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achilles28
01-04-2008, 01:02 AM
Time for a sober assessment of tonight’s developments -- we got our butts kicked.


Consensus amongst the Revolution was a strong Third place finish in Iowa. We placed FIFTH.


Registered Paul supporters in Iowa numbered some 22,000. Roughly 10,000 showed up to vote.



"Biased" pollsters turned out to be right @ ~10% support. The Revolutions elated predictions of a Top 3 finish - Pure Smoke.


The much-hyped voter-to-donor ratio desperately heralded as our Salvation - flat on our face. 9-to-1 for Paul. Not 23-to-1, as expected......:rolleyes:



Its time to make a sober assessment of our failures and mistakes as a Grassroots movement. Also, at the Campaign Level.

Our Mistakes:


1) FALSE HOPE.

We are rife with it. From the endless internet rantings about corrupt pollsters to the deluded talk of 1st place finishes predicated on 1-in-a-Million political upsets.

Yes, we raised more cash in one day than in the history of Republican Presidential Politics. GET OVER IT.

It didn't win us Iowa, did it? Or even get us close....

Our Grassroots effort is a great example of Groupthink to the extreme.

Most of us sit around all day, gossiping how great the Campaign is doing,
that we erroneously begin to believe it!

Didn't we all expect that "big surprise" in Iowa?! You know, that "secret voter turnout" that never materialized?!

Hoping and praying that Ron is the next Cinderella Story won't make it so.

Tonight is hard proof of that. So are the National Polls.

America is largely asleep or ambivalent.

THAT IS REALITY. THIS IS WHAT WE FACE.



2) EXCUSES

From the biased media to the "unfair" polling practices to the ignorant public who "just don’t get it".

The pollsters were largely right and we were wrong. Accept it.

That should scare enough of us to redouble our efforts.

As far as the biased media and moronic public - we're right.

But so what? Will the incessant whining and angry fist pumping change those facts?!

And for those that dress-up losses as "strategic wins" - please. This is more delusional spin that does nothing to foster a campaign renaissance based on undeniable fact.


We cannot win this campaign with sugar coated kisses and dreamy hopes of long shot upsets.

We need to be realistic here.

Why did we fail in Iowa?

Why did the Grassroots fail?

Why did the Campaign fail?

How do we change it?




3) MISGUIDED ACTION.

You think another money-bomb is going to save this Campaign?

Or maybe another amateurish video montage posted on YouTube???!

Or Spamming yet another internet poll that no one cares about!?

Maybe if we DIGG just one more article to the top, the tide will finally turn!?!


Get real.


This Revolution started on the Internet and can't seem to move past the Internet.

Further, many of us cannot seem to comprehend a MUCH LARGER WORLD exists OUTSIDE the internet. And yes, WE must become part of that world if we hope to get Ron elected.

This means we need to actually unplug ourselves and get involved.

This campaign has moved past the Internet Awareness Stage - BUT WE HAVENT.


Questions:

Why didn't we receive more support in Iowa?

Why haven't we received more support in National Polls?

What will generate more awareness and support for Ron?

How can we, the Grassroots, make that happen?



Solutions:

1) We need to get organized and get involved. There are no substitutes. There are thousands of ways to get Ron noticed. We need to identify what they are, for each state, then start allocating volunteers and resources (money) to make that happen.

Specifically, we need 10's of Grassroots Projects modeled after Operation Live Free or Die - in each State.

Bread-and-Butter Operations consist of:

1) Phone Banks Operations - cold callers.
2) Door Knockers - Meet-and-greets
3) MSM Exposure - focus on local coverage. Let the Campaign worry about National.
4) Ad Creation - Use existing grassroots contributions the campaign wont.
5) Ad Time - Pick the Ad. Then run mini-fund raisers to buy time for each one.


These State-wide Operations need to be funded by the GRASSROOTS.

Its obvious the Campaign is either overwhelmed, understaffed or unwilling to commit the resources needed to properly execute this type of operation.

The Campaign fell down in Iowa. Their first ads in NH frankly sucked. They got 20 Million in Q4 and what do we have to show for it?

What are they waiting for?

Even if an independent run is in the works, we don’t have the luxury to sit around and hope HQ will save the day.

Its clear they wont. Voter turnout in Iowa is solid proof HQ has their head up their proverbial a**.

Which leads me to the next point......


4) VOTER TURNOUT (CRUCIAL)


I'm sorry, but Iowa was pathetic.

We had 20,000+ committed and 10,000 show up.

Does this sound like a typical cross-section of Paul supporters to you?

WHY?

WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?

For early primary states we need:

1) Pre-booked voter commitments.
2) Volunteer-run Feeder Routes (house-to-house pick up)
3) Buses at the Drop locations (bus-to-precinct)


If the Campaign will not organize this, THEN WE MUST.

This isn't hard, but will require us to turn off our computers and interact with people in real life.

