Is Ron Campaigning Effectively?

[jasonxe]

In comparison to Santorum, it doesn't seem so.

I usually see Ron do one or two big events at "college campuses". But Santorum goes to rural area churches all across the state where the dependable "old folks" are at. I think the word spreads around that Santorum is there guy and they unify.

We need to attack and split up that vote and have Ron campaign similarly in some states. Will come up top in youth votes but we need to garner the social conservative/older/church/religion votes. It seems that Santorum's strategy is effective at this and something we should emulate to strengthen our current weakness. It also proven to beat Romney...

[playpianoking]

I agree. Paul already has the youth vote. Go to places that you don't do well in order to get that vote.

[hammy]

Santorum has the entire GOP establishment and MSM backing him. It's hardly a fair fight. I think Ron does as much as any damn person could ask for.

[PolicyReader]

I know some people on the forum will get all out of sorts for me saying this but, I think that focusing on getting people educated to become delegates (and be effective at it) is the key aspect and to the best of my knowledge that's what Paul is doing. Witness tonight, Santorum won all the 'official straw polls' but gained no delegate award.

Of the 'soft' delegates elected tonight the (admittedly patchy) information I've found out there suggests Paul did quite well in the local delegate take.
Now of course this still doesn't mean Paul gets the most national delegates because that is as yet undecided but he's in a good position to do so (just like in IA).
Regardless of age the most important supporters are those who will stay and become educated active delegates.

2c (I'll now stay out of the thread so I don't drag things off topic)

[gerryb]

Keep listening to the TV

[Taco John]

He's 76 years old.....let's be honest. He's doing the best he can. Campaigning has to be draining.

I don't see his age as a factor here. The real factor is the age of his voters. As much as we count on the youth vote history has proven one thing: you CAN'T count on the youth vote. That leaves middle agers. Paul can't count on them either (as exit polls have shown), because most of them are too wrapped up in the lives of their kids to get out to the caucuses. What's left? Baby boomers and Medicaid recipients. They're going to vote not to rock the boat so they can get their goodies. They've spent the better part of their lives screwing the younger generations over, and they're not going to stop now over some silly little financial crisis.

The Republican party is devouring itself right in front of our eyes. This party isn't poised to win an election in the next 8 years, let alone the next 8 months.

[jasonxe]

I'm not saying he isn't campaigning hard enough but whether he is campaigning effectively. I don't think going to college campuses addressing to the youth vote is effective when we need to win the old vote who are elsewhere (churches). Rick Santorum did in these three states that he did with Iowa. Go across the state and amass the old vote where they're likely to be at.

[mavtek]

No, I can honestly say, we supporters have to work harder than any other campaign supporters just to remain competitive.

[MJU1983]

Ron is doing just fine against a system rigged against him, and us.

[Maximus]

This is absolutely right, a simple bus tour with a Q and A would have flipped many of these counties

[Charlie Harris]

First, he needs to campaign more. Second, he needs to stop preaching to the choir. He needs to start talking to the undecideds, there is a lot of them. Third, he needs to stop giving lectures and start sounding like a presidential candidate instead of sounding like a professor.

[davesxj]

Keep listening to the TV
Don't let the spectacle fool you. You're idea of campaigning, of anything in this world really, is based on a set of images burned into your skull by every (TV)screen you see.

In the real world, in the world of interaction, Ron Paul is putting forth a lot of energy. I have trouble speaking to crowds of people who I don't know. I can't imagine knowing that what I say will be heard by thousands and that the moderator/interviewer will try to make me look like a fool given the chance. Ron Paul has shown immense courage for us, and in return we should all be making every effort we can to become involved, as delegates, in the interaction ourselves. You already know that the voting by the population at large means nothing. Why are you complaining about not running a campaign that caters to the facade of elections?

Edit: I'm just bumping your comment gerryb. My response is directed toward OP et al.

[BUSHLIED]

First, he needs to campaign more. Second, he needs to stop preaching to the choir. He needs to start talking to the undecideds, there is a lot of them. Third, he needs to stop giving lectures and start sounding like a presidential candidate instead of sounding like a professor.

I agree 100%. I've almost come to grips with Ron's personal flaws but I still don't understand why the campaign cannot have Ron doing more stops in the retail politics fashion ending in a late night rally for the college students.

Many of these counties had around 100-150 people that showed up and Santorum was able to edge out an extra 80 votes in almost all the counties..translating into hundreds maybe thousands of votes easy. If you win small counties by say 80 votes over 30 or 40 counties, that gives you an edge to make up for lost ground in larger population centers...Besides all these smaller areas elect delegates too.

It's like the campaign does some things great and other things horribly wrong...but the things that done wrong are so simple and common sense.

[BUSHLIED]

I have to wonder how the campaign's organization in these states was organized and executed. Did they have enough staff, what were the staffs goals, what strategies did they employ etc... Perhaps Nevada was more about ineffective campaign staff and execution and it's not Ron's lack of retail politics or style etc...

Also, the increase in vote from 2008 to 2012 is slowing down compared to large increases in we observed in Iowa, NH, SC, and FL...

MN votes 2008 = Ron Paul 9,852 15.7%
MN Votes 2012 = Ron Paul 13,023 27.2% (93% reporting).

32% increase.

CO votes 2008 = Ron Paul 5,910 8.4%
CO votes 2012 = Ron Paul 7,713 11.8%

30.5% increase.

I wonder what's going on. Perhaps each state is so wildly different it is hard to assume that Ron's growth would be exponential. On the bright side his national support is rising but I wonder if that is just temporary or perhaps simply due to the exposure he is getting with each passing contest. However, will his national growth be enough to help win March 6 or perhaps later in April when winning is all that matters.

I worry about Texas. It is a must win for Paul. Gingrich will take GA, Romney will take Mass, Santorum should take PA, and we should take TX...but apparently Gingrich is going to contest that state.

Here are the percentages of growth that I worked out excluding Nevada.

IA: 119.88%
NH: 210.64
SC: 385.06
FL: 86.69
MS: 15.78
MN: 32.18
CO: 30.50


You can see the drop off after FL...the growth drop could be a function of other variables, namely a limit to his support among gop primary voters, lack of bringing new people into the party, and/or loss of some support. Closed versus open primaries.

I am now starting to think the campaign has thought all this through...voter registration ended or is getting really close to ending...

[Revel8]

Santorum has the entire GOP establishment and MSM backing him. It's hardly a fair fight. I think Ron does as much as any damn person could ask for.

Agreed. That's why he needs us.

