Jesse Benton says campaign not formally making a push for delegates in MI convention

[dude58677]

http://www.freep.com/article/20120515/NEWS15/120515046/Ron-Paul-2012-election-Michigan

[William R]

Grow up kid.

[Anti Federalist]

Grow up kid.

I'm not a kid, and I've kept quiet about this, but his comments in The Hill today are over the top.

I concur.

Fuck him.

[The Magic Hoof]

I'm not a kid, and I've kept quiet about this, but his comments in The Hill today are over the top.

I concur.

Fuck him.

+1

[jay_dub]

Jesse Benton has not gone rogue. If you're mad, and many of us are, think about where the buck starts and stops.

[angelatc]

Wow - it just keeps getting worse and worse. Somebody put a muzzle on him ASAP.

[Agorism]

Did Rand Paul refuse to give him a job or something after his old man retires?

Is he auditioning for a position with the Romney campaign?

[RickyJ]

Jesse Benton has not gone rogue. If you're mad, and many of us are, think about where the buck starts and stops.

You know you might be right, he may have always been an asshole.

Everything I have ever heard Ron Paul say indicates to me there is no way in hell he would have ever said or endorsed some the things Benton has said. I know he is family, but at some point Ron is going to have to tell him to shut up!

[alucard13mmfmj]

seems like another ploy to make romney supporters less likely to show up at the convention... i HOPE this is what is going on.

[The Northbreather]

Put a leash on him!!

[tsai3904]

Where in the article does it say we're not after any delegates? Ron Paul didn't show up to the Arizona or Oklahoma state conventions either...does that mean we weren't after any delegates there too?

[phill4paul]

Geez... Come on Jesse there is still some hours left in the day. Supporters still have some teeth left. Another kick or two should finish it.

[dude58677]

Put a leash on him!!

Yea, really.

[braane]

Geez... Come on Jesse there is still some hours left in the day. Supporters still have some teeth left. Another kick or two should finish it.

my thoughts exactly...

[The Magic Hoof]

I'm waiting for a press release from the Paul campaign that Jesse Benton was fired.

[seawolf]

I wonder how the Michigan RP Supporters attending the State Convention this weekend feel now???

I imagine just like the 110,000 Youth for Ron Paul Members felt yesterday, dissed!!!

And I thought yesterday was the Darkest Day of the Campaign....it is getting worse by the hour!!!

[Agorism]

I'm waiting for a press release from the Paul campaign that Jesse Benton was fired.

He's married into the family. Scott Horton on antiwar radio complains about him sometimes. I need to find his epic rant from a couple months ago but I forgot which interview it was for.

[susano]

Well, the statists and RP haters are having a field day out there on forums. They're using Benton's own words as their weapon.

That's messed up.

[dude58677]

He's married into the family. Scott Horton on antiwar radio complains about him sometimes. I need to find his epic rant from a couple months ago but I forgot which interview it was for.

Cronyism!

[alucard13mmfmj]

dont worry. this is just part of the email plan to better our chances at the state conventions.

[thoughtomator]

Was there a br'er patch mentioned?

[Lucille]

Truly demoralizing.

I say again, if this is to protect Rand somehow, it won't work. The neo-trot establishment will try and destroy Rand's political future regardless.

[RickyJ]

seems like another ploy to make romney supporters less likely to show up at the convention... i HOPE this is what is going on.

They are not smart enough to have such a strategy and such a strategy was not used in other places and Ron Paul still won! We don't need to be quiet about our strategy since we vastly outnumber Romney supporters everywhere.

[DerailingDaTrain]

I sincerely don't like Jesse now.

[kathy88]

I'm not a kid, and I've kept quiet about this, but his comments in The Hill today are over the top.

I concur.

Fuck him.

+rep

[angelatc]

I'm waiting for a press release from the Paul campaign that Jesse Benton was fired.

Benton and Tate should have both been gone after Iowa. But now all we can hope is that Rand doesn't hire him again.

[susano]

seems like another ploy to make romney supporters less likely to show up at the convention... i HOPE this is what is going on.

That would be so Art of War but it's a dangerous strategy if your own troops are out of the loop.

[jkr]

better be one heck of a rope-a-dope...

[alucard13mmfmj]

we will get delegates when romney people dont show up cause they think romney is gonna win anyways =3...

pro ron paul supporters "bound" to romney!

[lib3rtarian]

OK, it's official. We The Grassroots put Jesse Benton on the forum equivalent of ignore. If we listen to this guy and conduct our revolution, we won't last a day. IGNORE!!!!!!!

[TheGrinch]

Now you're all getting worked up over him saying, "the Texas congressman will fore-go Michigan’s state convention this weekend and concentrate on winning some delegates at the Minnesota state convention."

Are you kidding me? That doesn't even come close to saying that we're not working in Michigan, just because Dr. Paul feels his presence is better served in Minnesota.

I'm outta here until you all calm down... I'd like to hope there's a lot of trolling going on here, because this place is going wild jumping to conclusions. Jesus Christ, get a grip on reality people.

[alucard13mmfmj]

That would be so Art of War but it's a dangerous strategy if your own troops are out of the loop.

they have to keep non-essential ronpaul supporter/grass roots out of the loop to prevent leaks.

[dude58677]

The campaign has no common sense. If it did then Tom Woods, Jack Hunter, or Trevor Lyman would have been hired for the campaign.

[Godmode7]

Email I just got.

Title: Nothing changes. Get ready for convention

Dear Michigan Patriots,

Apologies for not being in closer contact. Things are getting quite hectic as we prepare for state convention, and I am just not able to respond to the volume of e-mail I am getting.

Let's do a web conference Thursday night at 7:30 and I will go over everything.

Click here to register for the web conference.

A few things you should know up front:

-Ron Paul did NOT drop out and he did NOT suspend his campaign; a press release was wildly dis-interpreted by the mass media (shocking, I know) which stated that the campaign was not competing in upcoming primaries. The release was intended to do nothing more than manage expectations. (We are not, for instance, going to win California when the entire media establishment has already declared Mitt Romney the nominee and it would take millions and millions of dollars of ads to counteract that.)

The press release was quite clear that we still intend to win as many national delegates as possible, and that includes delegates from Michigan.

-We still need EVERY Ron Paul supporter planning to attend state convention, even if only as guests.

-Last week's web conference is posted to Grassroots Central. It goes over all the major details about the state convention and it is a must-watch for all Ron Paul supporters who are delegates and alternates to the convention.

-The list of district coordinators is posted to Grassroots Central as well. COORDINATE WITH YOUR DISTRICT COORDINATOR. Send them an e-mail, let them know if you are attending state convention. And you MUST coordinate with them if you plan to run for national delegate. Many are planning meetings between now and Friday.

I will announce shortly any pre-convention meetings we can hold in Detroit before we go into the state convention, and a few other details.

This is getting exciting, yes?

See you in Detroit.

For Liberty,
Adam de Angeli

ITS NOT OVER UNTIL WE TAKE OUT COUNTRY BACK FROM THE TYRANTS!

[tsai3904]

Now you're all getting worked up over him saying, "the Texas congressman will fore-go Michigan’s state convention this weekend and concentrate on winning some delegates at the Minnesota state convention."

Are you kidding me? That doesn't even come close to saying that we're not working in Michigan, just because Dr. Paul feels his presence is better served in Minnesota.

I'm outta here until you all calm down... I'd like to hope there's a lot of trolling going on here, because this place is going wild jumping to conclusions. Jesus Christ, get a grip on reality people.

Yea, Ron Paul hasn't attended many state conventions but that doesn't mean we weren't after delegates. I'm not sure why everyone is so upset that Ron Paul decided to attend Minnestoa instead of Michigan.