Each state organizes accordingly within its meet up groups and over the net.



That said, we've done great so far. More than ANYONE thought possible.

Whether this campaign lives or dies, this is SUCCESS.

The tide IS turning in this Country - whether or not Paul makes it to the White House.

Never forget that.


But now, its put up or shut up time. The Grassroots apparently must do it all.

We cannot wait for the Campaign to spend our money wisely, because obviously they wont.

Lets take it to the next level.

Xonox
01-04-2008, 01:04 AM
Its Time To Stop Making Excuses And Get Out There And Campaign Like Your Freedom Depends On It - it Does.

faisal
01-04-2008, 01:05 AM
22,000 votes! We'd be doing awesome if they all voted! Some "fervent" supporters...

Basilieus
01-04-2008, 01:05 AM
Calm down buddy..

paulitics
01-04-2008, 01:07 AM
where do you get this "20% commited from"?

Dave Pedersen
01-04-2008, 01:08 AM
Local newspapers are read by many many people. It is a way to bypass the television and reach that huge segment which is not on the internet.

Local newspapers are the old internet. It still works.

yongrel
01-04-2008, 01:09 AM
good post

LinearChaos
01-04-2008, 01:09 AM
Man. You registered and wrote up that long post? Where you been the past year, fair weather warrior?

Ogren
01-04-2008, 01:14 AM
22,000 ? where you getting that number from ?

achilles28
01-04-2008, 01:14 AM
where do you get this "20% committed from"?

You mean 20,000 committed?

Came from various speeches of Iowa Campaign Chairmen regarding 'expected' turnout.

john_anderson_ii
01-04-2008, 01:16 AM
I don't necessarily disagree on any particular point but one:



We cannot wait for the Campaign to spend our money wisely, because obviously they wont.


I think the campaign was very wise not to bet the house on Iowa. Look what it got Romney? Huckabee had that state the first time he said "Pastor" and "Theology Degree" on national television. No amount of spending was ever going to change that.

gb13
01-04-2008, 01:16 AM
Registered Paul supporters in Iowa numbered some 22,000. Roughly 10,000 showed up to vote.

Is this true? Seems very strange..

hawkiye
01-04-2008, 01:18 AM
WTF??? This isn't th end of the world this is just one small skirmish get over it. Sure were disappointed but we made a decent showing. The reality is not that we got our butts kicked but that we are not going to win every battle. All the youtubes and money bombs do help.

If we had 22,000 registered RP supporters then the only place we failed was in getting them out to vote. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. We took the independent vote which bodes well for NH. We have more boots on the ground there and the campaign is working hard there,.

Franky I am sick of the bashing every time something doesn't go a well as expected. The only thing a defeatist attitude has ever accomplished is defeat.

Lets not implode over a small setback. Lets learn what we can from this and move on. Several Presidents have not done well in Iowa but went on to win the Presidency. It was only 150,000 people voting hardly the be all end all. 49 states to go lets get to work!

Trigonx
01-04-2008, 01:18 AM
We did nothing wrong, we did better than the MSM projected us, I am damn sure that many people willl be shocked to hear that Dr. Paul got 10% of the vote in IOWA. It just shows that Ron Paul is a contender in this election. check my thread going into alittle explanation http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=74468

tomveil
01-04-2008, 01:18 AM
D) It's Iowa.

Forgive me f I wait for a few more states before I throw in the towel.

Of course, I don't have much respect for the average American voter, either.

achilles28
01-04-2008, 01:19 AM
Local newspapers are read by many many people. It is a way to bypass the television and reach that huge segment which is not on the internet.

Local newspapers are the old internet. It still works.


So whats available to us?

1) Op-Ed
2) Letters to the Editor
3) Legit Articles
4) Purchased Ad Space


How do we get legit placement for the first three?

How do we get a newspaper to write about Ron Paul? Or want to write about Ron Paul?

Is newspaper ad space effective? I believe so. Offers the space needed to thoroughly enumerate his position.

Paul4Prez
01-04-2008, 01:20 AM
Three things went wrong, and two of them weren't entirely under our control

1. Ron Paul didn't spend much time in Iowa, compared to some of the other candidates. Iowans like and expect face time.

2. Ron Paul appeals to a lot of non-voters, and it's hard to turn non-voters into voters. It's disappointing, because a few thousand more votes would have put us in 3rd place and gotten a LOT more attention. We should all thank the Iowa volunteers for the big upsurge in support in the past few weeks, though.

3. Ron Paul was portrayed as a distant long shot, over and over, in the media, when he got any coverage at all. Too many people are still swayed by the media into voting for candidates "who have a chance to win". It turns out that McCain and Thompson had no chance to win either, but plenty of people still voted for them, because they didn't receive the same treatment.

The good news is that a 10% showing puts us on the map. Everyone just starting to pay attention tonight will see that Ron Paul is not a long shot, and is worth their consideration.

