What Is The Strategy For the Iowa (Ames) Straw Poll?

[nayjevin]

This is quoted from Dave here (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?p=45940&posted=1#post45940) as an introduction to the idea,

WHAT DO WE DO TO WIN THE IOWA (AMES) STRAW POLL?


After the speech Dr. Paul greeted supporters for over an hour. He was surrounded in a sea of hundreds of fans. I met a 4-year old girl who had his autograph on her shirt. Lucky kid!

A bunch of people helped us take down signs. An impromptu meetup formed with about 80 people and National Campaign Manager Lew Moore and Joe Seehusen. I was surprised to learn that most of these people were from Iowa, but there were people from meetups all over the country. They met and discussed strategy for winning the Aug. 11 Ames Straw Poll. National HQ has made clear that this is the top priority. It was almost 10:00 by the time everyone trickled out.

The day was a huge success. A party for 1,000 was put together in 6 days. We have 6 weeks now to prepare for Ames. This task will be even more challenging. The goal is to get 10,000 Iowans to Ames for the day, pay $35 to get into the Straw Poll, and vote for Ron Paul. Everyone should be brainstorming about what they can do to help make that happen.

Costs $35 per person, we think we need 10,000 people there.

First, naive question: They have to be Iowa residents, right?

One campaign already in the works is the door to door/canvas campaign being brainstormed here:

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?p=45943#post45943

Also there's the DVD that just came out, available via Bit Torrent, here:

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=5023&page=3

And, the CD by Avaroth, described, and with link, here:

http://www.srchost.com/ronpaul/viewtopic.php?t=124

What else ya'll got?

[nayjevin]

Short summary of the caucus process:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_caucus

Writeup to give an idea of how the Iowa straw poll works:
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.c...1EC89C29D67FCF

Online Iowa County by County breakdown of currently declared Iowa Straw Poll Voters for RP:
http://ronpaulamesmap.blogspot.com/

"News from Iowa" thread:
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=1016&page=3&highlight=iowa+call

2 of the Iowa Ron Paul Meetup Groups:

http://ronpaul.meetup.com/117/
http://ronpaul.meetup.com/106/?gj=sj6

Newspapers in Iowa (press releases, take out ads):
http://www.usnpl.com/ianews.php

Radio Stations in Iowa:
http://www.ontheradio.net/states/iowa.aspx

Nice caucusgoer demographics from Dave:


Here's the % of Iowa caucusgoers who say they have done the following or are likely to do so. Read the list and imagine your roles, keeping an eye toward the '% reach' to prioritize:

94% Watch candidate debates
93% Read newspaper stories about the campaigns
87% Watch or listen to candidates' ads on tv/radio
86% Read newspaper opinion pieces or letters to editor
83% Watch mainstream political news shows (e.g. Meet the Press, Face the Nation)
79% Go to candidate events
69% Give money to campaigns
58% Visit candidate web sites
58% Volunteer to work for a campaign
56% Search the internet for candidates' stands on issues
44% Read onling forums/blogs written by experts
41% Watch satirical shows with fake newscasts (e.g. The Daily Show, SNL)
22% Read online forums/blogs written by non-experts
19% Contribute to online forums or comment on blogs
11% Post pictures/videos of political events on the internet

Draw your own conclusions but it seems to me that laypeople working the internet with postings can only hope to affect up to 22% of Iowans' views.

[nayjevin]

Red/Blue county breakdown demographic:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politic.../countymap.htm

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/graphics/07may/m0525pollinfogap.jpg

[nayjevin]

Link to voter registration lists in Iowa:
http://www.sos.state.ia.us/elections/voterreg/regstat.html

List of Iowa events:
http://www.traveliowa.com/

Pennysavers Magazine (like thrifty nickel:
http://www.americanclassifieds.com/index.cfm

[MozoVote]

The straw poll itself is not like the general campaign. The real vote, requires old fashioned politicking and knowing neighbors, and being persuasive. It's why the caucus system was developed. Supporters need to be statewide, and have a presence in lots of precincts.

But the straw poll could be 10,000 people from Des Moines, and nobody from the outlying areas. That's part of why the straw poll needs to be taken with a grain of salt, and why "big money" can sway it.

[poppop_schell]

The straw poll itself is not like the general campaign. The real vote, requires old fashioned politicking and knowing neighbors, and being persuasive. It's why the caucus system was developed. Supporters need to be statewide, and have a presence in lots of precincts.

But the straw poll could be 10,000 people from Des Moines, and nobody from the outlying areas. That's part of why the straw poll needs to be taken with a grain of salt, and why "big money" can sway it.

Actually yes and no. For a person like Ron Paul who the MSM says is at best a fringe candidate with no real support, it is very important that he do very well in the strawpoll. It will bring visibility that results in more people signing up for Meetups and contributions will sore. It is big pyschological victory.

I do agree, however, that we should be building for the longer term by geeting Meetups in every county of Iowa for the really important caucses in Jan, 2008.

[poppop_schell]

Link to voter registration lists in Iowa:
http://www.sos.state.ia.us/elections...g/regstat.html

List of Iowa events:
http://www.traveliowa.com/

Pennysavers Magazine (like thrifty nickel:
http://www.americanclassifieds.com/index.cfm

Sorry but the first link doesn't work. Repost?

[poppop_schell]

Folks we need a vounteer(s) to determine the location and contact information for every GOP County Office with names of key leaders. We need to make sure we can place campaign materials in these locations and nurture as many leadesr towards Ron Paul as possible.