[Svenskar_för_Ron_Paul]

Oh, I've missed something. What's wrong with Jesse Benton?

[alucard13mmfmj]

yeah.. grassroots calmed down a little bit when we assumed it was an art of war strategy by taking advantage of the media bias. although, it seems to be heating up again.

[AmberH]

seems like another ploy to make romney supporters less likely to show up at the convention... i HOPE this is what is going on.

At some point Ron Paul supporters are going to be less likely to show.

[alucard13mmfmj]

Email I just got.

Title: Nothing changes. Get ready for convention

Dear Michigan Patriots,

Apologies for not being in closer contact. Things are getting quite hectic as we prepare for state convention, and I am just not able to respond to the volume of e-mail I am getting.

Let's do a web conference Thursday night at 7:30 and I will go over everything.

Click here to register for the web conference.

A few things you should know up front:

-Ron Paul did NOT drop out and he did NOT suspend his campaign; a press release was wildly dis-interpreted by the mass media (shocking, I know) which stated that the campaign was not competing in upcoming primaries. The release was intended to do nothing more than manage expectations. (We are not, for instance, going to win California when the entire media establishment has already declared Mitt Romney the nominee and it would take millions and millions of dollars of ads to counteract that.)

The press release was quite clear that we still intend to win as many national delegates as possible, and that includes delegates from Michigan.

-We still need EVERY Ron Paul supporter planning to attend state convention, even if only as guests.

-Last week's web conference is posted to Grassroots Central. It goes over all the major details about the state convention and it is a must-watch for all Ron Paul supporters who are delegates and alternates to the convention.

-The list of district coordinators is posted to Grassroots Central as well. COORDINATE WITH YOUR DISTRICT COORDINATOR. Send them an e-mail, let them know if you are attending state convention. And you MUST coordinate with them if you plan to run for national delegate. Many are planning meetings between now and Friday.

I will announce shortly any pre-convention meetings we can hold in Detroit before we go into the state convention, and a few other details.

This is getting exciting, yes?

See you in Detroit.

For Liberty,
Adam de Angeli

ITS NOT OVER UNTIL WE TAKE OUT COUNTRY BACK FROM THE TYRANTS!

yep.. campaign and/or grassroot are strategic masterminds O_O

[BUSHLIED]

dont worry. this is just part of the email plan to better our chances at the state conventions.

How does it help? We already are winning when everything was out in the open...don't we want the Romney camp to know that we are winning delegates so that they have to play ball with us come Tampa?

Or is this, someone said something to Ron Paul and now the campaign is playing nice because some sort of deal was struck between Paul and Romney as eluded to months ago.

Something is up. Either more campaign incompetence or a deal has been struck and the campaign is trying to play nice and distant themselves from the grassroots.

[angelatc]

Now you're all getting worked up over him saying, "the Texas congressman will fore-go Michigan’s state convention this weekend and concentrate on winning some delegates at the Minnesota state convention."

Are you kidding me? That doesn't even come close to saying that we're not working in Michigan, just because Dr. Paul feels his presence is better served in Minnesota.

I'm outta here until you all calm down... I'd like to hope there's a lot of trolling going on here, because this place is going wild jumping to conclusions. Jesus Christ, get a grip on reality people.

He could have spun it differently - nobody was expecting Ron Paul to show up in Michigan this weekend any way. A simple "He can't be everywhere, but his Michigan supporters are very enthusiastic, and we have some very strong local leadership - I think the whole state is excited about getting the opportunity to participate in the process this weekend."

[lib3rtarian]

Now you're all getting worked up over him saying, "the Texas congressman will fore-go Michigan’s state convention this weekend and concentrate on winning some delegates at the Minnesota state convention."

Are you kidding me? That doesn't even come close to saying that we're not working in Michigan, just because Dr. Paul feels his presence is better served in Minnesota.

I'm outta here until you all calm down... I'd like to hope there's a lot of trolling going on here, because this place is going wild jumping to conclusions. Jesus Christ, get a grip on reality people.

What right does Benton have to say that RP is going to "forgo" the MI convention, when hundreds of supporters have been busting their nuts over it??? What is the MI grassroots supposed to feel? Warm, fuzzy and loved?

[TheGrinch]

Yea, Ron Paul hasn't attended many state conventions but that doesn't mean we weren't after delegates. I'm not sure why everyone is so upset that Ron Paul decided to attend Minnestoa instead of Michigan.
Because Benton said it... There's a mood here that Jesse could say "the sky is blue", and everyone would jump all over him for it.

Not defending his previous actions, but people, have some persepctive about what they're saying, rather than assuming they're traitors or something. It's just ogtten absurd over what were 2 honest emails about our cahcnes and where our next money bomb is going. Outrageous! :rolleyes:

[dude58677]

Oh, I've missed something. What's wrong with Jesse Benton?

He is this idiot that was hired to be campaign manager for Ron Paul. He was hired in 2007 and again in 2012. He is a brother-in-law for RP's family.

[dude58677]

Oh, I've missed something. What's wrong with Jesse Benton?

He is this idiot that was hired to be campaign manager for Ron Paul. He was hired in 2007 and again in 2012. He is a brother-in-law for RP's family.

[tsai3904]

What right does Benton have to say that RP is going to "forgo" the MI convention, when hundreds of supporters have been busting their nuts over it??? What is the MI grassroots supposed to feel? Warm, fuzzy and loved?

He never had plans to attend the Michigan convention though. There have been many state conventions where Ron Paul didn't attend: Wyoming, Colorado, Alaska, Arizona, Oklahoma....

Grassroots doesn't need Ron Paul to be everywhere to fight for delegates.

[TheGrinch]

What right does Benton have to say that RP is going to "forgo" the MI convention, when hundreds of supporters have been busting their nuts over it??? What is the MI grassroots supposed to feel? Warm, fuzzy and loved?
Would you rather he just not show up and not say anything? Would you rather Dr. Paul asked for money to campaign and not tell you it's gonig just to support delegates? Would you rather they lie about Romney's chances and take money under false pretenses?

He's going where he'll have the most impact, and is honest with you about it, so why would you take it personally? I didn't take it personally that he went to places where he could have bigger gains than here in GA, so stop being butt-hurt about it.

[parocks]

I wonder how the Michigan RP Supporters attending the State Convention this weekend feel now???

I imagine just like the 110,000 Youth for Ron Paul Members felt yesterday, dissed!!!

And I thought yesterday was the Darkest Day of the Campaign....it is getting worse by the hour!!!

By the way the title of "Darkest Day" should go to one of the days that we hoped to get a lot of votes from people, and didn't. What Benton seems to be doing is reminding people of those not win dark days. A week ago, we finished behind people who are no longer in the race.

[The Gold Standard]

I'm not a kid, and I've kept quiet about this, but his comments in The Hill today are over the top.

I concur.

Fuck him.

I repped this too.

[Feeding the Abscess]

He could have spun it differently - nobody was expecting Ron Paul to show up in Michigan this weekend any way. A simple "He can't be everywhere, but his Michigan supporters are very enthusiastic, and we have some very strong local leadership - I think the whole state is excited about getting the opportunity to participate in the process this weekend."

No kidding. How hard is it to say something like that? I'm seriously asking. How effing hard is it to just say something like that?

[Svenskar_för_Ron_Paul]

He is this idiot that was hired to be campaign manager for Ron Paul. He was hired in 2007 and again in 2012. He is a brother-in-law for RP's family.

Yeah, but more specifically, what has he done?

