Pknuckle
04-16-2012, 12:08 PM
The Ron Paul Revolution will continue past Inauguration Day 2013, regardless of who is raising their right hand on that cold January morning. It will certainly be broader and easier if we get to hear "President Paul" everyday on the news. But, Dr. Paul has repeatedly stated he is leading a movement as much as a campaign. No matter the outcome, the campaign will end at some point-- but what about the movement? Will he remain active? Who else will take on the burden? And not just as keynote speakers. Who will keep returning to RonPaulForums and DailyPaul when he is no longer leading the Revolution? Where will the millions of dollars that people are willing to donate to the movement go? In summary-- What will happen to the enthusiasm, money, and hard work that has gone into the Ron Paul Revolution when it's just the Revolution?
I bring this up now because we can't wait until Dr. Paul takes the Oath of Office for us to ask, "Now what?" and we certainly can't be unprepared for the possibility that he might not win the nomination. As JFK said, the time to fix the roof is when the sun is shining. Folks, the sun is shining. It's a two man race (as we always knew) for the nomination and we are winning at the county and state conventions. But, the grassroots movement needs a plan for after Tampa. I urge Michael Nystrom, Adam Kokesh, Tom Woods, and the hundreds of other de facto leaders of the movement to start planning for the day the campaigns ends. As Dwight D. Eisenhower said, "Plans are nothing. Planning is everything." This movement will continue; it can stumble along much like the Tea Party following the 2010 mid-term elections when that one victory sucked the passion out of the movement...or it can capitalize on all these small victories we've already achieved. I am one of those small victories. Non-voting, Bush loving, southern Army Infantry Officer....you can't get more stereo-typically Gingrich than that. But, last summer I saw a youtube video, then a website, and then a book that changed my worldview. We can't wait for this education of people like me to occur every four years. It must persevere.
We can't let the communication and ambition that we all see on DailyPaul or RonPaulForums stop. That's a big reason I just started my website. I was no longer happy with reading news on the movement. I wanted to start growing the movement, reaching out to newcomers much as the online community reached out to me. People need to be informed and we are the ones to do it, through Tom Woods' new LibertyClassroom or individuals starting their own online collection of knowledge.
Start friending fellow Libertarians on Facebook, exchange emails or phone numbers, join meetup groups, start liberty-reading groups, educate your local GOP...hell, become the local GOP. But no matter what, don't stop learning and spreading what you learn. The informed individual is the greatest safeguard against collectivism.
-Peter Knuckle
9171787(dotcom)
I bring this up now because we can't wait until Dr. Paul takes the Oath of Office for us to ask, "Now what?" and we certainly can't be unprepared for the possibility that he might not win the nomination. As JFK said, the time to fix the roof is when the sun is shining. Folks, the sun is shining. It's a two man race (as we always knew) for the nomination and we are winning at the county and state conventions. But, the grassroots movement needs a plan for after Tampa. I urge Michael Nystrom, Adam Kokesh, Tom Woods, and the hundreds of other de facto leaders of the movement to start planning for the day the campaigns ends. As Dwight D. Eisenhower said, "Plans are nothing. Planning is everything." This movement will continue; it can stumble along much like the Tea Party following the 2010 mid-term elections when that one victory sucked the passion out of the movement...or it can capitalize on all these small victories we've already achieved. I am one of those small victories. Non-voting, Bush loving, southern Army Infantry Officer....you can't get more stereo-typically Gingrich than that. But, last summer I saw a youtube video, then a website, and then a book that changed my worldview. We can't wait for this education of people like me to occur every four years. It must persevere.
We can't let the communication and ambition that we all see on DailyPaul or RonPaulForums stop. That's a big reason I just started my website. I was no longer happy with reading news on the movement. I wanted to start growing the movement, reaching out to newcomers much as the online community reached out to me. People need to be informed and we are the ones to do it, through Tom Woods' new LibertyClassroom or individuals starting their own online collection of knowledge.
Start friending fellow Libertarians on Facebook, exchange emails or phone numbers, join meetup groups, start liberty-reading groups, educate your local GOP...hell, become the local GOP. But no matter what, don't stop learning and spreading what you learn. The informed individual is the greatest safeguard against collectivism.
-Peter Knuckle
9171787(dotcom)