And we all know we can't count on our own motivation level to get the vote out among non-traditional voters -- we have to drag it out.

tomaO2
01-04-2008, 01:21 AM
This sums up everything I'm feeling.

It aggravates me to no end that we are unable to get out the votes. There was supposed to be all these people the polls were not taking into account. What a load of bull.

I can only hope that the core supporters are doing better at trying to become delegates.

TNFreedom
01-04-2008, 01:23 AM
I don't know that you guys have really done ANYTHING wrong yet, in fact I think what you guys have been doing is nothing short of amazing. Ron Paul, considered a joke by many so called Republicans got 10% of the vote tonight, just slightly behind two very very well known main stream candidates. The problem is that many people that call themselves Republicans haven't truly listened to Dr. Paul's message yet because it has never been acceptable to take him seriously and give his story a chance. Thats just my two cents as a brand new member of this revolution.

Oliver
01-04-2008, 01:24 AM
The only thing a defeatist attitude has ever accomplished is defeat.

+1 Whining doesn't accomplish anything.

achilles28
01-04-2008, 01:26 AM
I don't necessarily disagree on any particular point but one:



I think the campaign was very wise not to bet the house on Iowa. Look what it got Romney? Huckabee had that state the first time he said "Pastor" and "Theology Degree" on national television. No amount of spending was ever going to change that.


We finished Fifth.

Thompson and McCain also sacrificed Iowa and placed well ahead of us.

What does that say about our Campaign? About our strength?

Nowhere-to-be-seen Thompson has barely a cent in the bank and managed 35% more votes than we did.

It was a battle for distant third and we lost. Something is wrong.

Ronin
01-04-2008, 01:26 AM
Problem 1:

Today we had some serious problems with our phone banking. There was confusion, multiple calls, etc. For all phone banking I say we work 1-on-1 with the campaign. We can't affort to have people calling in by the hundreds complaining to us. Get 1 source of numbers and don't duplicate effort.

Now, you could speculate that there were some rogue calls, BUT we weren't able to eliminate ourselves as the culprit and it was mass chaos hours before the caucus. Had we been using the campaign's lists they would know right away who called that number. If that person said they didn't do it, then for sure there is a problem.

Problem 2:

Trolls. Because of our exposure we are getting a lot of trolls and are becoming very succeptable to trolls, rumors, etc. We MUST have a good line of communication. At least to be able to verify some of the claims that are posted on this forum. 50% of the drama posts turn out false and we get all kinds of false information passed around. Remember the game you played in school where you wispered a sentence around the room?

MODERATOR...

To solve this last problem, I suggest a separate Forum for "Official Communications". Have it locked down so that only a few specific people can post there. Mainly people from HQ. We can all see it and it won't have to come down in a press release. PLEASE consider doing this. It would save us so much time and confusion.

RoamZero
01-04-2008, 01:27 AM
Also, demographics demographics demographics.

The grassroots in Iowa should have targetted churches, churchgoers, etc. with specific messages (particularly on the abortion issue, and anti-death penalty for catholics). This probably would have had better results than general canvasing.

therealjjj77
01-04-2008, 01:27 AM
I will tell you where we went wrong. Courage. Being social.

In my county I brought about 40+ people out of the 294 that voted Ron Paul. That was while I spent most of my time through the week out of town since my businesses are in another town in Davenport. A lot of those were people I went on the phones, called, identified, and told them how important this is that they go and got them committed to coming. It's not that hard folks. Imagine if 20 other people in my county had put the effort to be social and to take the courage to keep calling and get others calling in my county? That would have turned out over a thousand for Ron Paul in my county alone. Then take that into other counties and we could have won this 1st place.


What I'm saying is get off this forum, get a list and get on your phone. Make a difference. Reading is not making a difference. Talking to real people is. Get out there and talk to people in your area. Ask people what is important to them. Then sell Ron Paul. Then tell them just how important their vote is. Then tell them to write down the date and time they vote, and place. Get them committed to showing up. Call them the day before the vote takes place.

It boils down to work. Not just reading about what other people are doing. Spend an hour a night on the phone. Get involved and WORK.

Team up with someone else if you need a push. Get together and make phone calls. Get a board and write down the "Yes"s.

This all boils down to hard work. I was disappointed to find out that out of my meetup group, we had only identified a little over 60 people and most of them was from my own work.

We can do better than that. Let's take New Hampshire. Spend your time on the phone tomorrow instead of on the internet. Get a list immediately from the campaign. Get involved.

thatotherguy
01-04-2008, 01:30 AM
Anyone who was working the evening shift was not able to go and vote. Iowa does not have absentee voting for the caucus. That includes people in health care, restaurants, and retail, to name a few. Now is not the time to give up, now is the time to take action and tell more people about the good Doctor!

liberty_Forever
01-04-2008, 01:32 AM
Great post

shagywashere
01-04-2008, 01:33 AM
Anyone who was working the evening shift was not able to go and vote. Iowa does not have absentee voting for the caucus. That includes people in health care, restaurants, and retail, to name a few. Now is not the time to give up, now is the time to take action and tell more people about the good Doctor!

