Republican Party blocking massive Ron Paul event in Tampa?

[ronpaulhawaii]

Article by Tom Mullen

http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/reawakening-liberty/2012/jun/2/ron-paul-republican-block-event/ (http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/reawakening-liberty/2012/jun/2/ron-paul-republican-block-event/)


TAMPA, June 2, 2012 – Ron Paul may have stopped actively campaigning in primary states that have not yet voted, but his Revolution shows no sign of slowing down.

Just a few days after the media erroneously reported that Ron Paul had dropped out of the presidential race, he won 80% of the delegates going to the Republican National Convention (RNC) from Minnesota.

His supporters are now organizing a massive event on the eve of the RNC to celebrate their ideas and Paul’s 77th birthday. Not just a political rally, Paul Festival will be three days of music, entertainment and activism featuring nationally-known musicians, comedians and other entertainers.

It will also feature plenty of the ideas of what Paul’s supporters call “the liberty movement.”

Reminiscent of Paul’s Rally for the Republic during the RNC in 2008, the event may have the Republican Party concerned about being upstaged again. The 2008 event sold out the Target Center in Minneapolis.

This time, Paul’s supporters are attempting to secure the Florida State Fairgrounds, where they expect an estimated 40,000 people per day to attend. The Republican Party is trying to block them...

I hear countermeasures are being discussed...

Onward!

[Razmear]

http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/reawakening-liberty/2012/jun/2/ron-paul-republican-block-event/



This time, Paul’s supporters are attempting to secure the Florida State Fairgrounds, where they expect an estimated 40,000 people per day to attend. The Republican Party is trying to block them.

The RNC has first dibs on virtually every venue in Tampa during the week of the convention. In order to secure the fairgrounds, Liberty Unleashed, the nonprofit group incorporated in Florida by Paul supporters, can only sign a contract for the fairgrounds with the agreement of the RNC Committee on Arrangements (COA).

It was reported locally in Tampa on May 23rd that both Paul Festival organizer Deborah Robinet and fairgrounds director of sales and marketing Terry Parnell expected to sign a contract that week. However, Robinet told supporters in an e-mail last night that the RNC “had blocked our attempt.”

According to the e-mail, Liberty Unleashed was told that the RNC has “other requests for the fairgrounds that we need to evaluate’ and ‘no, this isn't first-come-first-served. Your event is not approved and it may take two more weeks."

[cassielund99@gmail.com]

Great they are trying everything to kill the movement. If they do this then thats another nail in the coffin for the GOP.

[trey4sports]

new venue

[Eisenhower]

of course...

worse comes to worst it can be held in a nearby alternate location, which hopefully isn't too far away.

[Razmear]

There seem to be some pretty large open spaces, farms I'm guessing, in the area. The GOP should not have control over private property so if we could get a land owner to grant us access (ala woodstock), we would be out of their control.
28.223151,-82.355779 looks nice, and right between two highways.
We'd need some local feet on the ground to solicit property owners to get this done. I'd rather have a 3 day camp out anyways.

[drummergirl]

We could call it "Paulstock" :)


There seem to be some pretty large open spaces, farms I'm guessing, in the area. The GOP should not have control over private property so if we could get a land owner to grant us access (ala woodstock), we would be out of their control.
28.223151,-82.355779 looks nice, and right between two highways.
We'd need some local feet on the ground to solicit property owners to get this done. I'd rather have a 3 day camp out anyways.

[parocks]

If people are going to be camping out in a field, might it not be better for this event to take place during the convention and not before the convention?

[parocks]

We could call it "Paulstock" :)

Paulstock, because it takes place at or near Paulstock, FL, like the original Woodstock took place at or near Woodstock, NY.

[Matt Collins]

That rumor was floating around that the RNC had a hold on every venue in the x radius of Tampa to prevent another R4R situation.

[romancito]

That is a problem for the City of Tampa to solve. If they want mayhem all over then don't give them the Fairgrounds and then it will be like in the motorcycle movies.