[Godmode7]

The real blame is on the people not voting for RP. What kind of sick person would vote for Gingrich or Santorum?! The fact that people accept whatever they see on the news is the biggest problem. RP needs to hit up churches and get more TV ads going. I remember CNN showing some lady in FL. She didn't know who she was voting for but ended up just picking Romney.

[Revel8]

~95% of the electorate has no clue what they're voting for.

Ron Paul is overqualified for the presidency. The electorate is underqualified to vote.

[coffeewithchess]

Ron is doing just fine against a system rigged against him, and us.

It's really hard to say a system is rigged against him, when the campaign chooses college campuses to go and campaign on...
Santorum was all over Iowa, in small towns and big towns alike...sure, he got lots of free POSITIVE media, but he was also all over the state.
Perhaps the new strategy should be town halls, so the older folks that have legitimate questions about RP, can go and ask them to him directly.

We don't like the media, and the campaign chooses to avoid the big media shows such as O'Reilly and Hannity, etc., but if the college votes haven't given the campaign a win...they need to try something new.

[alucard13mmfmj]

if it was effective ^^ we'd be getting at least 2-3rd place every time lolz

[floridasun1983]

We don't like the media, and the campaign chooses to avoid the big media shows such as O'Reilly and Hannity, etc., but if the college votes haven't given the campaign a win...they need to try something new.I think that's the core issue...they need to try something new. The current strategy, to the extent they have one, isn't cutting it. Eventually wins matter.

[tangent4ronpaul]

But Santorum goes to rural area churches all across the state where the dependable "old folks" are at. I think the word spreads around that Santorum is there guy and they unify.

We need to attack and split up that vote

Rural churches, hu? maybe we should share some of our supporters with him? you know, our street walking brethren... start a chipin for some bunny ranch gals so they could become Santorum groupies and follow him around... lol! :D

[Paul Or Nothing II]

I know some people on the forum will get all out of sorts for me saying this but, I think that focusing on getting people educated to become delegates (and be effective at it) is the key aspect and to the best of my knowledge that's what Paul is doing. Witness tonight, Santorum won all the 'official straw polls' but gained no delegate award.

Of the 'soft' delegates elected tonight the (admittedly patchy) information I've found out there suggests Paul did quite well in the local delegate take.
Now of course this still doesn't mean Paul gets the most national delegates because that is as yet undecided but he's in a good position to do so (just like in IA).
Regardless of age the most important supporters are those who will stay and become educated active delegates.

2c (I'll now stay out of the thread so I don't drag things off topic)

I agree, yes, wins matter but DELEGATES is where our real game is with an "irate minority" looking to change the system

I can't believe people actually think he or anyone can change old-voters' mind on wars or issues like drugs, gay-marriage, abortion, etc etc NO NO, they've been like this for ages & it's highly unlikely that they'll change their minds all of a sudden but the younger the people are, the less indoctrinated they are & thus, susceptible to his ideas of "live & let live!" & not to mention youth is the future & every youth that he wakes up will be a follower of liberty for life & that's the long-term future of America, even if Ron won, the economic hardship is guaranteed & people who don't understand will blame him & people will remember that "libertarian was in-charge when US went down" but if we reach out to younger people, THAT will bring a REAL CHANGE in the LONG-TERM, it's not about one presidential victory, it's about CHANGING HISTOY.

[jasonxe]

I agree, yes, wins matter but DELEGATES is where our real game is with an "irate minority" looking to change the system

I can't believe people actually think he or anyone can change old-voters' mind on wars or issues like drugs, gay-marriage, abortion, etc etc NO NO, they've been like this for ages & it's highly unlikely that they'll change their minds all of a sudden but the younger the people are, the less indoctrinated they are & thus, susceptible to his ideas of "live & let live!" & not to mention youth is the future & every youth that he wakes up will be a follower of liberty for life & that's the long-term future of America, even if Ron won, the economic hardship is guaranteed & people who don't understand will blame him & people will remember that "libertarian was in-charge when US went down" but if we reach out to younger people, THAT will bring a REAL CHANGE in the LONG-TERM, it's not about one presidential victory, it's about CHANGING HISTOY.

I think Paul said the best way to get your message out there is to win elections. No better way to change history (or bigger election) then becoming president. Only way to become president is to get the old vote. Continuing the same course will give us the same results. Largely, people will change their minds if they see him once at their church/popular old folks area. I bet most of those grandparents don't even know Santorum positions but just that has "family values".

Accept that he needs to change his campaign strategy similar to Santorum or prepare for the same results. Santorum just kicked Romney butt several times. If Paul effectively campaigns in areas that Santorum went too, we could of easily won. Santorum isn't as appealing as Paul and Paul's message is way better (no matter what age). Those purple spots on the map are free for the taking IMO. Just the campaign decides to go to college campuses which is preaching the choir.

Right now Romney is beating us handily in a Virgina in a 1 vs 1. Let me know when you all get on board.

[walt]

I don't see his age as a factor here. The real factor is the age of his voters. As much as we count on the youth vote history has proven one thing: you CAN'T count on the youth vote. That leaves middle agers. Paul can't count on them either (as exit polls have shown), because most of them are too wrapped up in the lives of their kids to get out to the caucuses. What's left? Baby boomers and Medicaid recipients. They're going to vote not to rock the boat so they can get their goodies. They've spent the better part of their lives screwing the younger generations over, and they're not going to stop now over some silly little financial crisis.

The Republican party is devouring itself right in front of our eyes. This party isn't poised to win an election in the next 8 years, let alone the next 8 months.

yep

[GopBlackList]

I agree 100%. I've almost come to grips with Ron's personal flaws but I still don't understand why the campaign cannot have Ron doing more stops in the retail politics fashion ending in a late night rally for the college students.

Many of these counties had around 100-150 people that showed up and Santorum was able to edge out an extra 80 votes in almost all the counties..translating into hundreds maybe thousands of votes easy. If you win small counties by say 80 votes over 30 or 40 counties, that gives you an edge to make up for lost ground in larger population centers...Besides all these smaller areas elect delegates too.

It's like the campaign does some things great and other things horribly wrong...but the things that done wrong are so simple and common sense.


First, he needs to campaign more. Second, he needs to stop preaching to the choir. He needs to start talking to the undecideds, there is a lot of them. Third, he needs to stop giving lectures and start sounding like a presidential candidate instead of sounding like a professor.

Quoted For Truth.

I hope the rest of the supporters realize this as well

[LibertyEagle]

Quoted For Truth.

I hope the rest of the supporters realize this as well

What does it matter if the supporters realize it? What good would that do? If this is something you guys want the campaign to read, then you may want to ask for this thread to be moved to the Campaign Suggestion Box subforum.