That's no excuse, it's illegal for your employer to not allow you to vote!

driller80545
01-04-2008, 01:34 AM
I hate to say it, but the general public gets most of their info from tv. The campaign is going to have to do something to end the blackout. Something that the media cannot ignore. Something controversial. Something loud. Make news. Then the lazy public will sit up and listen.

Gustogus
01-04-2008, 01:34 AM
I'm curious if anyone is experienced with purchasing Newspaper Ad-Space. and what exactly or the rules being it would be political in nature.

Can an individual do this legally? IF so, Lets say a meetup group wanted to buy ad space in there local paper, is anyone aware of an RP website somewhere with useable material? Making an add like that look amateur is as bad as not running one at all.

Does just buying slimjims work better?

john_anderson_ii
01-04-2008, 01:37 AM
We finished Fifth.

Thompson and McCain also sacrificed Iowa and placed well ahead of us.

What does that say about our Campaign? About our strength?

Nowhere-to-be-seen Thompson has barely a cent in the bank and managed 35% more votes than we did.

It was a battle for distant third and we lost. Something is wrong.

Again, I don't disagree with any particular point, but it was still wise of the campaign to save the money for use on a demographic more receptive to Ron's message and less religiousy. I'm not saying they are going to spring into action and make all the right decisions, I'm just saying that skimping on Iowa was a good thing.

achilles28
01-04-2008, 01:40 AM
WTF??? This isn't th end of the world this is just one small skirmish get over it. Sure were disappointed but we made a decent showing. The reality is not that we got our butts kicked but that we are not going to win every battle. All the youtubes and money bombs do help.

If we had 22,000 registered RP supporters then the only place we failed was in getting them out to vote. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. We took the independent vote which bodes well for NH. We have more boots on the ground there and the campaign is working hard there,.

Franky I am sick of the bashing every time something doesn't go a well as expected. The only thing a defeatist attitude has ever accomplished is defeat.

Lets not implode over a small setback. Lets learn what we can from this and move on. Several Presidents have not done well in Iowa but went on to win the Presidency. It was only 150,000 people voting hardly the be all end all. 49 states to go lets get to work!

Listen, I respect your enthusiasm and dedication to the movement.

But rosy colored prognostications and rationalizations of our losses, wont work.

We need to figure out what went wrong and fix it.

Its that simple.

Iowa is by no means small. Each primary sets the stage for the one following.

We lose NH and show poor in SC, and we're in a very tough position.

Every single Primary Counts big for Paul.

We're fighting a creditability problem that becomes harder to overcome with every successive Primary *not* won.

Acknowledging a problem is the first step.

Figuring out how to fix it is the second step.

LinearChaos
01-04-2008, 01:41 AM
I like how you make one post dissing RP about the border fence, and now you are here to tell everyone how badly they sucked and how all of this sucked, we all suck, and you have all the answers and are here to save the day for all of us losers.

Why weren't you posting this last month?

google Ron Paul. guess what? he did fine. Nobody expected a mousefart out of him and he isn't going anywhere.

Don't feed the trolls.

DRSANGLE
01-04-2008, 01:41 AM
Sorry your assessment is wrong. It was a good night for the whole strategy for Ron Paul.

I will go to sleep tonight sleeping very well as to what took place tonight because Paul is in
double digits. Huckebe has huge problems coming in New Hampshire and sure Romney will probably pick up some of Huckabe's loss but McCain and Thompson are non events. Basically
they have Thompson and McCain to muddy the waters to cloud Ron Paul. I am very pleased with what took place in Iowa. Everyone should be very proud!!!!!!!!!!

achilles28
01-04-2008, 01:44 AM
Three things went wrong, and two of them weren't entirely under our control

1. Ron Paul didn't spend much time in Iowa, compared to some of the other candidates. Iowans like and expect face time.

True.



2. Ron Paul appeals to a lot of non-voters, and it's hard to turn non-voters into voters. It's disappointing, because a few thousand more votes would have put us in 3rd place and gotten a LOT more attention. We should all thank the Iowa volunteers for the big upsurge in support in the past few weeks, though.


How do we fix this? How does the Grassroots organize and manage better non voter turn out?




3. Ron Paul was portrayed as a distant long shot, over and over, in the media, when he got any coverage at all. Too many people are still swayed by the media into voting for candidates "who have a chance to win". It turns out that McCain and Thompson had no chance to win either, but plenty of people still voted for them, because they didn't receive the same treatment.

True. But nearly impossible to demand MSM change their policy.

achilles28
01-04-2008, 01:45 AM
+1 Whining doesn't accomplish anything.