[Razmear]

If people are going to be camping out in a field, might it not be better for this event to take place during the convention and not before the convention?

We'd need a few days to shower and get all the mud off before the convention, so before seems better than during.

[sailingaway]

http://media.washtimes.com/media/community/viewpoint/entry/2012/06/02/Ron_paul_crowds_2_s640x346.jpg?a2c55eb2a7d2dc3c9d6 e67bbb28b12b98c1246c0

http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/reawakening-liberty/2012/jun/2/ron-paul-republican-block-event/

in part:


The Republican Party’s apprehension over such an event is understandable. The RNC is supposed to be a three-day infomercial for the party that unites Republicans around their nominee for president. Yet, despite the media narrative that Mitt Romney secured the nomination after his Texas primary win, NPR reports that he still doesn’t have enough delegates bound to vote for him on the first ballot at the convention.

Worse yet, there are an undetermined number of delegates that are bound to him that are actually Paul supporters – and who would abandon him and vote for Paul if Romney failed to get 1,144 votes on the first ballot.

None of this is in the RNC script. Neither is a massive rally for the anti-establishment candidate going on at the same time. The party can’t even appeal to Paul to call it off. While Paul’s campaign organized the Rally in 2008 in an act of defiance against a party that had snubbed Paul and his supporters, neither he nor the campaign have anything to do with this one....

This is the kind of enthusiasm that the party’s nominee is supposed to generate, but it’s non-existent for Romney. Despite his primary successes, he’s hasn’t even been able to get his delegates seated in many states where he won the primary by a wide margin. It’s no secret that there is a strong anti-Romney undercurrent among traditional conservatives.

Certainly, no one will be organizing a “Romney Festival” anytime soon.

This puts the party in a difficult position. If they strong arm the Paul supporters by blocking their event, they risk losing their votes. If they acquiesce to allowing the event, their spin doctors will have to work overtime to keep the RNC from looking like an afterthought following a festival for the other guy ten times as large.

Whatever they decide, the 2012 RNC will not follow the usual script. The Ron Paul people just cannot seem to remember their lines.

But it’s going to be fun.

[MelissaWV]

That rumor was floating around that the RNC had a hold on every venue in the x radius of Tampa to prevent another R4R situation.

They have dibs on any venue they want to use. Of course, now they have to hurry up and figure out a real use for the Fairgrounds. This is why things like this start so early. It also says that it could take "a couple more weeks." I'd be scouting new locations, but ready to sign on the dotted line for the Fairgrounds in a month or so.

[Razmear]

The field that I posted the coordiantes to is owned by Seven Oaks Realty Group, just in case anyone local want to make some inquiries.
http://www.wesleychapelmoves.com/about-seven-oaks-realty/real-estate-agents/

I checked the FB of the top person, he has Chris Christie in his 'likes' so who knows if they'd be willing to rent the lot. I did a Google DriveBy and it looks like a nice spot for a campout.

[TrishW]

The Ron Paul people just cannot seem to remember their lines. lol:D

[MelissaWV]

Do not depend on Google or other maps. What looks great one moment might currently (after the rain we just got) look like a puddle with mosquito larvae. Might want to get in touch with local folks to check it out :p

[FSP-Rebel]

Catch-22 for the GOP, damned if you do, screwed if you don't.

[RyanSebring]

In Zephyrhills which is just north of the Fairgrounds we used to have an event called livestock, the local rock radio station used it as a three day event with all the top rock bands, and people used to camp out, I think it was called liberty park or something like that. Pretty huge place that had a few stages and campground. Something to look into.

EDIT>>>

Its called Festival Park

Festival Park:(813) 783-2827
Festival Park: (813) 782-0835
They run a classic car auto auction over there

[kathy88]

WTF? I was wondering why it hadn't been announced that the contract was a done deal yet. Poor Deb and Co. This just sucks. I wonder what they are going to have to do to get this done?

[MelissaWV]

lol @ how it turned the phone number into a frowny

[tod evans]

I would hope a grassroots farmer would step up with some land....