Place highest priority of counties were there a lot of Gopers registered to vote and have shown from the past a williness to come to caucuses.

Any takers?

[nayjevin]

Sorry but the first link doesn't work. Repost?

fixed

[Roxi]

i think posting Ron Pauls Articles in newspapers in Iowa is one of the best ideas ive heard too....something that doesnt look like an ad but has a pic and a great headline and something he has written that sends a strong message

[jmdrake]

Nice caucusgoer demographics from Dave:

Here's the % of Iowa caucusgoers who say they have done the following or are likely to do so. Read the list and imagine your roles, keeping an eye toward the '% reach' to prioritize:

94% Watch candidate debates
93% Read newspaper stories about the campaigns
87% Watch or listen to candidates' ads on tv/radio
86% Read newspaper opinion pieces or letters to editor
83% Watch mainstream political news shows (e.g. Meet the Press, Face the Nation)
79% Go to candidate events
69% Give money to campaigns
58% Visit candidate web sites
58% Volunteer to work for a campaign
56% Search the internet for candidates' stands on issues
44% Read onling forums/blogs written by experts
41% Watch satirical shows with fake newscasts (e.g. The Daily Show, SNL)
22% Read online forums/blogs written by non-experts
19% Contribute to online forums or comment on blogs
11% Post pictures/videos of political events on the internet

Draw your own conclusions but it seems to me that laypeople working the internet with postings can only hope to affect up to 22% of Iowans' views.


Well the GOOD news is that 94% watch the candidate debates, and Ron Paul has been kicking butt in that arena. Of course we can't control the fact that the MSM still doesn't cover Dr. Paul as it should. Reading letters to the editor is in the top 4 things caucusgoers reported doing. I've see that the Aimes Tribune allows letters to the editor to be submitted online.

http://www.amestrib.com/site/tab1.asp?brd=2700&pag=460&dept_id=554337

But that's probably best done by people living in Aimes or at least in Iowa. The form asks for the address and I don't know how well received would be a letter from out of state. So everybody write your local newspaper (especially people living in Iowa!)

[nayjevin]

Well the GOOD news is that 94% watch the candidate debates

Although I'm sure this is good news, I imagine that it means 94% will have watched at least one presidential debate by the time the general election rolls around. Here in Oklahoma, I would guess 10% of people I talk to have seen any of them so far.

Newspaper / letters to ed are key for us, I agree.

We need press releases sent out. Journalism is lazy, if we give them a story to reprint, like AP does, they may do that. Focus should be on unbiased coverage of all candidates, including fair coverage of Paul. Perhaps a piece on how the Internet is changing campaigns.

[StagirasGhost]

Current Results of mini-outreach (phone banking and [hand]letter-writing) to Iowa:

Of the 2407 former Republican Delegates called in Iowa, only 6% had heard of Ron Paul prior to our outreach efforts; of those called, after the phone call 37% answered that they would vote for Ron Paul when asked " who would vote for tomorrow?" and/or that they needed to confirm the facts, voting record and philosophy espoused during the conversation.

The three largest issues for Republican voters based on our small poll of 2407 republicans across the state, follow:

1) Pro-Life
2) Immigration
3) The War in Iraq (many concede they are pro-war when speaking, but do not know that the US went into Iraq under the auspices of UN resolutions, not a constitutional declaration of War. They also rarely associate national [in]security with open borders--most if not all of our phone bankers encountered this and had much success in winning-over RP converts based on this dialectic.)

Since that time, I've obtained a list of 1.7 million Iowan voters (mostly republicans and independents.) Our tech team in Austin has scrubbed the data and loaded it into a database (Advokit,) and we're set to begin the larger outreach effort to reach as many republican and independent voters before the straw poll and certainly before the caucus.

If you're interested, please email ccy@earthlink.net. Your email address will then be loaded into the database and you'll be sent a series of short instructions, a phone script, and you'll be able to access the Iowan contacts.

Include the following information when emailing ccy@earthlink.net:

Name
Email
Meetup Number and/or City, State (we need this info so we can assign you with other Ron Paul supporters in your area/group only to assign larger groups to larger zip codes in Iowa.)
Are you a meetup leader? Wouyld you be interested in leading your group/team for the current Outreach effort.

Thanks in advance and know that this can and will turn the tide for Ron Paul in Iowa. I've called over 500 people and shortly after ten calls, you get intoa groove and it absolutely invigorates you.

[Dave]

The Iowa GOP's official rules for the Aug. 11 Ames Straw Poll are posted in the files section of the Des Moines meetup. Here's the link:

http://files.meetup.com/507643/2007%20straw%20poll%20rules%20maps%20and%20brochur e.pdf

There's 4 pages of rules and then a bunch of maps and other info. This is good reading for anyone contemplating Ames Straw Poll strategy.

The Ron Paul campaign has purchased the rights to use Campaign Lot #1 as shown on the maps.

[poppop_schell]

Current Results of mini-outreach (phone banking and [hand]letter-writing) to Iowa:

Of the 2407 former Republican Delegates called in Iowa, only 6% had heard of Ron Paul prior to our outreach efforts; of those called, after the phone call 37% answered that they would vote for Ron Paul when asked " who would vote for tomorrow?" and/or that they needed to confirm the facts, voting record and philosophy espoused during the conversation.

The three largest issues for Republican voters based on our small poll of 2407 republicans across the state, follow:

1) Pro-Life
2) Immigration
3) The War in Iraq (many concede they are pro-war when speaking, but do not know that the US went into Iraq under the auspices of UN resolutions, not a constitutional declaration of War. They also rarely associate national [in]security with open borders--most if not all of our phone bankers encountered this and had much success in winning-over RP converts based on this dialectic.)