[tbone717]

My opinion is that he needs to stop preaching to the base. If you look at his speech last night, Paul was not addressing the voters in MI, AZ and the Super Tuesday states, instead he was addressing the crowd in front of him using the same buzzwords that inspire the base, but not the general electorate. This is not about changing the message, it is about changing the delivery of the message. Like it or not, this is politics it is not an academic exercise. We are trying to win elections, and these elections come now at a rapid pace. If all we are doing is trying to get more people to be students of non-interventionist foreign policy and Austrian economics then we are doing a good job at that, but the goal is to win the nomination - not sell books.

[walt]

What does it matter if the supporters realize it? What good would that do? If this is something you guys want the campaign to read, then you may want to ask for this thread to be moved to the Campaign Suggestion Box subforum.

Do you really think this self-preserving group would act on what needs to happen? Ultimately, Ron himself must make these changes. I encourage all people who see Ron in person to ask for these changes in campaign management.

[Hitman83]

the goal is to win the nomination - not sell books.

This! I don't necessarily want him to change his message, but he needs to change his target audience and delivery of the issues. This is politics.

[vechorik]

Ron Paul is campaigning effectively.
It's Ron Paul supporters who aren't doing their jobs.

[Matthew5]

Who's more likely to commit to the delegate process? A senior or a youth?

[GraniteHills]

This is not about changing the message, it is about changing the delivery of the message. Like it or not, this is politics it is not an academic exercise.

Agreed.

(paraphrased) "We naturally get from our creator the right to life, liberty, and we oughta be able to keep the fruits of our labors"
translated into voter-speak =
"As president, I will abolish the income tax"

"We" = a passive pronoun whose drawbacks in a political race (it's not self-centered and forceful enough; voters want to hear a voice with a strong sense of self, because they equate that with leadership) outweigh its positives (sense of community & togetherness, etc.)

TWEAK THE DELIVERY!

[tbone717]

Who's more likely to commit to the delegate process? A senior or a youth?

Actually a senior. Maybe not someone in their 80's but people that are 50+ and have been involved in politics off and on throughout their life have the time, money and ability to go to the convention. A 20 something that is new to their career, might have a young child at home, etc - they may not have the ability to just up and leave their responsibilities as easily

[robskicks]

Santorum has the entire GOP establishment and MSM backing him. It's hardly a fair fight. I think Ron does as much as any damn person could ask for.

ding ding ding... END OF DISCUSSION.

[seawolf]

Ron needs to take a lesson from Santorum, as I said last night on several threads, it is RETAIL POLITICS. Santorum has stayed in targeted States for days and days, going from town to town, talking to alot of voters.

Our Campaign takes the private jet, does two maybe three rallies or town halls for one or two days and then leaves. That is not going to get it done.

Want proof, Santorum 4 victories including 3 caucus's (Our Strong point??) and Paul zero to date.

I just looked on the Campaign Website and with Maine in the balance on Saturday there are no, NO scheduled events.

The Campaign needs to reassess quickly, target the 3 or 4 States they think they can win on Super Tuesday, and literally move in to those States for the next three weeks.

Sadly. donations have collapsed in the last three weeks and the money to not there to compete in all ten primaries on March 6th.

[Paul Or Nothing II]

I think Paul said the best way to get your message out there is to win elections.

One of the reasons, anyone can't get any sh!t done when they become president, it's because they sort of con their constituents into voting for them & then when the constituents find out about their other issues, they don't support them anymore because they don't have any philosophical understanding of the issue.


Only way to become president is to get the old vote. Continuing the same course will give us the same results.Largely, people will change their minds if they see him once at their church/popular old folks area. I bet most of those grandparents don't even know Santorum positions but just that has "family values".

Look, I'm not saying, he shouldn't target older voters at all, I'm just saying it's a low-probability cause because media has already portrayed him as the kooky, drug-legaliser, anti-American & the truth is that these people do vote based on media.

And Santorum didn't win because he stumbled upon some grand strategy, it's just that people are completely undecided, just look at the results, first it was Romney then Newt & since people aren't sure about them, they decided to go for Santorum this time but this surge of his likely won't last long because again, it's not some grand strategy, it's just pure indecision & confusion of the electorate


Right now Romney is beating us handily in a Virgina in a 1 vs 1. Let me know when you all get on board.

That's a long way away, we weren't doing that well in MN but look, the local Paulites put in the hard-work & it has turned out to be one of our best performances so far, we didn't win but we came a good second & we're gonna take a lot delegates from there.

To my mind, if we lose hope & panick & so on then we're playing right into the media's hands, this is how they dictate elections, with all the hype about the early states; we mustn't play into their hands & keep working like MN Paulites did & we definitely will see some good results :)

But anyways, here's a nice suggestion to get older voters on-board :


He does need to emphasize that his 1 trillion dollar budget cut the first year is the ONLY thing that will save Social Security.



Who's more likely to commit to the delegate process? A senior or a youth?

:D

[roversaurus]

Yes, I don't think he should do so many big rallies. One is good to get excitement and press but he needs to knock on doors.

Local TV interview one after another.
local events WITH OLD PEOPLE. And not just old but middle aged.
he doesn't need to do Q&A at a rally but he MUST do it at the retail politics events.
I'm not sure phone from home is helping get out the vote. Perhaps canvasing is best.

[raystone]

Santorum has the entire GOP establishment and MSM backing him. It's hardly a fair fight. I think Ron does as much as any damn person could ask for.

That's odd. For the previous two months, everyone said Romney had the entire GOP and MSM backing him.

The Paul campaign has been unable to figure out how to play the media. Or, more likely, Dr. Paul has been unwilling to play that game. I respect that, but it will result in much fewer votes.

[Badger for Paul]

Ron needs to take a lesson from Santorum, as I said last night on several threads, it is RETAIL POLITICS. Santorum has stayed in targeted States for days and days, going from town to town, talking to alot of voters.

Our Campaign takes the private jet, does two maybe three rallies or town halls for one or two days and then leaves. That is not going to get it done.

Want proof, Santorum 4 victories including 3 caucus's (Our Strong point??) and Paul zero to date.

I just looked on the Campaign Website and with Maine in the balance on Saturday there are no, NO scheduled events.

The Campaign needs to reassess quickly, target the 3 or 4 States they think they can win on Super Tuesday, and literally move in to those States for the next three weeks.

Sadly. donations have collapsed in the last three weeks and the money to not there to compete in all ten primaries on March 6th.

This is the sad truth. Romney gets his face in front of people with ads, and Santorum gets his face in front of people with town hall meetings so he sees them in person or on local media. RP is in between these two and that is not working out. I think RP can't match the Romney strategy so he should follow the Santorum strategy which is obviously working. I would gladly donate more if I saw this happening.