[Razmear]

Thanks Ryan, was just googling to find it as well:
Zephyrhills Festival Park
They have camping as well:
http://collectorcarauction.net/on-site-camping-for-collector-cars-auction/
2738 Gall Blvd, Zephyrhills, FL 33541

[Drex]

How the hell does RNC have dibs on everything in Tampa?

[RyanSebring]

lol @ how it turned the phone number into a frowny

Haha, I just saw that....

[RyanSebring]

Cause we offered the GOP carte blanche to the city and all of its resources... I dont see how they are trying to keep it on lock, I think there is a Santana concert on the Sunday prior to the Convention Kick off...

[ChristianAnarchist]

Wherever "Paulfest" is, I plan to be there and I'm bringing the Ron Paul Corvette for photo ops and hopefully some news coverage...

[Noble Savage]

hell Ive slept under bridges before...they got bridges there right?

[Joe Jordan]

I'm on the ground in the Tampa Bay area, and can confirm this story. Fortunately, there are a wide array of options in the area.

If anyone has Deborah's ear, I would highly recommend aiming for Vinoy Park (http://www.stpeteparksrec.org/vinoy-park.html) as the venue. It is a waterfront park in downtown St. Petersburg, close to the Interstate, which is practically a straight shot to the Convention Center.

Also, St. Petersburg always tends to feel like the ignored middle-child when compared to Tampa, and they could very well be open to the publicity and extra business Paul Festival goers would bring to the up-and-coming downtown area.

[newbitech]

new venue

suggestion, find a venue in Pinellas County. Pinellas county is a hot bed of Ron Paul support as proven by the primary here this year. Also, there is already competition between the cities over the baseball team, so another split like this would be totally news worthy. Stealing some small amount of thunder from both the city and the gop will teach the area a valuable lesson in economics.

Another thing, Pinellas county is closer to the beaches, a great place to vacation because of the beaches and will attract Paul's bread and butter crowd, the younger generations better than a backwoods venue like the fair grounds.

now, what venue in Pinellas can hold 40k people? hmmm...


How about sawgrass lake park?

http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/private_events.htm

4 (http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/private_events.htm)00 acres (larger than the fairgrounds.) Pricing for 5k+ $2000 per day.

60 day notice is needed. act fast.

[RyanSebring]

hell Ive slept under bridges before...they got bridges there right?

You would probably have to fight the local homeless for those spots... :D

[Joe Jordan]

Fortunately, there are a wide array of options in the Tampa Bay area. If anyone has Deborah's ear, I would highly recommend aiming for Vinoy Park (http://www.stpeteparksrec.org/vinoy-park.html) as the venue. It is a waterfront park in downtown St. Petersburg, close to the Interstate, which is practically a straight shot to the Convention Center.

Also, St. Petersburg always tends to feel like the ignored middle-child when compared to Tampa, and they could very well be open to the publicity and extra business Paul Festival goers would bring to the up-and-coming downtown area.

[sailingaway]

I'm on the ground in the Tampa Bay area, and can confirm this story. Fortunately, there are a wide array of options in the area.

If anyone has Deborah's ear, I would highly recommend aiming for Vinoy Park (http://www.stpeteparksrec.org/vinoy-park.html) as the venue. It is a waterfront park in downtown St. Petersburg, close to the Interstate, which is practically a straight shot to the Convention Center.

Also, St. Petersburg always tends to feel like the ignored middle-child when compared to Tampa, and they could very well be open to the publicity and extra business Paul Festival goers would bring to the up-and-coming downtown area.

You might PM Deborah with the details, but she might see it here.

[RyanSebring]

suggestion, find a venue in Pinellas County. Pinellas county is a hot bed of Ron Paul support as proven by the primary here this year. Also, there is already competition between the cities over the baseball team, so another split like this would be totally news worthy. Stealing some small amount of thunder from both the city and the gop will teach the area a valuable lesson in economics.

Another thing, Pinellas county is closer to the beaches, a great place to vacation because of the beaches and will attract Paul's bread and butter crowd, the younger generations better than a backwoods venue like the fair grounds.

now, what venue in Pinellas can hold 40k people? hmmm...