Neither does sticking ones head in the sand.

all J's in IL for RP
01-04-2008, 01:46 AM
Negative thread started by member with 1 preceding post =over.

Karsten
01-04-2008, 01:47 AM
I'm not trying to sound negative here either, but the Ron Paul supporters I saw on TV didn't seem anything like the supporters I know at my meetups here in California. The supporters I know would have IMMEDIATELY shouted and RAISED HELL if they didn't allow a representative from the Paul campaign to speak. The supporters I know are loud and assertive. The people I saw from Iowa on TV seemed shy. On c-span the caucus they were showing skipped right over Paul and nobody said anything. I was also SHOCKED that there was not many signs and banners. The Ron Paul supporters I know would have BLANKETED the inside of the caucus with big Ron Paul signs and Revolution T-shirts. I'm a little confused on why the behavior of the Caucus Ron Paul supporters did not match the behavior of the supporters I have come to know. Any ideas???

Perhaps, the truth is that the idea that Ron Paul supporters are many times more "enthusiastic" and "intense" is a generalization. I know WE are that way, but maybe it's true that most Ron Paul supporters out there like Ron Paul and think he's cool but are not obsessed with him the way we are.

demidog
01-04-2008, 01:55 AM
Iowa was a disappointment. But rather than panic or dwell on the negatives only, the results and the tactics need to be rationally analyzed. Remember that this is just the first state and Bill Clinton, the year he won the Presidency, only eked out 3% there (the way the democrats caucus is much different though).

The last thing that needs tweaking is the message.

We are not in the know about all of the efforts made but more importantly where exactly they were carried out.

We know that the following efforts were employed:

Canvassing,
Radio,
Television,
Hand-written letters
Mailers.

As just the laymen, we don't know in what counties these efforts were carried out. In some counties, Dr. Paul received 23% of the vote. In others less than 7%.

There isn't enough information for any of us to analyze the results but if we could get detailed information from the campaign and correlate tactics to county results a possible winning strategy might emerge from such an analysis.

Furthermore, that is really the only way that any learning about this process can occur. Blanket assertions about how badly things are going when in reality (not spin) things are going well, just do not help.

I'd really love to get Drew Ivers take on this.

achilles28
01-04-2008, 01:58 AM
I will tell you where we went wrong. Courage. Being social.

In my county I brought about 40+ people out of the 294 that voted Ron Paul. That was while I spent most of my time through the week out of town since my businesses are in another town in Davenport. A lot of those were people I went on the phones, called, identified, and told them how important this is that they go and got them committed to coming. It's not that hard folks. Imagine if 20 other people in my county had put the effort to be social and to take the courage to keep calling and get others calling in my county? That would have turned out over a thousand for Ron Paul in my county alone. Then take that into other counties and we could have won this 1st place.


What I'm saying is get off this forum, get a list and get on your phone. Make a difference. Reading is not making a difference. Talking to real people is. Get out there and talk to people in your area. Ask people what is important to them. Then sell Ron Paul. Then tell them just how important their vote is. Then tell them to write down the date and time they vote, and place. Get them committed to showing up. Call them the day before the vote takes place.

It boils down to work. Not just reading about what other people are doing. Spend an hour a night on the phone. Get involved and WORK.

Team up with someone else if you need a push. Get together and make phone calls. Get a board and write down the "Yes"s.

This all boils down to hard work. I was disappointed to find out that out of my meetup group, we had only identified a little over 60 people and most of them was from my own work.

We can do better than that. Let's take New Hampshire. Spend your time on the phone tomorrow instead of on the internet. Get a list immediately from the campaign. Get involved.


THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HARDWORK.

This is the kind of person we need to hold up and emulate on the boards. A "Leader for Ron Paul", if you will.

Sir, could you put together a simple 1-page guide or manual that describes how we can effectively cold call for Ron Paul?

Obviously you are very successful and versed at persuading others.

By having a short guide that could show us how to emulate your success/technique with easy suggestions/how to's - I believe would be immensely helpful.

Thanks again.

Taco John
01-04-2008, 01:59 AM
Listen, I respect your enthusiasm and dedication to the movement.

But rosy colored prognostications and rationalizations of our losses, wont work.

We need to figure out what went wrong and fix it.

Its that simple.

Iowa is by no means small. Each primary sets the stage for the one following.

We lose NH and show poor in SC, and we're in a very tough position.

Every single Primary Counts big for Paul.

We're fighting a creditability problem that becomes harder to overcome with every successive Primary *not* won.

Acknowledging a problem is the first step.

Figuring out how to fix it is the second step.


Honestly, I don't believe anything went wrong. Could we have gotten more Iowans out? Who could guess? Probably.

What went wrong is that we underestimated Fred Thompson's support in Iowa. Nobody expected that. Maybe they should have. Also, too many people had pie in the sky ideas about where we'd finish.