[jay_dub]

Now you're all getting worked up over him saying, "the Texas congressman will fore-go Michigan’s state convention this weekend and concentrate on winning some delegates at the Minnesota state convention."

Are you kidding me? That doesn't even come close to saying that we're not working in Michigan, just because Dr. Paul feels his presence is better served in Minnesota.

I'm outta here until you all calm down... I'd like to hope there's a lot of trolling going on here, because this place is going wild jumping to conclusions. Jesus Christ, get a grip on reality people.

I agree. It's not that big of a deal, but people are venting.

People are upset for many reasons, and rightly (IMO) so. We are demoralized, confused and sniping at one another. The comments are much the same at DP. The campaign has managed in two days to do what the GOP Establishment, Mitt Romney and the MSM couldn't do since we started.

[angelatc]

By the way the title of "Darkest Day" should go to one of the days that we hoped to get a lot of votes from people, and didn't. What Benton seems to be doing is reminding people of those not win dark days. A week ago, we finished behind people who are no longer in the race.

All under his leadership, natch.

[hkbrandt]

I, like most of you, am really confused.

What's up with what seems to be a contradiction?.. From Benton “The campaign is not officially backing any action in Michigan,” . I thought the deal was the deal was the campaign is to focus on the delegate states? From Wead, "The delegate strategy is working. That is the way we will impact the platform in Tampa. That is the way we will begin the process of change." Very confusing.

[Agorism]

I found the tape I wanted. Take a listen. Horton had a fire Benton campaign months ago.

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?376799-I-found-the-tape-from-3-15-12...Scott-Horton-obliterates-Jesse-Benton-on-dissent-radio

[garyallen59]

Now you're all getting worked up over him saying, "the Texas congressman will fore-go Michigan’s state convention this weekend and concentrate on winning some delegates at the Minnesota state convention."

Are you kidding me? That doesn't even come close to saying that we're not working in Michigan, just because Dr. Paul feels his presence is better served in Minnesota.

I'm outta here until you all calm down... I'd like to hope there's a lot of trolling going on here, because this place is going wild jumping to conclusions. Jesus Christ, get a grip on reality people.

Thank you, I'm feeling the same way. This place can really bring a man down if he isn't already. I've been pumped all day about the future of liberty in this country and I come here and just see whining. Let's get up wipe our tears and move on folks.I don't know what the future of this campaign holds but I know that I'm not gonna stop until we win! For Liberty!

[tsai3904]

No kidding. How hard is it to say something like that? I'm seriously asking. How effing hard is it to just say something like that?

Maybe he did...no one knows. The media doesn't have to quote everything he says.

[V3n]

Ron Paul is going to be in Minnesota this weekend. He can't be two places at once! Michigan is in the capable hands of the grassroots - they can win just like we've won before where Ron Paul didn't happen to be in the same state.

Has everyone on this site gone mad?? Keep it together - turn off the media - we've got a Revolution to run!

[tsai3904]

I, like most of you, am really confused.

What's up with what seems to be a contradiction?.. From Benton “The campaign is not officially backing any action in Michigan,” . I thought the deal was the deal was the campaign is to focus on the delegate states? From Wead, "The delegate strategy is working. That is the way we will impact the platform in Tampa. That is the way we will begin the process of change." Very confusing.

Where's the confusion? The campaign had zero presence in Arizona and Oklahoma this past weekend. Does that mean there was no delegate strategy in those two states? There doesn't need to be a campaign presence for the grassroots to show up and vote for delegates.

[angelatc]

Maybe he did...no one knows. The media doesn't have to quote everything he says.

Then he has to be very careful not to say anything except exactly what he wants quoted.

[cassielund99@gmail.com]

I think people are over reacting to this. I think people should pipe down and get to the conventions this weekend and take all the delegates. Jessie Benton is the last person I would follow. If its not out of Ron Paul's mouth it wasn't said.

[alucard13mmfmj]

tactical genius or insane/incompetent...

[sailingaway]

Jesse Benton, Paul’s campaign spokesman, said the Texas congressman will fore-go Michigan’s state convention this weekend and concentrate on winning some delegates at the Minnesota state convention.

“The campaign is not officially backing any action in Michigan,” Benton said. “But we do have a good group of supporters who are going to the convention.”

If this was the only thing, and we hadn't just had two days of awful emails and campaign response, I wouldn't think it was a big deal. I think they are signalling they aren't expecting to win the state, so people won't say the delegate strategy is not working when we just get some delegates. My understanding is both that our people there are more accepted, generally, and have been working well with others there. My understanding is also that we will get 'some representation' likely, but nothing like cary the state. If I am wrong and the campaign isn't going, I'd be pissed because I think that may have been part of the problem w/ OK and AZ, they didn't have representation on the ground to hold people accountable. I thought that was part of what the extra delegate push was about.

But in light of everything else. I'm in the mood to grump at everything they do.

:p

[Captain Shays]

Well after reading some of these posts I feel comforted in knowing that I'm not the only one who is confused

[Godmode7]

tactical genius or insane/incompetent...

Insane/incompetent...but lucky the grassroots is strong.

[Nirvikalpa]

As I said in another thread... keep on digging the hole Benton, eventually you have to hit bottom. And for the love of God and the campaign, I hope it's soon because this is just turning into a circus.

[speciallyblend]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUkqBRC1zUA&ob=av2e<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUkqBRC1zUA&amp;ob=av2e">
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUkqBRC1zUA&amp;ob=av2e (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUkqBRC1zUA&ob=av2e)

[Lucille]

He never had plans to attend the Michigan convention though. There have been many state conventions where Ron Paul didn't attend: Wyoming, Colorado, Alaska, Arizona, Oklahoma....

Grassroots doesn't need Ron Paul to be everywhere to fight for delegates.

Will any campaign money be going to help our delegates? There was no one from the campaign in AZ last weekend. We need a parliamentarian and a lawyer at every state convention and in Tampa. Hell if I'm going to donate to the moneybomb if they can't even provide for the delegates Ron has been saying is his strategy all along, not to mention urging us to get involved in our local GOPs and become PCs and ultimately delegates. What the hell are they using the campaign money for?

[alucard13mmfmj]

Insane/incompetent...but lucky the grassroots is strong.

campaign assumes grassroots would move forward regardless of what the campaign said to the media.
campaign also assumes that romney people might not show up because the media is always biased against ron (although, romney probably is prepared to bus people into the convention).

im just trying to find something positive from this >.<, even though its assumptions.

[BKom]

Jesse Benton has not gone rogue. If you're mad, and many of us are, think about where the buck starts and stops.

This ^^^^^

Ron is either behind all these statements or he as agreed to them. The buck stops with . . . Jesse? I think not.

[pen_thief]

OK, it's official. We The Grassroots put Jesse Benton on the forum equivalent of ignore. If we listen to this guy and conduct our revolution, we won't last a day. IGNORE!!!!!!!

Adamantly agree.

[pacelli]

The campaign has no common sense. If it did then Tom Woods, Jack Hunter, or Trevor Lyman would have been hired for the campaign.

Check out Jack Hunter's latest message on the official campaign site.

http://www.ronpaul2012.com/2012/05/14/ron-paul-has-not-suspended-his-campaign/

http://www.ronpaul2012.com/author/jhadmin/

[angelatc]

Will any campaign money be going to help our delegates? There was no one from the campaign in AZ last weekend. We need a parliamentarian and a lawyer at every state convention and in Tampa. Hell if I'm going to donate to the moneybomb if they can't even provide for the delegates Ron has been saying is his strategy all along, not to mention urging us to get involved in our local GOPs and become PCs and ultimately delegates. What the hell are they using the campaign money for?

Campaign For Liberty?