How about sawgrass lake park?

http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/private_events.htm

4 (http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/private_events.htm)00 acres (larger than the fairgrounds.) Pricing for 5k+ $2000 per day.

60 day notice is needed. act fast.

I dont think you can camp at a county park??? Not legally at least... How about Ft. DeSoto State Park?

[RyanSebring]

Vinoy is beautiful.. But doesnt offer camping.

[kathy88]

I would hope a grassroots farmer would step up with some land....

Max Yasgur, perhaps?

[FSP-Rebel]

I'm on the ground in the Tampa Bay area, and can confirm this story. Fortunately, there are a wide array of options in the area.

If anyone has Deborah's ear, I would highly recommend aiming for Vinoy Park (http://www.stpeteparksrec.org/vinoy-park.html) as the venue. It is a waterfront park in downtown St. Petersburg, close to the Interstate, which is practically a straight shot to the Convention Center.

Also, St. Petersburg always tends to feel like the ignored middle-child when compared to Tampa, and they could very well be open to the publicity and extra business Paul Festival goers would bring to the up-and-coming downtown area.
Way better beaches, maybe there's a way to rent out some of Treasure Island. That would be an epic party!

[Razmear]

Zephyrhills Festival Park looks pretty huge, and seeing how they only do a few car shows per year now they could probably be rented pretty cheap. If you look at the google map, the racetrack is actually on the southern edge of the park. If you 'drive' up the road for about a mile you see the Zephyrhills Festival Park billboard and entrance.

re: the park above, you also have to purchase a liability insurance policy and I don't think they are equipped for 40-50,000 people, unlike a concert venue would be.

[Deborah K]

bump

[sailingaway]

bump

Deborah, there were people on the other thread with the same name suggesting an alternate site.

[parocks]

We could declare victory right now. According to the media, Paul Festival would've been "massive". And people didn't have to spend thousands, tens, hundreds of thousands of dollars to get there. And the RNC gets to be the bad guy.

If the venue is changed, to a venue that the RNC doesn't have control over, perhaps you want to change the dates to coincide directly with the convention.

[neverseen]

Sawgrass is a swamp with a board walk running through it. No camping let alone land in all that 400 acres :P

[parocks]

perhaps the 3 different threads, all about this washington times story, can be merged?

[neverseen]

There is a farm nearby the fair grounds that made all of florida's massive RP signs. Anyone know what/where that is? i can't find any contact info.

[seawolf]

Two weeks from now is 18 June (First Business Day of the week) Tell them you need to know no later than the 18th. That gives you just 60 days to find a new venue.

The GOP is obviously trying to stall and wait the Festival Organizers out. Raise hell with the local media!!!

[The Northbreather]

Two words. Private property.

Come on Tampa liberty lovers buck up and host the event if you have real estate available. Get some temporary insurance and permits and roll with it.

[kathy88]

Ok. This and Louisiana clinched it for me. I'm writing a book. I'll be posting an email shortly for people who want their stories of GOP disenfranchisement included.

[Celebs4RonPaul]

The organizers for the Paul Festival (www.PaulFestival.com (http://www.PaulFestival.com)) will initiate a campaign to get the venue released to us on Monday. We ask everyone in the movement to please help by initiating phone calls and e-mails to the RNC Monday June 4th, at 12 Noon EST if no announcements are made that they have released the venue (we will post here if they do).

Please feel free to extend the campaign to any other organizations that may also be able to help. For example, the Mayor of Tampa may be willing to help apply pressure on the RNC once he realizes the potential loss of economic opportunity from hundreds of thousands of Ron Paul supporters coming to his town. Any other organization that might be able to help should be invited as well. Thank you!

Read the Washington Times article here for details on what's going on:
http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/reawakening-liberty/2012/jun/2/ron-paul-republican-block-event/

[ClydeCoulter]

Someone needs to make sure this article never disappears. If, in the future, there is an attempt to co-opt the "Liberty Movement" and act like Ron Paul had nothing to do with it, that article directly states he is the "Founder" and it's date and contents keep it in good standing.