We're in very good position right now. Finishing at 10% ahead of Rudy is not insignificant. Doing this in Bush-loving Iowa is definitely worth noting.

Time to start writing letters to the good folks in Michigan. Time to get on the phones. Time to canvass. But asking what went wrong in Iowa? We put ourselves on the map in Iowa. Let's look at what went right and how we did that, and repeat our efforts tenfold.

achilles28
01-04-2008, 02:01 AM
I hate to say it, but the general public gets most of their info from tv. The campaign is going to have to do something to end the blackout. Something that the media cannot ignore. Something controversial. Something loud. Make news. Then the lazy public will sit up and listen.


Agree wholeheartedly.

The campaign needs to demand respect.

From my understanding, the campaign does not have our Ear?

driller80545
01-04-2008, 02:04 AM
How can the campaign not have our ear. That is outrageous. We are the supporters. We are the ones working. How can you ignore the grassroots. Unheard of.

Fight-n-Mad
01-04-2008, 02:04 AM
Ok, done lurking...

Just a little observation. Don't know if it means anything, but RP came in 5th in the IA straw poll too (9.1%). And he came in first in all the NH straw polls.

Anyway, I think things are going just fine. Steady growth, more media coverage, lots of money, etc. I really don't think anybody is being complacent. If we were to try any harder, we might look even kookier. I've donated money, changed my party affiliation, talked to all my friends and family, and won some people over. And I will vote in the primary if I have to crawl to the polls.

Iowa isn't the same demographic as most of the country. Perhaps there might be a few things that could be refined, bit I really wouldn't obsess too much about what was done wrong. Just keep doing what's right, and it'll happen.

I really hope the whining stops. I seriously didn't take you guys for a bunch of pussies. Jeez... snap out of it.

achilles28
01-04-2008, 02:06 AM
I like how you make one post dissing RP about the border fence, and now you are here to tell everyone how badly they sucked and how all of this sucked, we all suck, and you have all the answers and are here to save the day for all of us losers.

Why weren't you posting this last month?

google Ron Paul. guess what? he did fine. Nobody expected a mousefart out of him and he isn't going anywhere.

Don't feed the trolls.


Perfect example of the Revolutions Net-Centrism.

If you don't post on ronpaulforums, you're not an active supporter.

Yea, right! :rolleyes:

demidog
01-04-2008, 02:06 AM
THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HARDWORK.

This is the kind of person we need to hold up and emulate on the boards. A "Leader for Ron Paul", if you will.

Sir, could you put together a simple 1-page guide or manual that describes how we can effectively cold call for Ron Paul?

Obviously you are very successful and versed at persuading others.

By having a short guide that could show us how to emulate your success/technique with easy suggestions/how to's - I believe would be immensely helpful.

Thanks again.

Are you a member of a meetup somewhere? Because that information is at every meetup location I've visited and anyone who volunteers to call gets that information.

What did you do in Iowa? If the extent of your work was to make this post complaining about how it went, I would suggest that you are being a bit of a hypocrite.

dave68
01-04-2008, 02:10 AM
I wish Mr. Paul had done even better, but I am sure legalizing drugs/prostitution did not play well in a very conservative, and religious state. Still McCain very well known and respected, and Thompson a movie star barely beat him. Hillary, and Mitt very disappointed. Giuliani did horrible he got his butt kicked. A respectable showing in NH brings in more $$, and clout for super tuesday. I am hoping 3rd!!
Huckabee has his work cut out for him there. There is a LOT OF PEOPLE WHO LIKE THE MESSAGE!! The problem is a lot of people never heard of RP, or know anything about him yet!! I have yet to hear anything negative about him when I tell people of his positions. This is far from over for either side.

Paulitician
01-04-2008, 02:12 AM
What really gets me about yesterday is that the media people were 100% right on this one. Some of you guys will say "we beat expecations." How the hell so? Some polls had us 11%. We barely got 10%. We got 9% at the Ames straw poll. 1 measly percent increase, that's it? And you guys call that success? No freaking wonder we're losing so bad. Some people are seriously deluded.

What I've learned from this: we can hardly count on the independents, the first time voters, and democrats to win this thing. We have to seriously target Republicans, and Republicans who vote in the primaries/caucuses/conventions.

Now, take a look at this:
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/assets/jpg/m0101republicanResource.jpg

Watching or listening to debates: Ron Paul can be doing better in the debates. His latest performances have been crappy. His perforamance in the first 3 debates were golden.

Reading about candidates in newspapers: The campaign is not hitting up these newspaper outlets for coverage. Instead, we have a campaign that doesn't even respond to media sometimes, and seem completely incompetent. Why don't we have seasoned professionals taking care of this? Also, whatever the other candidates do to get the media attention, Ron Paul should try to emulate too. WTF is up with this?

Seeing candidates in person: Ron Paul visited Iowa for like what, 19 days? That isn't going to cut it.