Since that time, I've obtained a list of 1.7 million Iowan voters (mostly republicans and independents.) Our tech team in Austin has scrubbed the data and loaded it into a database (Advokit,) and we're set to begin the larger outreach effort to reach as many republican and independent voters before the straw poll and certainly before the caucus.

If you're interested, please email ccy@earthlink.net. Your email address will then be loaded into the database and you'll be sent a series of short instructions, a phone script, and you'll be able to access the Iowan contacts.

Include the following information when emailing ccy@earthlink.net:

Name
Email
Meetup Number and/or City, State (we need this info so we can assign you with other Ron Paul supporters in your area/group only to assign larger groups to larger zip codes in Iowa.)
Are you a meetup leader? Wouyld you be interested in leading your group/team for the current Outreach effort.

Thanks in advance and know that this can and will turn the tide for Ron Paul in Iowa. I've called over 500 people and shortly after ten calls, you get intoa groove and it absolutely invigorates you.

GREAT NEWS. You've made my day!!!! I was beginning to think that we were all tlak and no walk. My faith/hope has been restored!!!

[joel]

So could someone explain why the straw poll doesn't seem very important to the campaign? With the exception of last weekend, Ron Paul has been totally absent from Iowa while all the other candidates are hitting it hard. No wonder many people haven't heard of him! Any news on when he'll be crisscrossing the state before the straw poll to drum up support?

Joel
http://ronpaul.typepad.com

[poppop_schell]

IMO, it is VERY important to develop a good working relationship with GOP County leaders. Determine where any County or City GOP headquarters are and make sure that Ron Paul literature/contact info is always avaialble in these headquarters. These leaders can be contacted at http://www.iowagop.org/FlexPage.aspx?area=county

I think we ought to set up a Ron Paul leader in every Congressional District to coordinate this effort with a Ron Paul Leader in every county in that district. What do you think.

I will agree to be the County person in Lee County and Duquense County until someone else voluneteers.

[poppop_schell]

Who is coordinating the media effort to insure Ron Paul gets coverage in Iowa newspapers, radio stations and TV stations? A name and contact info?

[poppop_schell]

We MUST watch for all types of vote fraud to occur at the Ames Strawvote. Below is a copy of an e-mail from Jim Condit of Cicinnati, OH. He is a practicing lawyer and authority of all types of vote fraud. To ignore his counsel IMO would be foolhardy.