[Wolfgang Bohringer]

This is absolutely right, a simple bus tour with a Q and A would have flipped many of these counties

They're scared of this for some reason.

I don't think Ron is scared. He's fearless. My guess is his handlers are afraid he'll say the wrong thing when questioned.

It reminds me of all of the Libertarian Party campaigns I watched for 20+ years. The people that run these campaigns are afraid that people will find out what we really think and the whole campaign becomes a hide-your-light-under-a-bushel endeavor.

The cool thing is that Ron can't help himself from saying what he really thinks when he's give whatever lee-way he's given. But somebody's got him in this tightly structured system and they're not letting him out.

[sailingaway]

Agreed. That's why he needs us.

welcome to the forums!

[steph3n]

It takes mega millions to get out the votes for Paul because the media and radio hosts distort anything he says, so to overcome it it takes money. Santorum can ride on the media waves as he's sooo easy to beat they are making a way for him to stay in with low funds, same for Gingrich.

Romney or Paul are harder for Obama to beat.

[cheapseats]

It takes mega millions to get out the votes for Paul because the media and radio hosts distort anything he says, so to overcome it it takes money. Santorum can ride on the media waves as he's sooo easy to beat they are making a way for him to stay in with low funds, same for Gingrich.

Romney or Paul are harder for Obama to beat.


More correctly, it takes RESOURCES.

Ron Paul CANNOT compete with Romney OR Obama, if money will be the key.

(TIME = MONEY) + (MONEY = POWER) >> PEOPLE POWER. What ELSE? Tell people of modest means to DIG DEEPER / DIG OFTENER, to be "competitive" with an Extraordinary Earner and a Fundraiser Extraordinaire?

When I say PEOPLE POWER, I am not talking about people pursuing the Delegate Strategy. Plenty of people are already engaged in that plan of attack, and best of luck to them. Alas, that IS the ol' Fundraising Circuit. Again, good luck. If it constitutes DIRTY WORK THAT SOMEONE HAS TO DO, I'm glad it's not me.

To play that hand ONLY is no different than spotting a real hop-hop-hop-all-the-way-to-the-top Chinese Checkers "move", which may or may NOT still be viable after OTHER people move OTHER marbles.

[newbitech]

It could be run more effectively by simply modifying the plans as the results come in. Taking in to account what is actually happening.

I think the low turnout trend mentioned earlier is a distinct opportunity. We like to say that Ron Paul benefits from low turnout, but why? It's because his support is different than other support. How so?

So his supporters can rally around the flag so to speak. We need a rallying point to take advantage of the low turnout IMO. We need to stop acting like we can't win over the people who do vote. We need to remember that the "tireless irate minority" was a prelude to ARMED, VIOLENT, BLOODY, rebellion. If we want to avoid that, we need to be turn the silent majority into the loudest voice in the room MAJORITY.

Rally point in every single precinct is what is needed IMO. A physical local, a visible campaign presence. Speak to older voters by appealing to their emotions in very subtle honest ways.

A flag planting of a specially created Liberty Flag may do the trick. Think of Iwo Jima. Think of the hard fought battle and the never say die spirit of the Marines who raised the flag there. We can capture that spirit and when over the voters who are not turning out, and win over the voters who are "older" and set in their ways, IF we show them they have a reason to turn out AND OUR WAYS are THEIR ways. Subtlety and Honesty are the keys along with STRONG local visibility and a rallying point and appeal to emotions.

[hb6102]

So where is Ron today? Damn sure better not be in Texas!

[pacelli]

Ron is campaigning the way Ron wants to campaign. He's the general, the commander-in-chief of the campaign.

If Ron is satisfied with his strategy of targeting delegates rather than focusing on a first place finish, then it is RON'S CALL.

[pacelli]

So where is Ron today? Damn sure better not be in Texas!

There's nothing on the campaign events calendar until 2/22 debate.

http://www.ronpaul2012.com/category/events/month

[Matthew5]

Ron is campaigning the way Ron wants to campaign. He's the general, the commander-in-chief of the campaign.

If Ron is satisfied with his strategy of targeting delegates rather than focusing on a first place finish, then it is RON'S CALL.

Ditto. We're quickly heading into a highly divided convention with no signs of anyone else dropping out. In recent history, the anointed candidate is usually thrust upon us by Super Tuesday. However this is a unique situation because the party is so fractured. Why try to take the path of the Golden Boy (1st place finishes)?

Ron is campaigning smarter, not harder.

[newbitech]

Ditto. We're quickly heading into a highly divided convention with no signs of anyone else dropping out. In recent history, the anointed candidate is usually thrust upon us by Super Tuesday. However this is a unique situation because the party is so fractured. Why try to take the path of the Golden Boy (1st place finishes)?

Ron is campaigning smarter, not harder.

To win delegates?

[Edward]

Speak to older voters by appealing to their emotions in very subtle honest ways.

I agree. "Fear" is a huge motivating factor for those opposed to Ron's foreign policy and older Americans who worry about being cut off from SS and Medicare. I am in a part of the country that has not been bombarded with campaign advertisements, so I have no idea of what sort of "marketing" specific to older demographics has been done by the campaign. From what I have seen in debates and interviews, Ron could do a much better job addressing those things... as could we.

[mello]

Ron Paul needs to keep mentioning to the MSM that Newt & Santorum will not have access 564 delegates because they are not on the ballots in multiple States.

[Edward]

Ron Paul needs to keep mentioning to the MSM that Newt & Santorum will not have access 564 delegates because they are not on the ballots in multiple States.

I thought this has been dispelled as RPF folklore based upon a misunderstand of Doug Wead's comments.

[newbitech]

I agree. "Fear" is a huge motivating factor for those opposed to Ron's foreign policy and older Americans who worry about being cut off from SS and Medicare. I am in a part of the country that has not been bombarded with campaign advertisements, so I have no idea of what sort of "marketing" specific to older demographics has been done by the campaign. From what I have seen in debates and interviews, Ron could do a much better job addressing those things... as could we.

these people have already sacrificed a lot for this country, that is their emotional string IMO. Sacrifice requires the emotion of love. Seniors love their country, that is why they sacrifice. Seniors love their influence, that is why they vote. Seniors may fear having their benefits taken from them, but more than that seniors fear having their children and grandchildren suffer through no fault of their own.

There are basic emotions at play here. Rather than try to address the fear, why not encourage what they love? Seniors may be set in their ways, this is why it is so important to make it clear that their way IS the message of liberty. Not the message of empty promises, endless and hopeless debt, constant threat of violence against one of our cities. The message of liberty IS the message of sacrifice. This connection can be made with seniors. In order to free ourselves from the burdens that big government has brought upon us, we must sacrifice big government for liberty. Old people will get this. One way to do that is to vote for someone who will make the required fiscal changes to ensure that sacrifice is not wasted for any other cause. This is how older folks will know that their sacrifice won't be a waste.