Television or radio advertising: thankfully we have the under control. The campaign can still improve in this area.

Talking to friends and family: I think grassroots in pretty successful here. I know I've done my part. I guess maybe to all you shy people out there, this motivates you to become more social.

Internet news sources: eh, a mixed bag but mostly positive for us.

The rest is quite miniscule. Hopefully, the campaign has smart people who go out and find this type of info, and try focus on these things. And if not, it's time to fire friends and hire seasoned professionals. I bet the campaign hasn't even approached the media in NH, Nevada, South Carolina, Michigan, to find these things so they can effectively tailor their message.

I think that's it. Targeting the right demographic and emphasizing specific parts of the message.

driller80545
01-04-2008, 02:13 AM
I wish Mr. Paul had done even better, but I am sure legalizing drugs/prostitution did not play well in a very conservative, and religious state. Still McCain very well known and respected, and Thompson a movie star barely beat him. Hillary, and Mitt very disappointed. Giuliani did horrible he got his butt kicked. A respectable showing in NH brings in more $$, and clout for super tuesday. I am hoping 3rd!!
Huckabee has his work cut out for him there. There is a LOT OF PEOPLE WHO LIKE THE MESSAGE!! The problem is a lot of people never heard of RP, or know anything about him yet!! I have yet to hear anything negative about him when I tell people of his positions. This is far from over for either side.

Yes, good points all!

thompsonisland
01-04-2008, 02:21 AM
It does bum me out that everyone that supports him didn't vote for him. I thought that the nature of this campaign was sufficiently on the ground that everyone who cares about a Paul presidency would have been out there.

I also agree with posters who say that negative energy generates more of the same.

That is different from being Pollyannaish, though, certainly there is work to be done.

Richandler
01-04-2008, 02:24 AM
Where we went wrong is education. Some of you don't even know how to explain the stances you are defending. As soon as you get hung up you lost a vote. You have to learn to pimp Ron like a car salesman. Learn all the issues inside and out. Simply put they are all related to the constitution and they all have a logical side to them. Learn it, use it, and teach it.

Like Ron says, it's the message that attracts people. Don't start buy talking about Paul always start by talking about the issues.

Dax552
01-04-2008, 02:25 AM
We had a good night tonight, whether you are able to realize it or not. Read this article:

http://www.nolanchart.com/authors/articles/article.php?ArticleID=913

Austin
01-04-2008, 02:40 AM
Best post I have read in a while. This is a wake up call, a call to action.

The internet has been good to us, but we've have sucked it clean. We need to focus on getting new supporters through conventional means, mailings, tv ads, and canvassing. At the end of the day, the biggest thing is getting out the vote.

This is what cost us Iowa. The campaign failed to backup their data and was not able to provide the 250 student volunteers (which I am one) with the list of the supporters. Instead, we were given a shitty list of wrong numbers, dead people, and non-supporters to call just 2 hours before the caucuses started.

We have to wake up and get off the internet. Canvass. Write the editor. Contact your local pastors. Do things that will result in getting the vote out.

Our showing in Iowa was decent, but I now see it as more of a learning experience, even if it wasn't exactly the best time to be learning. We are down to the wire and we must put twice as much effort into our work.

Find out what you can do to help in the few states coming out, and get off the internet and do it! It's now or never. Never as in bye-bye to personal freedom. I'll see you all in Guantanamo in 20 years.

Minuteman2008
01-04-2008, 02:55 AM
Paul got the independent vote. Great job. But that isn't enough to win this thing.

It is time to go after the Republican vote. Call it pandering if you want, but Paul has the record to back it up. Talk about economic issues, immigration, abortion and gun control. Paul needs to stop acting like the pacifist anti-war guy and be the old fashioned TRUE conservative. I know the anti-war folks love him, but Huckabee drew way more voters in from the debates. He pandered. He campaigned as tough on immigration, even though he sucks, but people bought it. He talked about being a Christian and pro-life, the people bought it. Huckabee may not be a conservative, but he campaigned as one on the most popular issues for Republicans, immigration and the economy, and the people ate it up.

I don't care how much damn money Paul raises, he can't run as an anti-war candidate with notions of freedom and liberty and get the Republican vote. He has to use his strong record on conservative issues to his advantage. That may piss off his leftwing anti-war supporters, but 10% in Iowa tells the truth. Paul has to go conservative and he has to go mainstream. Stop campaigning like a Democrat. The independent vote, the libertarian vote is already there? If he wants to win he has to expand what he talks about, make more commercials about Republican issues (not the Iraq war) and run on an anti-Democrat campaign (Republicans love that) and not be afraid of offending the anti-war left. That is what it will take.

Paulitician
01-04-2008, 03:26 AM
Bottomline, traditional campaigning works. Assuming everyone gets their news from the Internet (and even if they do they still go to the major sources anyway, like Fox, CNN, ABC etc.) so therefore we'll win, doesn't. What matters is first and foremost is targeting the right demographic (Republicans over 40) and getting people to register and vote in their primaries/caucuses/conventions. We're trying to win the REPUBLICAN nomination here, folks. This isn't the general election and this isn't another measly straw poll.

