for anyone to not know who he is and what he stands for. From what I've seen today November 5th, I think we could achieve that and more.
I also see that people are planning another cash bomb for Sunday, December 16. An event like this would build huge momentum for a cash bomb the next day honoring the Boston Tea Party.