Doug Schell

From: "Jim Condit Jr." <votefraud@fuse.net>
Reply-To: votefraud@fuse.net
To: schellforncgovernor@hotmail.com
Subject: Report From Iowa on Ron Paul For President
Date: Sat, 07 Jul 2007 01:39:38 -0500
>July 07, 2007 NA (Network America) e-wire
>
>REPORT FROM IOWA ON RON PAUL FOR PRESIDENT
>
>This is a primer for Presidential Campaign 2008. If you've been busy, or haven't gotten engaged until now - not to worry. Just read this Network America e-wire and you'll be basically up to speed, and ready to continuing watching and researching on your own. There hopefully will be something new even for those who have been watching.
>
>From 9 PM on Friday June 29 to 4 AM on early Monday July 2 (2007), I drove about 20 hours in just under 2 ½ days to be present at a Ron Paul for President counter-rally in Des Moines, Iowa.
>
>Counter-rally? Yes. Congressman Paul had been excluded from the establishment Republican Debate, where Romney, Hunter, Huckaby, et al appeared.
>
>Why make such an intense drive by car? It is now or never in the 2008 Presidential Campaign. The patriotic, alert American public must rally behind Ron Paul now, or it will be too late to oust the Ruling Oligarchy from thee White House in 2008.
>
>Thanks to the intervention of an alert Network America subscriber, Arthur, I realized that I had to be among those putting "boots on the ground" in Iowa now. To get the lay of the land, meet the people leading the Ron Paul campaign, get engaged with the time table of this Presidential contest, etc.
>
>The Ames Straw Poll is coming up August 11, 2007 - 35 days or so from this writing. That will be the first big test where "The People" will meet the GOP part of the Oligarchy -- and the 5 Big TV Networks -- in an open clash. To be clear: The Ames, Iowa Straw Poll will be: The People vs. GOP Crooks and Big TV Networks Crooks. Crooks? Yes, Crooks. Only Crooks want to "count" the vote in SECRET. Now . . .
>
>They want to count the vote in SECRET so they can cheat, if necessary. They want to cheat at Ames Iowa in on August 11, 2007 - because they want to make sure that Ron Paul doesn't win that contest. He is supposed to be a "non-person" - a "non-candidate." (The GOP of Iowa has a long history of crookery in counting the votes at Ames, Iowa. See tomorrow's Open Letter. The state GOP of Iowa has already ignominiously voted to AGAIN count the Ames Straw Poll IN SECRET, and BEHIND CLOSED DOORS - instead of in the open.)
>
>The 5 Big TV Networks are pushing the fiction - the alternative reality - that "the people" are all excited about Romney or Hideous Hillary or Ghouliani or Obama. FALSE! People are politely attending one or more of these candidates' rallies because they are told by the 5 Big TV networks that these are their only choices for "front runner." In fact . . .
>
>The only honest and explosive enthusiasm in this Presidential campaign is from normal people finding out about the Ron Paul for President Campaign. As Paul himself says in his gentle and understated way, "I think people have underestimated the number of people in this country who are interested in a freedom message."
>
>OPEN LETTER TO THE RON PAUL CAMPAIGN IS IMMINENT
>
>By the way, tomorrow I will publish an "Open Letter to Congressman Ron Paul, His Campaign Staff, and His Supporters" which will outline how to avoid the vote-skullduggery and theft that happened to the Pat Buchanan campaign in Iowa, and in the Super Tuesday states, in 1996.
>
>At the risk of hacking some people off with what may appear to be arrogance, --- if the prescriptions in the "Open Letter" are not basically enacted by the supporters of the Ron Paul for President Campaign, or the Campaign itself, or both - then we will all be waking up in February, 2008 - on the morning after Super Tuesday - to find that the 5 Big TV Networks (criminals!) have informed us that the secret computer programs "counted" the votes -- and that Congressman Ron Paul has gotten just a few percentage points of the vote - and is out of the race.
>
>
>AMERICANS IN TWO CATEGORIES: RON PAUL IS "REAL DEAL" -- vs. -- BRAINWASHED BY THE 5 BIG TV NETWORKS
>
>There is no time to sugar-coat what's going on. The 5 Big TV Networks are run by the same 30 people in New York City and Washington D.C. They decide what to cover everyday, and they decide what to censor everyday. They (ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX) coordinate their news EVERYDAY. AP wire service is their partner in info-crime - and AP delivers the national stories that are parroted by every major daily paper in the USA.
>
>From day one, the 5 TV Networks, and Clear Channel Radio stations (Rush, Hannity, etc.) have chosen Romney, McCain, Ghouliani, Obama, Hillary, and John Edwards - as the "serious" candidates. Who said so? They said so. The TV Networks and Hannity and Rush blather on endlessly about these "chosen" frontrunners - and ignore all the others. They have stated from DAY ONE that it was too late for the others to become serious candidates - so they were going to give them little or no publicity. (They are all media crooks!)
>
>Now, since "the dogs ain't eating the dogfood" which the 5 TV Networks have offered up, actor and former Senator Fred Thompson, looking and talking a little tired, is being trotted out to try and somewhat match the boundless enthusiasm spreading from coast to coast in the Ron Paul for President Campaign.
>
>A QUICK SURVEY OF THE OTHER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES, BEFORE GETTING TO CONGRESSMAN RON PAUL
>
>Skip this section if you feel you already know the presidential candidates, and go to the next section entitled, "Moving up the Calendar to Thwart the Will of the People."
>
>I'm going to tell it to ya straight - and quick. You'll have to watch events unfold if you think I'm being unfair, as there is neither time nor space here to list the history of each candidate.
>
>* Hillary -- criminal asset of the New World Order oligarchy, obnoxious, cold, grating, annoying, not funny, hardly seems human, looks at times like she might need an exorcism, should be prosecuted for treason on many fronts, along with her husband;
>
>* Obama -- plucked out of nowhere by the Big Media and made into a star, of sorts; can string together a paragraph without stumbling over his words; rarely says anything of substance, and when he does it's usually dead wrong; his duplicity has hacked off his democratic senatorial colleagues; would be no different than Bush or Clinton on all issues touching on national sovereignty or national interest - and, like Bush and Clinton, he will be on the wrong side. Fund-raising success has been orchestrated by the billionaires-in-chief of the New World Order. Small donors have probably been organized by the billionaires in chief to some extent - and I will go into this in a future ewire.
>