The bonus is, they don't lose anything else. The sacrifice is ideological, but at the same time honors their life long sacrifice of service to their country.

[Edward]

these people have already sacrificed a lot for this country, that is their emotional string IMO. Sacrifice requires the emotion of love. Seniors love their country, that is why they sacrifice. Seniors love their influence, that is why they vote. Seniors may fear having their benefits taken from them, but more than that seniors fear having their children and grandchildren suffer through no fault of their own.

There are basic emotions at play here. Rather than try to address the fear, why not encourage what they love? Seniors may be set in their ways, this is why it is so important to make it clear that their way IS the message of liberty. Not the message of empty promises, endless and hopeless debt, constant threat of violence against one of our cities. The message of liberty IS the message of sacrifice. This connection can be made with seniors. In order to free ourselves from the burdens that big government has brought upon us, we must sacrifice big government for liberty. Old people will get this. One way to do that is to vote for someone who will make the required fiscal changes to ensure that sacrifice is not wasted for any other cause. This is how older folks will know that their sacrifice won't be a waste.

The bonus is, they don't lose anything else. The sacrifice is ideological, but at the same time honors their life long sacrifice of service to their country.

I agree with this (i.e. dispel their fears).

[Babylon]

Ditto. We're quickly heading into a highly divided convention with no signs of anyone else dropping out. In recent history, the anointed candidate is usually thrust upon us by Super Tuesday. However this is a unique situation because the party is so fractured. Why try to take the path of the Golden Boy (1st place finishes)?

Ron is campaigning smarter, not harder.

What are talking about?
What is so 'fractured' about this campaign?
Romney is the front-runner and will easily win the nomination.
Santorum is irrelevant outside a few religious nut-job states. No different than Huckabee.

You really need to get some perspective.

Ron Paul is not campaigning 'smarter.'

He's not campaigning at all, in case you haven't noticed.

Name me a single TV ad that ran in any of the past three states.
Name me a single town-hall meeting.
Name me a single meeting at a factory or rest-home.
Give me a single sentence from a single speech made in any of the past three states that dealt with a local issue.



Give it a rest.

Ron Paul is turning into a Noam Chomsky type... some old guy that gives lectures on college campuses that nobody really understands or cares about, but for some reason has the aura of being hip and rebellious. That's not the foundation for a campaign. It is, however, the foundation for a good retirement, so long as it doesn't turn into some creepy kind of Ayn Randish cult...

[Badger for Paul]

Ditto. We're quickly heading into a highly divided convention with no signs of anyone else dropping out. In recent history, the anointed candidate is usually thrust upon us by Super Tuesday. However this is a unique situation because the party is so fractured. Why try to take the path of the Golden Boy (1st place finishes)?

Ron is campaigning smarter, not harder.

OK,maybe persistently placing 2nd or worse will get Paul the nomination, especially with winner-take-all states coming up soon. "Why try to take the path of the Golden Boy (1st place finishes)?" is probably one of the stupidest comments I have ever seen at RPFs.

You take the path of 1st place finishes because that is how you win.

[RyanRSheets]

Santorum goes to rural area churches all across the state where the dependable "old folks" are at. I think the word spreads around that Santorum is there guy and they unify.

This is essentially how Rand won Kentucky.

[KingNothing]

Ron Paul needs to keep mentioning to the MSM that Newt & Santorum will not have access 564 delegates because they are not on the ballots in multiple States.

That isn't exactly true anymore, though. They've managed to increase the number of ballots that they are on, I believe.

[Matthanuf06]

I'm not sure where this meme that a delegate strategy is not compatable with a lets win strategy. The fact is, the more votes you get, the more delegates you will get all else being equal. We can still educate people to become delegates whether we are the top vote getter or the bottom. It doesn't take resources away from campaigning. A few people have hit the nail on the head. Paul is an academic. Nearly all good politicians are salesmen. For the movement to "win" we need to win the POTUS at some point. And to win, you need votes. And to get votes, you need to sell people on your message. That doesn't mean you lie about your message, but it does mean that you deliver it to groups of people in a manner that will get the most votes. It is a matter of efficiency. Maximizing votes per campaign hour. Going to the base, preaching to the base, and lecturing does not maximize votes. Targeted messages for targeted audiences maximize votes. Go where the undecideds are; do some recon on what is important to that group, and focus on those issues. Rinse, repeat.

Folks we do not need every RP voter to be 100% behind everything Paul says. Heck, I disagree with him on a couple issues. But what we do need is for people to to pull the lever for Paul. As long as we are honest and legal, we all need to do whatever it takes to maximize those people.

[deputydon]

I posted this in a different thread, but this one is far more active.

I wish he would come to Ohio. Right now the Average is,

RCP Average
Romney - 26.0
Newt - 21.5
Santorum - 20.0
Paul - 10.5

Getting 4th place in a swing state like Ohio would be absolutely terrible. But the other three are spread so evenly (with another 22% undecided) that he has a chance to sweep in and gain some ground. He should visit Ohio State, University of Cincinnati, Kent State, University of Akron. Those are four of some of the most important colleges in Ohio. And there is only about a 35 minute drive between Kent State and Akron U, he can have a rally/Q&A twice that day. Losing Ohio that badly would be very bad for him, and Newt is already here trying to get the early voters. I don't really expect him to win here, but I imagine if he spends some time here, he can manage a second place win.

Kent State and Akron U are 35 minutes apart with about 46,000 students between them. Add in Ohio State and that's another 50,000 students. Ron got 50,964 votes at a time when everyone had pretty much assumed it was a two man race between Huckabee and McCain. McCain got 656,687 votes for about 60% of the vote. Ron cannot find him self in last place here. He needs to hit at least those three campuses, preferably more. Convince the students that they NEED to go out and vote.

[socal]

One of the reasons, anyone can't get any sh!t done when they become president, it's because they sort of con their constituents into voting for them & then when the constituents find out about their other issues, they don't support them anymore because they don't have any philosophical understanding of the issue.


Look, I'm not saying, he shouldn't target older voters at all, I'm just saying it's a low-probability cause because media has already portrayed him as the kooky, drug-legaliser, anti-American & the truth is that these people do vote based on media.