Really, that's the most infuriating part. For 4 years, we've been told to learn the rules, participate in the process, and take over the party. Now that we're doing that, they're sending signals that we should back off.

Damn - we out lasted the TEA Party. 2 years ago the delegate slots in my county were hard fought. This time, hardly any of them showed up. It was almost all establishment and Paul supporters.

Confused.

[RickyJ]

Will any campaign money be going to help our delegates? There was no one from the campaign in AZ last weekend. We need a parliamentarian and a lawyer at every state convention and in Tampa. Hell if I'm going to donate to the moneybomb if they can't even provide for the delegates Ron has been saying is his strategy all along, not to mention urging us to get involved in our local GOPs and become PCs and ultimately delegates. What the hell are they using the campaign money for?

Benton appears to be using it to have one big party at our expense. The sooner Ron Paul fires him the better.

[phill4paul]

“The campaign is not officially backing any action in Michigan,” Benton said. “But we do have a good group of supporters who are going to the convention.”

or

"The campaign will be focusing our efforts in Minnesota as we feel this will give us the most delegates for the national convention," Benton said. "We have every faith in our group of supporters in Michigan, they are really a great group and we will be with them in spirit if not presence."

How hard would that have been?

[alucard13mmfmj]

media suggests ron paul has 1million left.. i assume we can hire parliamentary and/or lawyer to each convention.

[Nirvikalpa]

“The campaign is not officially backing any action in Michigan,” Benton said. “But we do have a good group of supporters who are going to the convention.”

or

"The campaign will be focusing our efforts in Minnesota as we feel this will give us the most delegates for the national convention," Benton said. "We have every faith in our group of supporters in Michigan, they are really a great group and we will be with them in spirit if not presence."

How hard would that have been?

You mean, Benton not talking out of his ass and actually making statements that would reflect well on the campaign?

http://www.canootervalve.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/ron-paul-laughing-300x2031.jpg

[speciallyblend]

“The campaign is not officially backing any action in Michigan,” Benton said. “But we do have a good group of supporters who are going to the convention.”

or

"The campaign will be focusing our efforts in Minnesota as we feel this will give us the most delegates for the national convention," Benton said. "We have every faith in our group of supporters in Michigan, they are really a great group and we will be with them in spirit if not presence."

How hard would that have been?

I'm speechless,confused,angry. this song fits somehow,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFySXT6OT_c<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFySXT6OT_c">
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFySXT6OT_c (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFySXT6OT_c)

[FlipObamney]

dont worry. this is just part of the email plan to better our chances at the state conventions.


Now you're being delusional. It's obvious Jessie Benton doesn't give a fuck about this "Revolution".

[kill the banks]

look how far we have come ... please stay an intelligent resolve and realize an emotional reaction is not a step to our reality but a step away ... don't fall into that ... this is the grassroots and we will deliver ... get back to real work please !

[jmdrake]

Are people actually reading the article or just the headline?

Jesse Benton, Paul’s campaign spokesman, said the Texas congressman will fore-go Michigan’s state convention this weekend and concentrate on winning some delegates at the Minnesota state convention.

“The campaign is not officially backing any action in Michigan,” Benton said. “But we do have a good group of supporters who are going to the convention.”

The Paul campaign, which won 115,911 votes in the Feb. 28 presidential primary in the state, has targeted some other states’ conventions, winning Maine and some state party leadership posts in other states.

Translation! The Ron Paul campaign is green lighting grassroots efforts in Michigan while it concentrates on Minnesota!

[lib3rtarian]

He never had plans to attend the Michigan convention though. There have been many state conventions where Ron Paul didn't attend: Wyoming, Colorado, Alaska, Arizona, Oklahoma....

Grassroots doesn't need Ron Paul to be everywhere to fight for delegates.


Would you rather he just not show up and not say anything? Would you rather Dr. Paul asked for money to campaign and not tell you it's gonig just to support delegates? Would you rather they lie about Romney's chances and take money under false pretenses?

He's going where he'll have the most impact, and is honest with you about it, so why would you take it personally? I didn't take it personally that he went to places where he could have bigger gains than here in GA, so stop being butt-hurt about it.


Ron Paul is going to be in Minnesota this weekend. He can't be two places at once! Michigan is in the capable hands of the grassroots - they can win just like we've won before where Ron Paul didn't happen to be in the same state.

Has everyone on this site gone mad?? Keep it together - turn off the media - we've got a Revolution to run!

Difference is the tone and attitude. What I get from Benton is -

"So yeah, we finally realized that it's not nice to get delegates from places where we did not win the beauty contest. So we are just going to kiss Romney's and Reince Priebus's asses and keep the heck out of MI. We heard there are some crazy fans there, but we have nothing to do with them."

You don't need a degree in English to word this better if all you wanted to say was that RP was already committed to MN, so he can't be in MI.

[hkbrandt]

Where's the confusion? The campaign had zero presence in Arizona and Oklahoma this past weekend. Does that mean there was no delegate strategy in those two states? There doesn't need to be a campaign presence for the grassroots to show up and vote for delegates.

Gee, good point.(?) Where the heck is the campaign for OK and AZ? Delegates withering on the vine? No confusion there.

[jcannon98188]

Now you're all getting worked up over him saying, "the Texas congressman will fore-go Michigan’s state convention this weekend and concentrate on winning some delegates at the Minnesota state convention."

Are you kidding me? That doesn't even come close to saying that we're not working in Michigan, just because Dr. Paul feels his presence is better served in Minnesota.

I'm outta here until you all calm down... I'd like to hope there's a lot of trolling going on here, because this place is going wild jumping to conclusions. Jesus Christ, get a grip on reality people.



“The campaign is not officially backing any action in Michigan,” Benton said

That is what we are upset about

[sailingaway]

Gee, good point.(?) Where the heck is the campaign for OK and AZ? Delegates withering on the vine? No confusion there.

Yeah, that actually makes a case for why they should have someone there. Obviously RON can't be everywhere.

but if they need more money for basic stuff like that, I wonder how much that money they asked for worked into this? Two weeks from the FIRST time they asked for it in two weeks would have been yesterday, I believe.

[tsai3904]

Gee, good point.(?) Where the heck is the campaign for OK and AZ? Delegates withering on the vine? No confusion there.

The campaign is us grassroots. What do you want from the campaign? Yes a lawyer would have been nice but what do you think would have happened differently?

[FlipObamney]

This ^^^^^

Ron is either behind all these statements or he as agreed to them. The buck stops with . . . Jesse? I think not.

If that is the case and Ron is behind these statements, then HE should be making them, not Jesse.

This is 100% bullshit.

[tsai3904]

That is what we are upset about

The campaign has not officially backed any action in A LOT of states. You don't need official backing from the campaign to win delegates. Yes, he could have made a better statement but words do not prevent the grassroots from winning.

[jmdrake]

Difference is the tone and attitude. What I get from Benton is -

"So yeah, we finally realized that it's not nice to get delegates from places where we did not win the beauty contest. So we are just going to kiss Romney's and Reince Priebus's asses and keep the heck out of MI. We heard there are some crazy fans there, but we have nothing to do with them."

You don't need a degree in English to word this better if all you wanted to say was that RP was already committed to MN, so he can't be in MI.

So Ron Paul won the "beauty contest" in Minnesota? Cause otherwise your "translation" makes no sense.

Edit: In fact, regardless of how RP did in MN your translation makes no sense. Benton said nothing about "crazy fans". He specifically said they had "good people" who would be attending the convention.

[JK/SEA]

We will soon find out how much steam is left in the boiler come the next money bomb. This is it. The real test.