>* John Edwards -- shallow con-man who is searching for something to say that will schmooze the everyday people AND the impress the oligarchs who can make him president. Edwards attended the 50th anniversary of the super-secret and super prestigious Billionaire-led Bilderberg meeting held in Europe in early 2004, and, according to World Net Daily, impressed the elite assembly enough that his performance there may have been the reason he was tapped as John Kerry's Vice Presidential candidate in 2004.
>
>* Romney -- slick con-man who has changed almost all of his positions in the last 5 years. IF - and I say IF - you want to believe he's sincere in all those flippity-floppity changes in the last few years - then how could anyone trust his judgement to be the mayor, the Governor, or the President??? A Mormon, which usually means pro-life and pro-family, who was avidly for "legalized abortion" up until the ninth month until 2002 or so - the first 50 years of his life - and bragged about it in a debate with Ted Kennedy in 1992 before a statewide audience? And now he's switched to "pro-life" champion? The man is either dishonest, or of such unstable judgement - that he's outta here.
>
>* McCain - disqualified himself due to his support of amnesty for illegal aliens; looks like a Manchurian candidate who showed extreme courage in battle and as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, but who showed no courage as a Senator and politician ever since, always caving in to the background Neo-Con oligarchy to try and climb the ladder.
>
>* Guiliani - who I call Ghouliani. Rudy is a crook, plain and simple, in all ways. He went along with the destruction of the crime scene in NYC at the place where the twin towers once stood until the terror attacks of 9-11-01. Veteran reporter David Broder on "Meet the Press" said last Sunday that he can't imagine that the well known horror stories about Rudy in New York City aren't going to catch up with him. One thing cited recently was that his kids from one of his first marriages won't talk to him. In social policy and social engineering he's a left-leaning Democrat, and he's the leading cheerleader for the Neo-Con oligarchy - trying to make torture, pre-emptive nuclear strikes, and endless war for endless terror - look as American as apple pie. (Also, Ghouliani looks like Prune Face from the old Dick Tracy cartoons - this comes from a lifetime of lying, deception, and taking immoral positions. Ghouliani's fundraising success comes 100% from the Neo-Con, anti-Christian, Z
> ionist Jewish network, to whom he sold his soul decades ago.)
>
>* Fred Thompson - actor, former Senator; was recently asked what his greatest accomplishment in the Senate was - and couldn't come up with an answer; member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a New World Order think tank pushing hard for the North American Union (the practical merger of Mexico, the US, and Canada); just another climber wanting the oligarchy to pick him for President.
>
>* Regarding all the other candidates on both Democratic and Republican sides of the ledger, they are all phonies with three exceptions. When I say phonies, they would all be identical in pushing the anti-American New World Order programs pushed by the Clintons and the Bushes since 1988. The only three candidates, other than Ron Paul, who have integrity, are Congressman Tom Tancredo, Governor Mike Huckaby, and Congressman Dennis Cucinich. Now . . .
>
>Cucinich honestly opposes the War in Iraq, but is too much of a loopy, left-leaning socialist-style Democrat on everything else to be seriously considered. Tancredo is a good, honest man who has taken the lead in the fight against illegal immigration; but since he swallows the web of Neo-Con lies about the war in Iraq and the war on terror, then he disqualifies himself. Huckaby is a sincere guy, but lost in the bizarre and insane world of Pat Robertson/Jerry Falwell neo-conism and "Christian Zionism" - and therefore is pro-Iraq war and buys the contrived "war on terror" - and therefore disqualifies himself.
>
>* Bloomberg - Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City brings us all that was worst in Rulers of Communist Russia circa 1917, but this is a story for another time. He represents the billionaire half of the Communist/socialist scam, and, again, no time to explain that here if it seems like a contradiction. But a Network America ewire will be devoted to Bloomberg soon. And - it won't be pretty. He's loyal to the anti-American New World Order scheme for world tyranny and "perpetual war for perpetual peace." He's a gun-grabber, because he doesn't want you and me to have any guns when his faction lowers the police state boom - if they can get away with it. He was a Democrat until he switched to Republican just in time to run for Mayor in NYC a few years ago. And now he's just declared himself an independent - possibly preparing for a third party Presidential run. He is loyal only to world tyranny. He will wait in the wings to see if the Ruling Elite calls him out of the bull pen t
> o run third party and split the vote so that they can make it believable that Hillary is "elected" by their secret computer counts. I would like to see an investigation of how this man made his billions, as well as an investigation into the whole "devil's science" of Wall Street.
>
>Which leaves us with Congressman Ron Paul.
>
>MOVING UP THE CALENDAR TO THWART THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE
>
>The corrupt Ruling Elite behind BOTH the national Democratic and Republican parties have moved the Presidential "election" events up so drastically that both Republican and Democratic nominees will likely be decided by February, 2008. (In the days before the dominance of computer-"counted" elections - pre-1988, the decision was often not made until late in the summer of the presidential election year, or even at the Party national conventions in August.)
>
>They have moved up the events of the presidential race on the calendar for one reason. They know that a reaction is underway from the American people. They know they are going to face opposition as they try to dissolve the United States of America as a sovereign nation via eradicating the borders and combining the US, Canada, and Mexico through the North American Union scam. BUT -- they hope to keep the opposition of the American people unfocused and ineffective. BY MOVING UP THE CALENDAR, they hope to make it believable that two of their puppets emerge as the Democratic and Republican nominees - before most people are really paying attention to Presidential race 2000.
>
>Enter Ron Paul.
>
>WHO IS RON PAUL?
>
>I'm assuming so far that the reader knows something about Congressman Ron Paul. This may not be true - so let's do a brief sketch. (After the sketch, we'll cover the other relevant details on last weekend in Des Moines.)
>
>At the end of this article you will find a few lines about Representative Ron Paul in an essay entitled, "The Honor of Ron Paul" by the man Pat Buchanan called the greatest columnist in America today, namely, Joseph Sobran. If you're just being introduced to Sobran, then that's worth the read through this Network America e-wire report all by itself. (We will also provide the link to the entire article about Ron Paul by Joe Sobran.)