And Santorum didn't win because he stumbled upon some grand strategy, it's just that people are completely undecided, just look at the results, first it was Romney then Newt & since people aren't sure about them, they decided to go for Santorum this time but this surge of his likely won't last long because again, it's not some grand strategy, it's just pure indecision & confusion of the electorate


That's a long way away, we weren't doing that well in MN but look, the local Paulites put in the hard-work & it has turned out to be one of our best performances so far, we didn't win but we came a good second & we're gonna take a lot delegates from there.

To my mind, if we lose hope & panick & so on then we're playing right into the media's hands, this is how they dictate elections, with all the hype about the early states; we mustn't play into their hands & keep working like MN Paulites did & we definitely will see some good results :)

But anyways, here's a nice suggestion to get older voters on-board :


:D
I would argue we did the best in MN so far, 27.1% with 4 candidates. In NH we got 22.9% with more candidates, but if you give RP 26% (22.9/(39.3+22.9+16.9+9.4)) of those those not in the top 4 (10.7%), he still only gets 25.7%, not as good as MN.

http://www.google.com/elections/ed/us/results/2012/gop-primary/nh

I agree with your comments on Santorum. There's not much difference between him and Gingrich and Romney on the big issues, gov't spending and empire.

[Matthew5]

What are talking about?
What is so 'fractured' about this campaign?

Wow, who pissed in your cheerios this morning? lol The GOP is not united currently. The current four represent the current state of the GOP. Romney = establishment/wealthy Rep. Gingrinch = Good 'ol boy Rep. Paul = Anti-War/Libertarian Rep. and Santorum = Evengelicals

Sprinkle in the tea party in alittle bit of each of those.


Romney is the front-runner and will easily win the nomination.
Santorum is irrelevant outside a few religious nut-job states. No different than Huckabee.

Check your math. Santorum has now won more states than Romney. If it weren't for a winner-take-all Florida, he'd be screwed.


You really need to get some perspective.

Ron Paul is not campaigning 'smarter.'

He's not campaigning at all, in case you haven't noticed.

Name me a single TV ad that ran in any of the past three states.
Name me a single town-hall meeting.
Name me a single meeting at a factory or rest-home.
Give me a single sentence from a single speech made in any of the past three states that dealt with a local issue.

Give it a rest.

Ron Paul is turning into a Noam Chomsky type... some old guy that gives lectures on college campuses that nobody really understands or cares about, but for some reason has the aura of being hip and rebellious. That's not the foundation for a campaign. It is, however, the foundation for a good retirement, so long as it doesn't turn into some creepy kind of Ayn Randish cult...

You're a member from '07...you should know better than this. Ron Paul has been running a campaign that he wants to run and he's gained doubled or tripled his votes in many places. Why are you on RPF if you hate his campaign style so much?

[Matthew5]

OK,maybe persistently placing 2nd or worse will get Paul the nomination, especially with winner-take-all states coming up soon. "Why try to take the path of the Golden Boy (1st place finishes)?" is probably one of the stupidest comments I have ever seen at RPFs.

You take the path of 1st place finishes because that is how you win.

Glad I placed first place in some category! Stupidest comment ever! :D

So whoever has the most 1st place finishes by the convention wins the nomination? Sure about that? I could have sworn it had something to do with a delegate count.

Obviously winner-take-all states matter, but we've only had one of those so far. He's no worse for wear.

[BUSHLIED]

They're scared of this for some reason.

I don't think Ron is scared. He's fearless. My guess is his handlers are afraid he'll say the wrong thing when questioned.

It reminds me of all of the Libertarian Party campaigns I watched for 20+ years. The people that run these campaigns are afraid that people will find out what we really think and the whole campaign becomes a hide-your-light-under-a-bushel endeavor.

The cool thing is that Ron can't help himself from saying what he really thinks when he's give whatever lee-way he's given. But somebody's got him in this tightly structured system and they're not letting him out.

What happened to repeating the Iowa success in other states. You hold a "Veterans Rally" in each state, you hold a major rally on a few college campuses, and then you do smaller events tailored to pro-life people, pro-gun people, pro raw milk whatever...where are the campaign strategists and operatives working the little local groups?

[DanConway]

Wow, who pissed in your cheerios this morning? lol The GOP is not united currently. The current four represent the current state of the GOP. Romney = establishment/wealthy Rep. Gingrinch = Good 'ol boy Rep. Paul = Anti-War/Libertarian Rep. and Santorum = Evengelicals

Sprinkle in the tea party in alittle bit of each of those.



Check your math. Santorum has now won more states than Romney. If it weren't for a winner-take-all Florida, he'd be screwed.



You're a member from '07...you should know better than this. Ron Paul has been running a campaign that he wants to run and he's gained doubled or tripled his votes in many places. Why are you on RPF if you hate his campaign style so much?

For the same reason I am -- because I support him. I don't worship him.

If he's not in Maine from now through Saturday, he's not serious.

[seawolf]

Bushlied exactly what I said far earlier in the thread, Santorum is winning because he doing retail politics, staying in a State for longer than a day or two, having numerous town hall meetings, dinner speeches and rallies. Meeting alot of people in alot of places in a State.

Jetting from one or two college rallies or town halls in one or at the most two days simply is not enough time on the ground.

The scoreboard is showing Santorum 4 wins (three in caucus's, our strong point??) and Ron zero as of today.

We are all hoping for a win in Maine on Saturday, but Ron should be there already. If you want to win it you have to fight for it.

Also, if you haven't noticed donations have crashed in the last two weeks. No wins, no dollars!!! And finally, I am beginning to sense that some RP Supporters are drifting away already.

Pray for Maine, we need a win, BAD!!

[Matthew5]

I will agree that he needs to push harder in winner-take-all-states. Obviously hindsight is 20/20, but Florida would have been an excellent opportunity for a practice run given the trouble with seniors.

[ssjevot]

Bushlied exactly what I said far earlier in the thread, Santorum is winning because he doing retail politics, staying in a State for longer than a day or two, having numerous town hall meetings, dinner speeches and rallies. Meeting alot of people in alot of places in a State.

Jetting from one or two college rallies or town halls in one or at the most two days simply is not enough time on the ground.

The scoreboard is showing Santorum 4 wins (three in caucus's, our strong point??) and Ron zero as of today.

We are all hoping for a win in Maine on Saturday, but Ron should be there already. If you want to win it you have to fight for it.

Also, if you haven't noticed donations have crashed in the last two weeks. No wins, no dollars!!! And finally, I am beginning to sense that some RP Supporters are drifting away already.

Pray for Maine, we need a win, BAD!!

We definitely need to win Maine and that will give the campaign the donation boost it needs. I just wish the campaign understood that this is such a do or die moment and went all out in Maine. They need the money, we need the win, let's all do what we can to make it happen.