[TheGrinch]

That is what we are upset about
“The campaign is not officially backing any action in Michigan,” Benton said. “But we do have a good group of supporters who are going to the convention.”

They're putting limited resources where they'll have the most effect, I assume... I certainly hope no one believes that they strategized, and just said "Fuck it".

I agree that it'd be great if they'd "officially" back it with parlimentarians and the works, but they've made it clear that they're prioritizing limited resources at this point, and them not "officially" backing it doesn't mean they're "abandoning" it like has been implied in this thread. They're just leaving it up to the delegates, who they obviously must either have a comfort level with or a hint that them committing resources there over Minnesota isn't going to help.

This is getting really old that people assume they understand the campaign's inner-workings, knowledge, intentions and finances better than they do.

[RickyJ]

We will soon find out how much steam is left in the boiler come the next money bomb. This is it. The real test.

Right, and Jesse Benton is doing everything in his power to stop the Ron Paul revolution just as it was picking up stream. That traitor has to go!

[nobody's_hero]

Well, the statists and RP haters are having a field day out there on forums. They're using Benton's own words as their weapon.

That's messed up.

The campaign should have know that was going to happen. Ah well.

Let'em dance on my grave; I'll wake up one last time and punch'em in the nuts before I rest eternal.

[hkbrandt]

The campaign is us grassroots. What do you want from the campaign? Yes a lawyer would have been nice but what do you think would have happened differently?

Is this an intentional argument for all to stop supporting and contributing to the campaign?

[tsai3904]

13 states held elections prior to Super Tuesday and one of them was Wyoming.

Wyoming received ZERO help from the campaign (no campaign office, no campaign coordinator, no campaign help period) even though it was an early caucus state. I worked closely with the Wyoming grassroots and even though there was no campaign help, no one was discouraged. We fought against Romney's HUGE organizational advantage and won delegates at the State Convention.

You DON'T need any campaign presence or statement to win. Get over this one statement where Benton says there is no official backing in Michigan and continue working if you want to further the liberty movement.

[Agorism]

Trade Romney support for transportation Secretary for Rand? (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?367516-Trade-Romney-support-for-transportation-Secretary-for-Rand)

[Agorism]

What if we could get it so Rand Paul could be the head of homeland security as long as the campaign supports Mitt Romney?

[RickyJ]

Is this an intentional argument for all to stop supporting and contributing to the campaign?

Amazing isn't it?

[kathy88]

Benton's pissed so many people off the grassroots are going to go to their conventions and get ALL THE DELEGATES!!!!!! Wait..... NAAAHHH he's not that smart.

[nobody's_hero]

Trade Romney support for transportation Secretary for Rand? (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?367516-Trade-Romney-support-for-transportation-Secretary-for-Rand)

Sounds like a set-up to me. So the plan is to get Rand Paul to be in charge of security while our government foreign policy remains the same?

What does Rand do when the inevitable blowback happens? Resign?

The GOP wants to essentially give us nothing more than a pat on the head in exchange for our votes.

[FlipObamney]

Get over this one statement where Benton says there is no official backing in Michigan and continue working if you want to further the liberty movement.

I love how you think this blow-back is about that one statement. How about everything he has ever said or done has gone against the grain of the revolution.

[-:Undertaker:-]

Go there, get the delegates - ignore all other distractions and politics.

[Agorism]

Doesn't the campaign have a few million dollar left?

Maybe we could give that money to Romney in exchange for some platform input.

[BenMuldowney]

I, like most of you, am really confused.

What's up with what seems to be a contradiction?.. From Benton “The campaign is not officially backing any action in Michigan,” . I thought the deal was the deal was the campaign is to focus on the delegate states? From Wead, "The delegate strategy is working. That is the way we will impact the platform in Tampa. That is the way we will begin the process of change." Very confusing.


benton is distancing himself from the delegates in case they take the convention to the parking lot when the romeybots try to illegally end it prematurely. benton is killing us... this isnt about "ron paul can't be in two places at one time." this is benton cozying up to the neocon rino's.

[frodus24]

I will be donating to the moneybomb on May 17th. That is all I have to say about the situation.

[tsai3904]

I love how you think this blow-back is about that one statement. How about everything he has ever said or done has gone against the grain of the revolution.

Just curious, how long have you been following the campaign?

[nobody's_hero]

Doesn't the campaign have a few million dollar left?

Maybe we could give that money to Romney in exchange for some platform input.

LOL, Romney needs money? Did Goldman Sachs forget to send the daily check or something?

[Mckarnin]

Another link to the Jesse Benton quoting article in The Hill: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/227461-paul-campaign-official-endorsement-of-romney-not-likely-discussion-premature

[DonovanJames]

I will be donating to the moneybomb on May 17th. That is all I have to say about the situation.

Make sure attach in a note that in no way shape or form does your donation go into the Staff Salary accounts payable column.

[Tiso0770]

Everyone is getting worked up for nothing. Don't you all know that Emails could be faked and hacked.

[Agorism]

Well how much money do we have. Don't we have some money we can give to Mitt Romney?

If we don't, I'm sure the campaign could take out some loans to give money to Romney, and then we could have Ron Paul fundraisers with Jesse Benton later on to pay it back.

[opinionatedfool]

I wonder how the Michigan RP Supporters attending the State Convention this weekend feel now???

Terrible. So much for the revolution!

[nobody's_hero]

Well how much money do we have. Don't we have some money we can give to Mitt Romney?

If we don't, I'm sure the campaign could take out some loans to give money to Romney, and then we could have Ron Paul fundraisers with Jesse Benton later on to pay it back.

Oh good, you're being sarcastic. I was worried but my sarcaso-meter started working at the last second.

[FlipObamney]

Just curious, how long have you been following the campaign?

I have been following the campaign before Ron decided to run in 2008. Do you have a point?

[CPUd]

The thing about Michigan- it's supposed to be one of romney's 'home states' even if most people there don't claim him. They had planned on giving the Mass. delegation a lot of attention, but we know how that turned out. The romney camp doesn't want MI to be yet another embarrassment, so that's probably where they are putting the most muscle.

I for one would like to see us go into Michigan and take all the delegates. We all probably do, but this is one that will turn ugly very fast once the GOP see they don't have the numbers to stop us from getting delegates. People are going to be getting snatched up by the police and taken outside, and I mean grab you first and ask questions later. This is why they don't want video cameras in there. I believe those who have to go in there, they are fully aware of this and prepared for it. But for a Presidential campaign to officially get behind what we all believe is going to happen, the other side will see it as a hostile action.

[EBounding]

WTF

Gee thanks pal

:mad:

I knew he wasn't going to be there and that there wasn't going to be much support from the national campaign, but what's the purpose of telling the media this?

[digitaldean]

Bottom line is Jesse Benton just wanted to make money.

[dannno]

I'd like to see what actually happens at the MI convention before I hate on Benton too much.

[SpiritOf1776_J4]

Looks like there is going to be a riot and Benton is distancing himself!

[Maximus]

This is either the most genius political maneuver in history, or sheer arrogance and incompetence. Yesterday I thought we were playing possum, today I'm not so sure.

[deadfish]

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman."

[Badger Paul]

You're the campaign now in Michigan, not Benton. He can say what he wants but you can do what you want.

And if it's delegates you want, go get them!

[devil21]

I must have missed the part where the formal campaign did much of anything at any of these conventions. Other than C4L volunteers and such, the actual campaign has barely been involved at all at the convention level so where does Jesse get off saying what Michigan grassroots supporters will or won't do at the convention? Im not in Michigan but my state convention is coming up and I sure as hell didn't get my registration fees, Robert's Rules training or anything else from the campaign. We're doing this on our own!