>
>* Congressman Paul served in Congress in 1976, from 1979 to 1985, and from 1997 to the present.
>
>* He is an M.D., having graduated from the Duke University School of Medicine, specializing in obstetrics and gynecology; he has delivered over 4,000 babies. At the rally in Des Moines over the weekend he spent the first few minutes of his almost hour long talk explaining why the right to life of the human person, including the unborn infant, is the foundation of all of our other rights.
>
>* In the 1960s he served as a flight surgeon in the United Air Force.
>
>* Born in 1935; married to his wife, Carol, for just over 50 years; they have five children and seventeen grand children.
>
>* He delivers his message with the sincere "bedside manner" of the family Doctor from another era, -- the kind of Doctor who made house calls.
>
>* At the speech in Des Moines he got many standing ovations, but two that stick out in my mind were when he called for the shutting down of the IRS and, later, when he called for the shutting down of the Federal Reserve Board, and a return to an honest monetary system.
>
>* Now look at this record spanning 30 years in Congress: He has never voted to raise taxes -- He has never voted for an unbalanced budget --
>He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership --
>He has never voted to raise congressional pay -- He has never taken a government-paid junket -- He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch -- He voted against the Patriot Act -- He voted against regulating the Internet -- He voted against the Iraq war (first time, everytime) -- He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program -- He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year -- Congressman Paul introduces numerous pieces of substantive legislation each year, probably more than any single member of Congress. (All this taken off the Ron Paul 2008 President website.)
>
>(You may want to read that last bullet/paragraph again.)
>
>* Some have called Congressman Paul "Dr. No" because he votes no on anything that's against the Constitution. But his wife has recently stated that it's OK to call her husband that - but it would be better spelled "Dr. Know." Because Ron Paul knows the constitution, he knows the checks and balances put there to prevent evil oligarchs from stealing America, and he knows that the forces currently trying to circumvent the checks and balances in the US Constitution are up to no good - as far as the true freedom of the American people are concerned.
>
>BACK TO DES MOINES, IOWA THIS LAST WEEKEND (June 30, 2007)
>
>* It is important that everyone face this fact: while the politically alert know about the candidacy of Congressman Ron Paul, the average person in the USA does not. I talked to people on the way from Cincinnati, Ohio to Des Moines, Iowa last weekend - riding there and back. I talked to the people I got the rent-a-car from. I talked to people at gas stations and quick shops. Not one "normal" American who was not a political activist - had heard of Ron Paul. All had heard of Obama, Hillary, and Romney. THIS IS BECAUSE the average American is depending on the 5 TV Networks and the big radio stations for their news. They have heard sound bites so far, that is all.
>
>* The Big Media are deliberately treating Ron Paul this way: they give 98% of the coverage to the chosen puppets, and they give 2% of the coverage to the rest. In this way, they can claim that they are not censoring any of the candidates. This is exactly the tactic that Stalin used in Communist Russia with regards to his opponents at election time (yes, Stalin held elections!); this quote is attributed to Stalin: "Those who CAST the votes decide nothing; those who COUNT the vote decide everything." (More on that tomorrow.)
>
>* ABC's THIS WEEK with George Stephanopoulos features Congressman Ron Paul on its July 8th, 2007 Sunday morning show - this will be the first "fair shot" that Paul is getting from the 5 Big TV networks. This comes about because Ron Paul is now third in "cash on hand" in the GOP Presidential race - far behind Romney and Giuliani, but ahead of "front-runner" McCain.
>
>* Back to the Des Moines rally of June 30, 2007: The Ron Paul meeting was full of enthusiasm, bursting with life, and spontaneous. About 800 to 900 showed up. A lot of young people. No security to keep the people out. Congressman Paul stayed and greeted everybody who wanted to meet him, which amounted to 200-300 of the crowd.
>
>* The establishment debate - the one Ron Paul was excluded from - took place in the same Des Moines Convention Center, one hall away. It started a few hours earlier -- and was run like a Big Brother event. No one was allowed into the audience unless they had been invited. (Imagine this, at a political event where the party is supposed to be appealing to the general electorate!) I guess they were afraid somebody was going to ask an unscripted question! When I asked why you had to be invited to get into hear the debate, the official answer was that the event was restricted for the safety of the candidates. Metal detectors were used, I am told; and plenty of police types were around the convention center. Standing in the convention center lobby, I was able to see in once when the door was opened to let some people out. People sat motionless at tables looking forward. Admittedly I saw in for only a few seconds, - but it could have been a morgue. Only half of the expected crowd sh
> owed up for this establishment event, about 600 out of 1200.
>
>* Ron Paul talked for almost an hour about dozens of subjects. He wasn't using notes, or at least he wasn't looking down at any. The speech was both an education and a call to action. I believe some of it will be up on the internet, if it is not already.
>
>* After the speech and rally, there was an impromptu meeting of those from Iowa organizing the Ames, Iowa Straw Poll which is coming up on August 11, 2007 - about 35 days from now. The Straw Poll is non-binding, and it costs $35 to cast a vote. You must have an Iowa drivers license, or other proof of state citizenship in order to vote.
>
>This - the Ames Straw Poll -- IS the first big confrontation, and it will get nationwide media coverage. It became a part of the fabric of the Presidential Election when a lady by the name of Marlene Elwell organized the pro-life Catholic and Evangelical communities for Pat Robertson in 1987. Robertson WON that straw poll in a shocker for then Vice President Bush Sr. and Senator Bob Dole, from neighboring Kansas. The GOP then blatantly and crassly cheated Robertson in the Michigan primary. By Super Tuesday, when the computer-"counted" states were reported over the Big TV Networks, then VP George H.W. Bush "won" almost everything in a landslide - even the southern states. (More on this type of computer magic in tomorrow's ewire).