[Matthew5]

Isn't Dr. Paul the only one of the four with a serious day job? He's got to go back to Washington and Texas occasionally. Anyway, the campaign has a serious delegate strategy. Many of these first place finishes you seek are merely straw polls. Heck, even Missouri isn't meeting till next month.

It's not always orthodox by all appearances, but who seriously thought Ron Paul could win in an orthodox manner? I'm not saying that some criticism is necessary, but why do you expect him to fundamentally shift his campaign strategy this late in the race?

[socal]

Santorum has the entire GOP establishment and MSM backing him. It's hardly a fair fight. I think Ron does as much as any damn person could ask for.

It takes mega millions to get out the votes for Paul because the media and radio hosts distort anything he says, so to overcome it it takes money. Santorum can ride on the media waves as he's sooo easy to beat they are making a way for him to stay in with low funds, same for Gingrich.

Romney or Paul are harder for Obama to beat.
Speaking of the media, here are 2 negative stories I found today. I saw articles claiming double reimbursement yesterday before the MN, CO, MO caucuses. As the comments in the 1st article say, why would RP intentionally double bill for travel expenses and forgo his Congressional pension, makes no sense.

Ron Paul Spokesman Accuses Roll Call Magazine Of Publishing Stolen Documents In Expose Detailing Double Charged Expenses
http://www.ology.com/politics/ron-paul-spokesman-accuses-roll-call-magazine-publishing-stolen-documents-expose-detailing-

Ron Paul reimbursed twice for airline tickets: report
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/08/us-usa-campaign-paul-idUSTRE8151W320120208

Where's the inflation? It's Ron Paul versus Ben Bernanke
http://www.scpr.org/blogs/economy/2012/02/08/4594/wheres-inflation-its-ron-paul-versus-ben-bernanke/

Bernanke-Led Economy Proves Critics Clueless About Fed Policies
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/02/08/bloomberg_articlesLYZENY1A74E901-LZ1R5.DTL

[Babylon]

Why are you on RPF if you hate his campaign style so much?

I really don't know....

I really like blimps. That's why I signed up back in the day.

Then, against my better judgment, I somehow remembered by password (and, no... it is not "ILUVBLIMPS") and found myself morbidly sucked into this death spiral for the second time.

It's like a slow-motion trainwreck... Just can't quit watching.

"There is a secret Delegate Strategy!"

"I'm glad we're not in First Place... at least we're not a target."

"Ron knows what he is doing... Don't underestimate the importance of the Lack Jackson, Texas vote... it's more important than Maine."

"If only Newt and Santorum dropped out then we would be in second place!"

The stuff you read on this forum is downright bizarre.

What can I say... it's an illness. I need help. I am an avid reader of the official North Korean webpage for the same reason; just profound never-ending wonderment that people actual believe this stuff.

Don't get me wrong... I'd vote for Ron Paul. And, real honestly, anything I say or do on this message forum won't make a bit of difference regarding his likelihood of winning the election. There are some who'd disagree, of course. Some think my trollish comments will result in a wave of despair and hopelessness descending down upon potential RP voters. I disagree, though.

Anyway, why are you here?

[DanConway]

Isn't Dr. Paul the only one of the four with a serious day job? He's got to go back to Washington and Texas occasionally. Anyway, the campaign has a serious delegate strategy. Many of these first place finishes you seek are merely straw polls. Heck, even Missouri isn't meeting till next month.

That's moronic horseshit and you goddamn well know it and everyone here knows it. There is no delegate strategy if we're losing 80-20 in all the winner-take-all states. There will be no wins if we're not winning now, glorified straw poll or not, because then Romney will end up the presumptive nominee and Ron Paul will just be that guy hanging around to get a plank into the platform which no one reads or make a speech which no one will listen to. And we don't win now if we're not going all-out at the state we have the best chance of winning so far, with nothing else coming for three weeks.

I'm not in Maine. The most I can do is phone from home at this point. And I will do that. But the campaign needs to be doing more.

And another thing. It's not late in the race. Seven states have voted. The only realistic scenario in which we have a chance involves the race going all the way into June.

[Wolfgang Bohringer]

I really don't know....

I really like blimps. That's why I signed up back in the day.

Then, against my better judgment, I somehow remembered by password (and, no... it is not "ILUVBLIMPS") and found myself morbidly sucked into this death spiral for the second time.

It's like a slow-motion trainwreck... Just can't quit watching.

"There is a secret Delegate Strategy!"

"I'm glad we're not in First Place... at least we're not a target."

"Ron knows what he is doing... Don't underestimate the importance of the Lack Jackson, Texas vote... it's more important than Maine."

"If only Newt and Santorum dropped out then we would be in second place!"

The stuff you read on this forum is downright bizarre.

What can I say... it's an illness. I need help. I am an avid reader of the official North Korean webpage for the same reason; just profound never-ending wonderment that people actual believe this stuff.

Don't get me wrong... I'd vote for Ron Paul. And, real honestly, anything I say or do on this message forum won't make a bit of difference regarding his likelihood of winning the election. There are some who'd disagree, of course. Some think my trollish comments will result in a wave of despair and hopelessness descending down upon potential RP voters. I disagree, though.

Anyway, why are you here?

Stick around Babylon, maybe your blimp-instincts were correct:

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/2402/blimp1.gif

If we barrage Ron with Peace & Sound Money blimps maybe it will shake him out of this Noam Chomsky-esque rut he seems to have slipped into.
Peace & Sound Money blimps will inspire him to:

- write white papers detailing his transitional program from military keynesianism to sound money and a free market
- hold town meetings where he will offer his proposals up and invite questions and criticism from the public
- hold town meetings where he will present a panel of experts to debunk the military-media complex's lies about Iran

[Babylon]

Stick around Babylon, maybe your blimp-instincts were correct:

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/2402/blimp1.gif

If we barrage Ron with Peace & Sound Money blimps maybe it will shake him out of this Noam Chomsky-esque rut he seems to have slipped into.
Peace & Sound Money blimps will inspire him to:

- write white papers detailing his transitional program from military keynesianism to sound money and a free market
- hold town meetings where he will offer his proposals up and invite questions and criticism from the public
- hold town meetings where he will present a panel of experts to debunk the military-media complex's lies about Iran

Hell yeah, baby!

He needs a big fucking Zepplin. Arrive in it and the next debate. With a Captain's uniform.
When the moderator asks if he is 'electable', he responds: "I got a blimp, bitch. What do you think?"
Arriving at town halls by being lowered from his Ron Paul Zepplin would win this thing.
Jesus H... The Germans threw a few blimps up and the nearly took over frigging world.

You ever seen a big fucking blimp close up? Hovering 20 feet of the air like some kinda magic space-whale?