Here's the funny part. This whole thing could be a stroke of genius to motivate us to work even harder to win, even if unintentional. We always band together when we're attacked by the media and the establishment so why not band together when we're attacked by our own "spokesman"? If Benton wants to go out in public and state what the grassroots won't do then he's asking to be the next poster child for what happens when you challenge us. Just some food for thought there.

[Dogsoldier]

To be honest I'm not worried about what benton said or did.I'm not here for benton.

But why did Ron Paul say that Romney needs only 200 delegates to get the nod?That to me is the discouraging part.Even though officially he has only 350 max.

[opinionatedfool]

To be honest I'm not worried about what benton said or did.I'm not here for benton.

But why did Ron Paul say that Romney needs only 200 delegates to get the nod?That to me is the discouraging part.Even though officially he has only 350 max.

It's becoming apparent that us grassroots are the ones who know what's going on. I wish the campaign would have hung around the forum a little more. Maybe they would learn something.

[MoneyWhereMyMouthIs2]

Are you kidding me? That doesn't even come close to saying that we're not working in Michigan, just because Dr. Paul feels his presence is better served in Minnesota.


I was under the impression that Minnesota dominated so much, they don't need any help. His appearance there is more like a reward, I believe.

[KingNothing]

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman."


We have an amazing amount of sunshine patriots around here, apparently.

[KingNothing]

It's becoming apparent that us grassroots are the ones who know what's going on. I wish the campaign would have hung around the forum a little more. Maybe they would learn something.


This forum is.... not exactly a thinktank. I think we'd be best to express a heavy amount of humility, and try to understand that the Paul camp is filled with professionals and led by a man who has been in the game since the 1970's. They know what they're doing. We've every reason to have faith in their abilities.

[KingNothing]

Bottom line is Jesse Benton just wanted to make money.


Wow. Right.

[Supernaut]

Some of us have been on to jesse Benton for a long time. What an absolute shithead.

[ClydeCoulter]

seems like another ploy to make romney supporters less likely to show up at the convention... i HOPE this is what is going on.

Seems to be working, eh? Take a look at nebraska tonight

[brushfire]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJMazopPwMI

Dr Paul is getting plenty of attention. I wonder how this information hits the opposition? Confusion?

Personally, I'm waiting for Sept 1st before I jump to any conclusions.

[Krzysztof Lesiak]

Benton needs to go. ASAP.

[KingNothing]

You know when Jack Nicholson had that fleeting belief that the people around him in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest weren't completely insane only to have that belief shattered when the reality of the mental state of those around him became apparent again?

I feel like that is what's happening here now. There's a whoooole bunch of crazy going on.

And the people who aren't acting insane are acting like sniveling, bratty children.

This board has not been representing the best and brightest of the movement recently.

[KenInMontiMN]

I was under the impression that Minnesota dominated so much, they don't need any help. His appearance there is more like a reward, I believe.

Possibly something to that but it's also a great opportunity for Paul to boost Kurt Bills' candidacy for US Senate. But we aren't that wildly dominant at all; we only had a majority of the delegations in 3 of 8 cong. districts but took 20 of 24 due to disciplined slate adherence by our people, along with a complete absence of competing slates by any other campaign. So now as a result of that success we go into state with less than 50% on paper at least and we face an organized slate and different voting rules that require 50% +1 to elect a delegate. So nothing is automatic this weekend, but we're hoping to take most or many of the remaining 13 delegate positions. But we may need some support from non-Paulers who don'tcare for Romney to get over that 50% hump, we'll see.

[devil21]

You know when Jack Nicholson had that fleeting belief that the people around him in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest weren't completely insane only to have that belief shattered when the reality of the mental state of those around him became apparent again?

I feel like that is what's happening here now. There's a whoooole bunch of crazy going on.

And the people who aren't acting insane are acting like sniveling, bratty children.

This board has not been representing the best and brightest of the movement recently.

Thank god no one cares what you think.

[JS4Pat]

“The campaign is not officially backing any action in Michigan,” Benton said.

What in the hell has happened to this campaign? This is so freaking pathetic!

[walt]

What in the hell has happened to this campaign? This is so freaking pathetic!

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?376889-Is-Jesse-Benton-the-next-Benedict-Arnold-or-an-idiot

[rp2012win]

What in the hell has happened to this campaign? This is so freaking pathetic!Those running the campaign lack vision. The ones who told Dr. Paul to defend Romney in the MI debate and attack Santorum. The ones who spent over $50,000 on Santorum attack ads in MI. Santorum was in 1st in MI so the campaign said, "oh ok, lets attack santorum since he is ahead." They did not have the vision to understand that a Santorum win in MI would help Dr. Paul long term. Think about it. Santorum would have taken OH as well and we would still have a 4 man race and be on the brink of a brokered convention. All the campaign had to do was instruct Dr. Paul to attack Romney like a dog during that debate and all our dreams would still be alive. Although I was banned for months for criticizing that campaign decision, most can now see just how incompetent these people are.

[ForLibertyFight]

Jesse Benton is only working in politics because of nepotism. I honestly believe that I could've ran a better campaign...

[goRPaul]

I met Jesse Benton once, and in my opinion he is a very nice and very capable individual. Everything I've seen him do and heard him say is 100% for the cause. He had me pumping my fist in the air when I watched him on C-SPAN with the other campaign managers. He has, arguably, the hardest job of the campaign, so cut him some slack.

Given that the campaign isn't over nor has he given up, he still just might put his grandfather-in-law in the White House. And even if he doesn't, I doubt there's anyone else in the country who could get him closer to it than he has. Run your mouth about him if it makes you feel better, but you simply couldn't do his job, not even for a day.

[rp2012win]

And even if he doesn't, I doubt there's anyone else in the country who could get him closer to it than he has. Run your mouth about him if it makes you feel better, but you simply couldn't do his job, not even for a day.Strongly disagree. I'm not sure if it was jesse benton or not, but someone had to be telling Paul to not attack Romney. There were critical moments in this campaign (none bigger than the MI debate) where paul could have attacked romney and altered the course of the race such that we would be headed for a brokered convention. That the campaign could not force a brokered convention with the dynamic at play in late Feb/early March is a failure.

[happyphilter]

I'm in Michigan and am a delegate to the state convention. I can tell you that unless a person was a precinct delegates in 2008 it is unlikely that they will go to the state convention this year. At my county convention a slate of delegates was voted on and approved, and since new people couldn't vote and new delegate elections are in August it was impossible to take a majority of delegates unless it was planned 4 years ago; This probably happened in nearly every county. The establishment in Michigan is well entrenched, so I understand not making a huge push here. However, me and the others will do what we can this weekend. While the republicans here do not support RP I found many of them have been very reasonable and understanding.

[francisco]

I'm in Michigan and am a delegate to the state convention. I can tell you that unless a person was a precinct delegates in 2008 it is unlikely that they will go to the state convention this year. At my county convention a slate of delegates was voted on and approved, and since new people couldn't vote and new delegate elections are in August it was impossible to take a majority of delegates unless it was planned 4 years ago; This probably happened in nearly every county. The establishment in Michigan is well entrenched, so I understand not making a huge push here. However, me and the others will do what we can this weekend. While the republicans here do not support RP I found many of them have been very reasonable and understanding.

Stand by for a lot of people here to say "Don't cloud the issue with facts" (Ducking thrown objects)

[Eisenhower]

I'm not a kid, and I've kept quiet about this, but his comments in The Hill today are over the top.

I concur.