>
>The hope is to get 10,000 Iowans to Ames to vote for Congressman Paul. Bush 43 won the Ames Straw Poll in 1999 with 7000+ votes out of 23,000+ cast. The curious 1996 straw poll would have us believe that Bob Dole and then Senator Phil Graham tied for first with something like 4501 votes each out of 20,000 cast - with Pat Buchanan announced as second with about 3900. The announcement of this "final total" came after a secret vote count, followed by two hours of shenanigans behind locked doors, where only the Dole and Graham people were allowed in. CNN's Robert Novak suggested the next morning on CNN to Republican Strategist Charlie Black that the 1996 Straw Poll had been fixed against Buchanan. Black gave his plastic smile -- and addressed something else.
>
>* The most shocking piece of information at the after-meeting on the Straw poll was this: the GOP establishment is talking about moving the calendar of events up even more! Paul campaign officials shook there heads as they reported that David Jepsen in the Des Moines Register had reported that week that there was talk of moving the Iowa Caucus from January 2008 - to the week before Thanksgiving 2007 !!!!!!
>
>* Another insider told me that the Iowa State GOP had already voted to use "black box" machines at the Iowa Straw Poll. This is what they did in 1996 and 2000. This is a machine where you vote, and your vote is SUPPOSEDLY counted inside the little machine. Naturally, no one can see what is going on inside the little computer inside the machine. At the end of the voting - GOP officials push a button and the machine spits out a ticker tape with the results (?) for each candidate. - A Ron Paul representative asked Iowa GOP state committee why the vote at the straw poll couldn't just be counted in the open in front of everybody (this would be very easy, as I will explain in the "Open Letter" tomorrow). A state GOP official said, "Don't worry, a REPUBLICAN is running the machine count." The Ron Paul representative appropriately responded, "I'd rather have a Democrat." --- Again, the Iowa GOP wants to "count" the votes on these machines, in secret, and behind closed doors - because
> they want to be able to CHEAT Ron Paul if necessary.
>
>TIMELY COLUMN BY JOSEPH SOBRAN: THE HONOR OF RON PAUL
>
>To conclude, here are few lines from Joseph Sobran's excellent, recent column, "The Honor of Ron Paul":
>
>"I guess I've known Ron Paul for a quarter of a century now, and I don't remember how we met. My first memory of him is a quiet dinner on Capitol Hill, during the Reagan years. He told me with dry humor of being the only member of Congress to vote against some bill Reagan wanted passed. For Ron it was a matter of principle, and he was under heavy pressure to change his vote.
>
>"What amused him was that the Democrats didn't mind his voting against it; all the pressure came from his fellow Republicans, professed conservatives, who were embarrassed that anyone should actually stand up for their avowed principles when it was unpopular to do so.
>
>"That was Ron Paul for you. Still is. The whole country is getting to know him now, and the Republicans still want to get rid of him. . . .
>
>"They're right, in a way. He doesn't belong in a party that has made conservative a synonym for destructive. George Will calls him a "useful anachronism" because he actually believes, as literally as circumstances permit, in the U.S. Constitution. In his unassuming way, without priggery or histrionics, he stands alone.
>
>"He may have become at last what he has always deserved to be: the most respected member of the U.S. Congress. He is also the only Republican candidate for president who is truly what all the others pretend to be, namely, a conservative. His career shows that a patriotic, pacific conservatism isn't a paradox . . .
>
>"Ron -- I'm very proud to call him my friend -- fares well not only in comparison with the party's sorry current candidates, but also with its legendary conservative giants, Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan. He lacks their charisma and of course Reagan's matchless charm, but he excels them both in consistency, depth, historical awareness, courage, and honor. Heaven grant him some of Reagan's luck! . . .
>
>"I can only attest that to know him is to love him, and knowing him for many years has only deepened the esteem I felt for him when we were both much younger men. This is a man who strikes deep chords in people's hearts.
>
>"Every attempt to portray him as an extremist, or even eccentric, founders on his palpable probity and wisdom. His words are the carefully measured words of one given to meditation. Ron Paul is a man you listen closely to . . . . He will say things worth pondering long after the votes are cast.
>
>"Until now, the GOP has been able to contain Paul by pretending he wasn't there. But the silent treatment can no longer stifle this soft-spoken man. He has been proved right too often."
>
>END OF QUOTE FROM SOBRAN COLUMN
>
>Here is the link to the entire article, "The Honor of Ron Paul" by Joe Sobran:
>
>http://www.sobran.com/columns/2007/070612.shtml
>
>HANG IN THERE, SUPERMAN. ONE BILLION GROWN UP CHILDREN WISH YOU WELL
>
>As I close this Network America ewire, two items from the entertainment world came to mind. The first is not an exact fit, for when you see Ron Paul in person you realize he is truly a kindly and pleasant "Everyman." Nevertheless, we are expecting him to carry quite a heavy burden for all of us now. And his performance and voting record in public office over 30 years is kind of "super-human." The following is from a little known country song, circa 1996, by a country singer named Hal Ketchum. The song is called, "Hang in there, Superman" - and here is the refrain that came to my mind as I finished this e-wire:
>
>Hang in there, Superman;
>You always came out fighting at the bell.
>Hang in there, Superman.
>One Billion Grown Up Children wish you well.
>
>(As to the Oligarchy behind the 5 Big TV Networks and the national Democratic and Republican parties who are trying to fix the Presidential election against Congressman Ron Paul, --- let me offer this observation: Something LESS than one billion grown up children are wishing YOU well.)
>
>2nd item; at the end of the 2nd Lord of the Rings movie, "The Two Towers", the good wizard Gandalf looks out after the decisive battle with some of the other central characters from a high hill, and comments about the journey to Mount Doom of Frodo and Sam, where the two hobbits will try to destroy the evil Ring of Power. Gandolf says: "All our hopes now rest with two little Hobbits, somewhere out there in the wilderness."
>
>And, whether most Americans and most people of the world realize it or not, all of our hopes to re-capture America from the gathering forces of darkness -- now rest with Congressman Ron Paul, somewhere out there on the campaign trail.