It strikes terror into the heart of men.

All this talk about carpools and shit... Fuck that. Voters need to be taken to the polls by blimp. Pick them up with rope ladders at their front doorstep.

Nobody listens to me though...

Doug Weade is a fool if he doesn't get this campaign ariborne.

[Johnny Appleseed]

Yes, he is spreading good top quality seed, its the soil that's bad.

[Wolfgang Bohringer]

Nobody listens to me though...


Me neither.

[Babylon]

Me neither.

It's a pity.

But, perhaps its just as well. When it comes to elaborate aviation schemes, Wolfgang Bohringer doesn't have much credibility.

[Wolfgang Bohringer]

When it comes to elaborate aviation schemes, Wolfgang Bohringer doesn't have much credibility.

I have to admit my record is spotty although kind of hazy.

[MJU1983]

I hope everyone complaining about the campaign is phoning from home, involved locally campaigning/spreading the message, etc.

If you're not, maybe the campaign isn't the problem. ;)

[1960HONEYBUNNY]

I totally agree and have written a paper on the subject. Here goes...
Why our National Elections are more important than our National Defense

National Defense protects us from "our" enemies both Foreign and Domestic
National Elections determine who will "Direct" our nation's militaryas well as the whole country .
Having honest open elections ensure protection against these very same factions!
We will be in control of our national destiny again.

The Greatest influence of the 99% is a Peacefull Revolution for Liberty!
Everyday Citizens MUST run for "Precinct Captain/Executive/Committeeman" in Nationwide districts!!!

Call the County Board of Elections" and give them your address and ask what precinct you live in.
Ask what the requirements are to run for the next (Republican/Democrate) parties post. They will tell you. Such questions are a matter of state law.

If needed call your Secretary of State Office, and ask them how to find the state laws that govern the precinct elections, and the parties who have qualifed to be recognized. State law "governs" which parties have "Qualified to be Recognized", that year, and often is only the Democratic/Republican parties, as the rules have been made very difficult, for any other type of parties to qualify, in most states.

Mostly, the Democratic and Republican parties control all 50 states, and all 3141 counties. Because of this, we recommend that everyone, pick either the Democratic or Republican party, with regard to the Precinct post, simply because of the soverign urgency of our nation!

Your precinct has boundaries, as surely and as precisely, as your state, and your country! Your precinct is usually 10 or 15 streets around your house. Did you know that? Yes! Abd the map is usually an aerial view of EXACTLY where your precinct ends on each street. You need the "walking list", which tells you the address at which your precinct ends on each street.

For instance, in Pennsylvania you need 10 signatures from voters in YOUR PRECINCT registered in the SAME PARTY as you're in. So, if you are running in the Republican Party you need the valid signatures of ten registered Republicans. in your precinct.

The walking list also tells you who the registered voters in your precinct are, whether they are registered as Republicans, Democrats, or Independents, or another party that qualified to register in your state, such as Libertarian Party, Green Party, or Constitution Party, and what address each voter lives at!

By using the walking list for your precinct, you can be sure you are getting valid signatures for your petition to run for "Precinct Captain/Executive/Committeeman post". Then you hand in your petition to the Board of Elections when you're finished collecting the required number of signatures.

VERY IMPORTANT: YOU MUST CHECK WITH YOUR COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS TO SEE ON WHAT DATE YOU CAN PICK UP YOUR PETITIONS TO RUN FOR PRECINCT, by what date you must turn your petition back into the Board of Elections, -- and on what date the (caucus) or (primary) election takes place in your county and state.

EXAMPLES: The Primary is held on May 5th, and the time to pick up your precinct petitions may begin 90 days earlier, that would be around February 25th, and the time to turn it in may be 30 days before the primary around April 5th. See? So, be sure to check the exact dates in your county and state.

When your petition is certified by the board of Elections as having the required number of valid signatures – then your name will be on the ballot IN YOUR PRECINCT ONLY for your party for the next caucus/primary that's held in your state.

If you are UNOPPOSED for Precinct Captain in your precinct for your party, -- if you vote for yourself, you win. If others have collected the required number of signatures to run for precinct executive in your precinct in your party, then they will also be on the ballot running against you.

When there is more than one candidate – the candidate who gets the most votes at the primary wins, and earns the right to go to the COUNTY party organizational meeting a month or so later (at the local VFW Hall, convention center, or wherever it is held) – and vote on WHO is the Party Chairman and Party Executive Committee for your party in your local county for the next 2 years.

THIS is the most important power of the elected Precinct Captain. If the precinct captains elected a good party chairman for your local party – then that Party Chairman and his team will ENDORSE good candidates to go to Congress, who will in turn undo the damage that has been done over the last few decades, and put this country on the right track again.

By the way, I’m told that in Kentucky, for instance, they do not have a primary, but a caucus, to elect Precinct Executives. On the appointed night – everyone interested in a given precinct goes to an appointed address for their party , Democratic or Republican Party, which may be at a home, school, or Recreation Center, etc. Then, by a show of hands, or by paper ballot, everyone present from that precinct elects someone to be the Precinct Captain for that precinct for the next two years.

Do not be discouraged if someone in an official capacity gives you the "run around." Local Party leaders have been known to do this. In many counties they do NOT want thousands of normal citizens making their influence felt and known in the precinct system!
Everyone into the Battle!

Sincerely,
Honey Bunny

Rise like Lions after slumber
In unvanquishable number -
Shake your chains to earth like dew
Which in sleep had fallen on you -
Ye are many - they are few
By Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1819 So, what do you think? Worth passing around? Help yourself. ;)

[Matthew5]

That's moronic horseshit and you goddamn well know it and everyone here knows it. There is no delegate strategy if we're losing 80-20 in all the winner-take-all states. There will be no wins if we're not winning now, glorified straw poll or not, because then Romney will end up the presumptive nominee and Ron Paul will just be that guy hanging around to get a plank into the platform which no one reads or make a speech which no one will listen to. And we don't win now if we're not going all-out at the state we have the best chance of winning so far, with nothing else coming for three weeks.

I'm not in Maine. The most I can do is phone from home at this point. And I will do that. But the campaign needs to be doing more.

And another thing. It's not late in the race. Seven states have voted. The only realistic scenario in which we have a chance involves the race going all the way into June.

Don't get your panties in a bunch, Dan. We've only had one winner-take-all contest so far. I believe the campaign handled it fine, not the best, but fair nonetheless. There's a delegate strategy amongst caucus states. I too am anxious about their winner-take-all strategy, but I trust the campaign.

I understand we have many contests to go, I just meant operations on the ground are already in place. There is time to tweak, certainly.