Now, will the RNC just rent the whole damn thing with tax dollars to keep RP supporters out?

[kathy88]

I wish some of the organizers would let us know what's going on with this.

[RyanSebring]

There are a few of these threads going around, In one thread we already talked about other possible alternatives, just in case... I dont see the RNC keeping it on lockdown they will eventually release the fairgrounds. Hopefully it wont be too late as it is more centrally located to all things around the Tampa Bay area. A lot of people are throwing venues around, but just remember, we need a location that allows camping.

[Constitutional Paulicy]

I dont see the RNC keeping it on lockdown they will eventually release the fairgrounds.

They obviously don't know how the average Ron Paul supporter tics. If they block our efforts on anything we have set our mind to, they are only adding fuel to the fire. They would be well advised to either do what they say and say what they mean or get the hell out of the way.

If they do step aside as you say they most likely will, then they have unwittingly ignited the effort 10 fold now that they have pissed us off.

[parocks]

merge these threads. We don't need another thread every single time anybody has anything to say about Paul Festival. On Saturday, there were 3 different threads all linking to the same wash times article.

merge the threads.

[Ivash]

Hey if you guys really think you have the numbers I can talk to a few friends that work for the RNC. I can't exactly promise anything (there will be a lot of influential people requesting a lot of things during Tampa), but it can't hurt, right? And I've spent enough time on forum recently; helping RP's campaign out a little would be a good way to pay back all of your hospitality.

...But I am going to have to stress that I need a promise that a lot of Ron Paul people would show up. It'd be irritating for me (and potentially dangerous for the jobs of my friends) if I got them to promote something that not enough people show up for.

[XTreat]

I think it is safe to say lots of Paul supporters will show up. I know there is some disagreement as to the worth of this festival here on the forums, but I have been all over the country the last year and no matter where I go there are people planning on descending on Tampa for Ron Paul.

Shit the vets got 1500 people on practicably a moments notice to go march on DC.

[Ivash]

I think it is safe to say lots of Paul supporters will show up. I know there is some disagreement as to the worth of this festival here on the forums, but I have been all over the country the last year and no matter where I go there are people planning on descending on Tampa for Ron Paul.

Shit the vets got 1500 people on practicably a moments notice to go march on DC.

A number would be nice. A direct promise from an organizer for a number would be better, but given that today is the fourth that is probably asking for too much.

[RyanSebring]

I keep seeing 40,000 per day being anticipated.

[parocks]

I keep seeing 40,000 per day being anticipated.

Yup - without a venue, without a contract, without any assurances that this event will take place - you will hear organizers of this event suggest there might be 500,000 people there. At least 40,000.

There is no reason to think those things are true. The guy you see quoted makes stuff up all the time. Seriously. And yet he still is allowed on the radio. Would they put him on the radio even more if he said there would be 5 Million people there? Is there ever a point where we worry about appearing silly or delusional?

[Ivash]

All right I will tell them at least forty thousand then. Cheers.

[kpitcher]

The guy you see quoted makes stuff up all the time. Seriously. And yet he still is allowed on the radio.
We talking about Rush? ;)

[parocks]

We talking about Rush? ;) no but ha

[Bastiat's The Law]

They never really announce who's going to be there either. I feel a bait n switch coming. You expect all these people, acts, bands, celebs, but it will just be a "Meet the man who met Andy Griffith" scenario.

[MoneyWhereMyMouthIs2]

They never really announce who's going to be there either. I feel a bait n switch coming. You expect all these people, acts, bands, celebs, but it will just be a "Meet the man who met Andy Griffith" scenario.

They probably can't book a national act without a venue.

[V3n]

The Target Center in MN holds 19,356 and it sold out 4 years ago. He's more popular now, so I'm sure it's safe to assume there will be at least 20,000 each day.

I wasn't sure about this festival, but now that they're trying to block it, I'm totally on board!