[RonPaulGeorge&Ringo]

1) Paper ballots
2) Paper ballots
3) Paper ballots.

Dr. Paul can not win unless this is kept honest. The Ames straw poll is run on ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES. All of Dr Paul's supporters at the straw poll should personally sign paper ballots for the Paul campaign staff to count!

[StagirasGhost]

Post this whereever you think it might attract the best audience only to begin making calls only to generate voters in Ames, Iowa for Ron Paul

Those that have already signed up should have received a message a couple of minutes ago detailing your log-in and basic instructions.

You'll find a script and certain questions you might want to ask. You also might want to take a look at Rachel Mills' video on this listed below.

The interface is very user friendly and we debugged it all to death, so there should be no problems.

If you encounter problems write me at stoddard.jason@gmail.com; I may redirect Vernon Robinson or Chuck Young to reply as they are advanced in the infrastructure.

If you encounter philosophical issues with callers or would like to talk about your experience calling and how best to deliver the Ron Paul freedom philosophy or candidate message, call me 512.925.0921. (Jason Stoddard)

The Metric:

We need 2,500 callers calling until August 10th. If each caller "enlists" no less than 4 voters each, each committed to voting for Ron Paul in Ames, that is 10,000 votes for Ron Paul and certain victory at the Ames Iowa Straw Poll.

Over 600 media outlets attend and cover the event.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl6SVrqhdDM

Send an email to Outreach4RonPaul@yahoo.com or ccy@earthlink.net

Writing the latter address will bump you up a step.

Include:

your name
email address
city, state/meetup group #

Let us know if you're a MeetUp group team leader so we can organize it to correspond with your log-in. Otherwise, we will select a team lead for every part of the country/meetupgroup represented, respectively.

Please pay this forward. We have 34 days to win The Straw Poll for Ron Paul.

God Speed and God Bless Ron Paul.

Thanks to Brad, Rachel, and especially Chuck on this. We could not have done this without you all. Two weeks in the making, and 34 days until victorious results...

[poppop_schell]

A few weeks ago, I asked for volunteers to help me contact GOP leaders in every Iowa County. Not hearing any resposne, I took it upon myself to send an e-mail to every GOP County leader in the Iowa 2nd Congressional District.

I would hope from this thread we might get volunteers to do the same for the other Iowa Congressional Districts. Respond to this post if you wish to help. I will show you the exact steps I followed. All you have to do is contact and keep in touch.

The e-mail I sent out was:

I am the Meetup Group leader for the Ron Paul for President Campaign in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. I or another Representative hope to meet you soon but until then could you please provide me with the following information ASAP?
1. Where you County headquarters is located plus any other physical locations.
2. How I might go about placing Ron Paul literature, etc in this location(s) and make sure it is restocked when needed
3. When you next County Committee Meeting is and perhaps have 5-10 minutes to speak with them and answer questions about Ron Paul.
Thanks for your help,

[poppop_schell]

I find this VERY Sad that there is very little real doing going on. Both the Spooner project and The Contact GOP County Leader Projects are IMO very worthwhile as answers to a Ames Straw Vote Strategy.

So ????????

[poppop_schell]

Bump

[rpf2008]

1) Paper ballots
2) Paper ballots
3) Paper ballots.

Dr. Paul can not win unless this is kept honest. The Ames straw poll is run on ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES. All of Dr Paul's supporters at the straw poll should personally sign paper ballots for the Paul campaign staff to count!

A possible solution for this (which I think someone else already mentioned) would be to video tape everyone giving their name and saying that they voted for Mr. Paul. I think most people wouldn't have a problem with this.

Can someone please PM me a copy of the script ?

[poppop_schell]

Bump

[poppop_schell]

Bump

[ghemminger]

And this site is what you get first - Congrats!!!

OPS SPOONER which doesn't exist

[poppop_schell]

IF YOU WISH TO HELP, THEN YOU SHOULD JOIN THE TELEPHONE CALL CAMPAIGN TO REACH 500,000 GOPers AND INDEPENDENTS IN CONTACTING FOLKS TO COME TO THE AUGUST 11TH STRAWVOTE IN AMES, IO

If you wish to really make a difference for RP, contact calliowa.ronpaul2008.com

[poppop_schell]

Bump

[Jennifer Reynolds]

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[Jennifer Reynolds]

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[Jennifer Reynolds]

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[poppop_schell]

bump

[monger68]

Political campaigns are much like marketing a product. As a marketer, this is the process we would take to sell Ron Paul:

In marketing, we usually focus on our brand. The brand for our campaign has the following characteristics:

low brand recognition
high competition level
short time to sell
general quality product


Now, we need a marketing strategy. The 4 P's.

Product - Ron Paul
Price - Vote in Straw Poll
Place - Ames and Des Moines, Iowa
Promotion - ?


Notice we have no promotion. Promotion is a multi-dimensional process. We need advertising, public relations, word-of-mouth, and point of sale(point of vote) strategies. Taking our brand characteristics and marketing needs into consideration, I have come up with 3 options to use in the central Iowa area.


Viral Marketing - This is our word-of-mouth attack. We need a gimmick (visual, audio, virtual) that will catch and hold attention and spark conversation. This will help our name recognition.
Guerrilla Marketing - The point is to advertise without the customer knowing they are being advertised to. Public signage is an easy medium for this strategy.
Publicity Stunts - MEDIA EXPOSURE. This will help our point of sale and public relations, as well.


Those three strategies need to be implemented in Ames and Des Moines for the August 5th Debate and Straw Poll. It's the only way we will get the name recognition and media exposure we so desperately need for Dr. Paul.

Please help me with this project. Here is my e-mail.
clint_pickard@hotmail.com

[poppop_schell]

bump

[Jive Dadson]

How many Iowans did you call today?

There is nothing more important between now and the 11th than promoting the Ames Straw Poll.

Rah, rah, rah!

[Jive Dadson]

BUMP!

How many Iowans did you call today?

There is nothing more important between now and the 11th than promoting the Ames Straw Poll.

Rah, rah, rah!

[Jive Dadson]

BUMP!

How many Iowans did you call today?

There is nothing more important between now and the 11th than promoting the Ames Straw Poll.

Rah, rah, rah!