Fuck him.
+rep, great post

[sailingaway]

I'm in Michigan and am a delegate to the state convention. I can tell you that unless a person was a precinct delegates in 2008 it is unlikely that they will go to the state convention this year. At my county convention a slate of delegates was voted on and approved, and since new people couldn't vote and new delegate elections are in August it was impossible to take a majority of delegates unless it was planned 4 years ago; This probably happened in nearly every county. The establishment in Michigan is well entrenched, so I understand not making a huge push here. However, me and the others will do what we can this weekend. While the republicans here do not support RP I found many of them have been very reasonable and understanding.

Good luck!

[sailingaway]

Possibly something to that but it's also a great opportunity for Paul to boost Kurt Bills' candidacy for US Senate. But we aren't that wildly dominant at all; we only had a majority of the delegations in 3 of 8 cong. districts but took 20 of 24 due to disciplined slate adherence by our people, along with a complete absence of competing slates by any other campaign. So now as a result of that success we go into state with less than 50% on paper at least and we face an organized slate and different voting rules that require 50% +1 to elect a delegate. So nothing is automatic this weekend, but we're hoping to take most or many of the remaining 13 delegate positions. But we may need some support from non-Paulers who don'tcare for Romney to get over that 50% hump, we'll see.

best of luck!

[devil21]

Possibly something to that but it's also a great opportunity for Paul to boost Kurt Bills' candidacy for US Senate. But we aren't that wildly dominant at all; we only had a majority of the delegations in 3 of 8 cong. districts but took 20 of 24 due to disciplined slate adherence by our people, along with a complete absence of competing slates by any other campaign. So now as a result of that success we go into state with less than 50% on paper at least and we face an organized slate and different voting rules that require 50% +1 to elect a delegate. So nothing is automatic this weekend, but we're hoping to take most or many of the remaining 13 delegate positions. But we may need some support from non-Paulers who don'tcare for Romney to get over that 50% hump, we'll see.

So change the rules if you think it will work in your favor. They do it. You can do it too. No rule is set in stone and Robert's Rules will give you a chance to challenge any rule you don't like. Just Google "how to change rules roberts rules" if you think a rule change is in order.

[parocks]

Email I just got.

Title: Nothing changes. Get ready for convention

Dear Michigan Patriots,

Apologies for not being in closer contact. Things are getting quite hectic as we prepare for state convention, and I am just not able to respond to the volume of e-mail I am getting.

Let's do a web conference Thursday night at 7:30 and I will go over everything.

Click here to register for the web conference.

A few things you should know up front:

-Ron Paul did NOT drop out and he did NOT suspend his campaign; a press release was wildly dis-interpreted by the mass media (shocking, I know) which stated that the campaign was not competing in upcoming primaries. The release was intended to do nothing more than manage expectations. (We are not, for instance, going to win California when the entire media establishment has already declared Mitt Romney the nominee and it would take millions and millions of dollars of ads to counteract that.)

The press release was quite clear that we still intend to win as many national delegates as possible, and that includes delegates from Michigan.

-We still need EVERY Ron Paul supporter planning to attend state convention, even if only as guests.

-Last week's web conference is posted to Grassroots Central. It goes over all the major details about the state convention and it is a must-watch for all Ron Paul supporters who are delegates and alternates to the convention.

-The list of district coordinators is posted to Grassroots Central as well. COORDINATE WITH YOUR DISTRICT COORDINATOR. Send them an e-mail, let them know if you are attending state convention. And you MUST coordinate with them if you plan to run for national delegate. Many are planning meetings between now and Friday.

I will announce shortly any pre-convention meetings we can hold in Detroit before we go into the state convention, and a few other details.

This is getting exciting, yes?

See you in Detroit.

For Liberty,
Adam de Angeli

ITS NOT OVER UNTIL WE TAKE OUT COUNTRY BACK FROM THE TYRANTS!

Instead of bitching about Benton, help Adam de Angeli.

[parocks]

You know when Jack Nicholson had that fleeting belief that the people around him in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest weren't completely insane only to have that belief shattered when the reality of the mental state of those around him became apparent again?

I feel like that is what's happening here now. There's a whoooole bunch of crazy going on.

And the people who aren't acting insane are acting like sniveling, bratty children.

This board has not been representing the best and brightest of the movement recently.

The problem is that the people who believe that we're going to win are here on the message board, and some of the people who think that it's more likely that Romney will win aren't here. That skews things.

[speciallyblend]

Instead of bitching about Benton, help Adam de Angeli.

that should be a thread, the mi letter should be made front page.

[KingNothing]

I met Jesse Benton once, and in my opinion he is a very nice and very capable individual. Everything I've seen him do and heard him say is 100% for the cause. He had me pumping my fist in the air when I watched him on C-SPAN with the other campaign managers. He has, arguably, the hardest job of the campaign, so cut him some slack.

Given that the campaign isn't over nor has he given up, he still just might put his grandfather-in-law in the White House. And even if he doesn't, I doubt there's anyone else in the country who could get him closer to it than he has. Run your mouth about him if it makes you feel better, but you simply couldn't do his job, not even for a day.

Great post.

The overly emotional, whining, sniveling brats around here could not do a better job than Jesse has done. Period.

[RonRules]

How about this for a reason about Jesse's behavior: Fear of Success. It's a diagnosed medical condition.

In psychology, fear of success is about being subconsciously afraid of succeeding. These signs of self-sabotage reveal how fear and perfectionism hold you back.

http://l-pawlik-kienlen.suite101.com/how-fear-of-success-works-a49666

Fear of success can be just as paralyzing as fear of failure. Many people fear success because it tests their limits and makes them vulnerable to new situations. Even worse, success can expose weaknesses and force people to deal with their flaws.

Success is scary because it involves change. Success can be intimidating and hard to handle. With success comes more challenges and responsibilities – and that can be threatening.

Sometimes people fear success because they don’t know if they can live up to their achievements. They don’t think they’re good enough or smart enough. They're afraid they don't have what it takes to rise to the challenge, and they don't know if they can sustain their success.

And that’s where self-sabotaging behavior comes in.

Signs of Fear of Success and Self-Sabotage
How do you know if you’re afraid of success? Some possible signs of self-sabotage are:

1. “Partying” the night before the big presentation. This can be literal partying (drinking too much, experimenting with drugs, staying out until the wee hours) or metaphorical partying (cleaning your house until 3 a.m., drinking too much coffee or soda pop so you can’t sleep). You may be flirting with self-sabotage if you somehow always ruin a good night’s rest before a big presentation, exam, or job interview.

2. Procrastination. Putting projects, assignments, or duties off while you take care of non-essential fluff or "make-work" chores can be a sign of fear of success. If you putter around instead of taking care of business, you may be subconsciously sabotaging yourself.

3. All talk, no action. Sometimes certain behaviors look like laziness, but they reveal a fear of success. For instance, you may talk about your life dreams and goals all the time, but you watch TV every night and surf the Internet for hours every day. You never actually take practical steps or exert self-discipline to move in the direction of your goals.

4. Negative, pessimistic thoughts and behaviors. Fear of success can involve an extremely negative perspective of life. “What’s the point of dressing up for the job interview? I probably won’t get it anyway.” Not trying – and focusing on all the things that can go wrong – is self-sabotaging behavior.

What’s the benefit of these self-sabotaging behaviors? They provide an escape hatch. That is, if you party the night before or put your project off to the last minute, you can then shrug off your performance. You have an excuse for not doing well. Instead of facing the fear that you're not good or smart enough, you chalk it up to too many beers.

New Research on Self-Sabotage
Dr. Jason Plaks is a social psychologist at the University of Toronto. He researched self-sabotage and why some people can’t handle success with Kristin Stecher, a research scientist at the University of Washington. They found that if people think their professional skills and abilities are fixed, they’ll become anxious if they’re successful. These researchers found that people with a fixed view of their abilities get disoriented when they succeed, and their performance then spirals downward.

To apply this to real life: if you see your abilities as changeable (or not set in stone), you may be more likely to succeed. This could be one step in the direction of overcoming fear of success: see your skills and talents as variable. They grow with practice, and get rusty with disuse.

[KingNothing]

Yes, Jesse Benton fears success. I think you hit the nail on the head.


Do you think before you post?

[ShibbitySparks]

Great post.

The overly emotional, whining, sniveling brats around here could not do a better job than Jesse has done. Period.


You have absolutely no right to make this statement, as you have absolutely no way of estimating the political know-how and capabilities of every individual in the grassroots organization. Period. So how about instead of making false blanket statements and unwarranted personal attacks, you just quiet yourself? Basically, this is the nicest form of me saying shut the fuck up, KingNothing. People have a right to be confused and upset with the official campaign, and voicing those grievances =/= whining and being a sniveling brat. Think before you post.

[KingNothing]

You have absolutely no right to make this statement, as you have absolutely no way of estimating the political know-how and capabilities of every individual in the grassroots organization. Period. So how about instead of making false blanket statements and unwarranted personal attacks, you just quiet yourself? Basically, this is the nicest form of me saying shut the fuck up, KingNothing. People have a right to be confused and upset with the official campaign, and voicing those grievances =/= whining and being a sniveling brat. Think before you post.

Yes, I certainly should have more faith in what a shlub with a username here thinks than what Paul and his group believe. Right.

Are you kidding?

The arrogance, which borders on the edge of insanity, of some posters here is absolutely astonishing. And the self-importance isn't far behind, either.

What the hell has happened to this place?

[Ivash]

I've known a lot of campaign managers in my life. It is often a pretty stressful job, since so many people are expecting so much of them, but I'm willing to bet that a decent amount of people here have more strenuous jobs. And I am positive that some people here could do his job for a campaign season. Not everybody here, but a few people surely could pull it off. Probably no manager on earth could have changed the sequence of political events too much, however.

[ohgodno]

I thought over it a bit, and one thing is obvious:
Jesse Benton is trolling. My hope is he's trolling the media/Romney camp and we are collateral damage, stuck in a perpetual self trolling cycle. Jesse has been phrasing everything so recklessly that it is obvious he's trolling, the only question is who?

[NoOneButPaul]

So.... we're refocusing the campaign to a more focused delegate strategy but now we aren't going to do anything in Michigan?

My state's convention is in 3 weeks... the last couple days have killed my desire to go. If they're going to quit, why should we keep fighting for them?

[tsai3904]

So.... we're refocusing the campaign to a more focused delegate strategy but now we aren't going to do anything in Michigan?

My state's convention is in 3 weeks... the last couple days have killed my desire to go. If they're going to quit, why should we keep fighting for them?

There are still grassroots supporters in Michigan who are organizing for the convention. They have sent out several emails the last couple days reminding everyone to show up. So what do you mean they aren't going to do anything in Michigan? The campaign didn't officially do anything in Arizona and Oklahoma yet the grassroots still showed up and won...

No one is quitting...Ron Paul will be at the Minnesota state convention this weekend, the Texas state convention in June, and possibly others. Who quit?

[angelatc]

I met Jesse Benton once, and in my opinion he is a very nice and very capable individual. Everything I've seen him do and heard him say is 100% for the cause. He had me pumping my fist in the air when I watched him on C-SPAN with the other campaign managers. He has, arguably, the hardest job of the campaign, so cut him some slack.

Given that the campaign isn't over nor has he given up, he still just might put his grandfather-in-law in the White House. And even if he doesn't, I doubt there's anyone else in the country who could get him closer to it than he has. Run your mouth about him if it makes you feel better, but you simply couldn't do his job, not even for a day.

Jesse, is that you?

I must point out, I could certainly win as many primaries and causcuses as Benton did

I also think that Jesse is a nice guy. He just isn't up to the task of running a winning presidential campaign. Just because I can't do that job doesn't mean nobody else can. For example, I also can't do open heart surgery, run Fortune 500 companies, train atheletes, or even repair a simple 2-cycle engine. But when my lawn mower wouldn't start after it came back from the shop, I opted for a different mechanic.

[Mordan]

Benton is not solid like Doug Wead...

Besides you shouldn't hire a guy from you family to run a campaign!!!! Come on! You can't fire him without emotion coming in.

[angelatc]

We have an amazing amount of sunshine patriots around here, apparently.

You have been here less than a year. Trust me - you have no idea how sparse this crowd will become. The ALex Jones crowd will stay, as will the people who exist simply to wax philisophical, but as far as using the forums as a meeting place for other liberty candidates....i doubt it. Too many of us are loyal to the man, and won't compromise for anything less. See: Rand Paul, Justin Amash, Glen Bradley, etc etc etc

Matt Collins will be here, posting videos, bumping up old threads, and trying to get us enthused about Rand's 2016 run, but that's pretty much preaching to the choir.

[FSP-Rebel]

From the numbers I've heard in my area, we probably have like ~20% of the delegates going to state this weekend and a land mine field of the alts. So, I doubt anything drastic will take place yet by the next state convention in Jan or Feb, we'll own it. However, if Jesse is a genius of epic proportions then maybe this APB to the Romney people will have less of them attending in which case some of our alts can be seated.

[hrdman2luv]

Did Rand Paul refuse to give him a job or something after his old man retires?

Is he auditioning for a position with the Romney campaign?

This is what I'm thinking. Rand is being postured for a VP spot, to get ours and the Tea Party votes. Not a bad idea for Rand.
If this comes to light, Ron will asks us to support Rand. And many of us will. Romney can't win without our support. Period. End of story.

Personally, I see it as a sell out to the republicrats, and will be rejoining the Libertarian movement.

[speciallyblend]

This is what I'm thinking. Rand is being postured for a VP spot, to get ours and the Tea Party votes. Not a bad idea for Rand.
If this comes to light, Ron will asks us to support Rand. And many of us will. Romney can't win without our support. Period. End of story.

Personally, I see it as a sell out to the republicrats, and will be rejoining the Libertarian movement.

I hear ya. I will stay republican but work to elect liberty candidates not gop est. It is my life long Goal now to cause hell on earth for the gop establishment=Corruption.

[Tudo]

Paul should do something really un-orthodox ( this is if he was remaining in the race ) and that's choose a VP NOW.

The supporters don't have the intellectual or physical wherewithal to mix it up and Dr Paul just doesn't have the FIGHT that life REQUIRES. He's a doctor. A learned man. A class act. The american sheeple as ignorant and as lazy as they are ( in general ) NEED to hear " if they do this we'll vaporize them". If Dr Paul says that the press might laughingly remark, yeah, vaporize as in doing the Vap. But if he chooses another vet who can be the pit bull of the campaign ( the campaign, again if it is still in the race, NEEDS one)

What has he and we have to lose at this point? We're running out of options. Either some unorthodox things are done now, or we're left with a real revolution and I'm sorry but there's no balls or organization for one of those.

christy says he's got the vp slot for that slimebag pansy romney. I saw put The Judge in there to deal with christy although christy might chew the Judge up verbally. Christy is a great talker. Who on the libertarian side ( unless you really think there's such a thing in the republicans ha) is good enough to slam dunk christy? Jacob Hornberger could ( I'm sure of it. Search fff.org and look up Jake Hornberger on youtube. He is also a lawyer ). Jake did well with Harry Browne and is a real motivational speaker.

Who else?