Lisa S
01-04-2008, 03:30 AM
Ron Paul also needs to brag on his record sometimes. I know he's humble but if he doesn't tell people they might not know and he needs to be enthusiastic about what he will do as president and get people excited about what America would be like with him in the White House. I also, wish he would stress that he's not cutting off disability to people and that he's not a pacifist and will be strong on national defense when necessary. Many republicans have bought into the propaganda that terrorists are going to come here and kill us all and force us to convert to Islam. He needs to show he's a peacemaker but will fight to protect this country as good as any other republican only by different and better tactics.

Ernest
01-04-2008, 03:32 AM
Call it pandering if you want, but Paul has the record to back it up. campaign

It is only pandering if you change positions to garner votes or support a position you don't hold.

RonPaulalways
01-04-2008, 03:56 AM
I want to commend the grassroots volunteers for doing such a great job. 10% is very very good, but of course we could have done better. We have the greatest potential of any campaign.

Regarding recommendations going forward, for me, these ones stood out:


I will tell you where we went wrong. Courage. Being social.

In my county I brought about 40+ people out of the 294 that voted Ron Paul. That was while I spent most of my time through the week out of town since my businesses are in another town in Davenport. A lot of those were people I went on the phones, called, identified, and told them how important this is that they go and got them committed to coming. It's not that hard folks. Imagine if 20 other people in my county had put the effort to be social and to take the courage to keep calling and get others calling in my county? That would have turned out over a thousand for Ron Paul in my county alone. Then take that into other counties and we could have won this 1st place.


What I'm saying is get off this forum, get a list and get on your phone. Make a difference. Reading is not making a difference. Talking to real people is. Get out there and talk to people in your area. Ask people what is important to them. Then sell Ron Paul. Then tell them just how important their vote is. Then tell them to write down the date and time they vote, and place. Get them committed to showing up. Call them the day before the vote takes place.

It boils down to work. Not just reading about what other people are doing. Spend an hour a night on the phone. Get involved and WORK.

Team up with someone else if you need a push. Get together and make phone calls. Get a board and write down the "Yes"s.

This all boils down to hard work. I was disappointed to find out that out of my meetup group, we had only identified a little over 60 people and most of them was from my own work.

We can do better than that. Let's take New Hampshire. Spend your time on the phone tomorrow instead of on the internet. Get a list immediately from the campaign. Get involved.

and


Local newspapers are read by many many people. It is a way to bypass the televsion and reach that huge segment which is not on the internet.

Local newspapers are the old internet. It still works.

Regarding this:


I'm curious if anyone is experienced with purchasing Newspaper Ad-Space. and what exactly or the rules being it would be political in nature.

I don't know all the specifics, but I do know there are no limits on how much individuals can spend advertising a candidate as long as the advertisements are commissioned on behalf of the individual and not on behalf of the campaign. In others the individual submitting the ad cannot be part of the official campaign.

Liberty Star
01-04-2008, 03:58 AM
Considering Iowa demographic, RP did well with 10% vote. This is good start but we should be bit concerned about the message of campaign going forward. It is surprising why Ron Paul campaign has not been aggressively going after support of big majority of Americans who are very concerned with current course of America and see Bush/Cheney war policies as bad for America. RP need to question judgment of candidates who supported Iraq war policy and show how it undermines American security.

RP need to hit hard on Iraq war/foreign policy issues and how they effect taxes/economy/liberties at home. RP had the foresight and courage to oppose Iraq war years ago and need to capitalize on that. Now will be good time to take a look at our ads for NH and make sure we have the right message of Hope and Change and nothing like the recent controversial, pandering ad that was played in Iowa. Iraq War and its human, financial, liberty costs should be highlighted. We should stick with the message RP sent out in debates, that works. Majority of Americans consider Iraq war a mistake and chances of someone who supported Iraq war going to the White House in 08 are between slim and none.

Evangelicals like the ones that dominate Iowa demographic are tough recruits, RP has much better chance of getting better results in other demographics. Church going Americans still support Iraq war over non-Church going Americans 2:1 ! Religious minds are hard to change fast. Maybe just put the Evangelical block courting effort on the back burner, America is not Iowa. The effort that it will take to convert one pro-war, pro-Bush evangelical can convert three anti Iraq war Independent/Dem Americans and there are lots of them.

RonPaulalways
01-04-2008, 04:02 AM
It is surprising why Ron Paul campaign has not been aggressively going after support of big majority of Americans who are very concerned with current course of America and see Bush/Cheney war policies as bad for America. RP need to question judgment of candidates who supported Iraq war policy and show how it undermines American security.

RP need to hit hard on Iraq war/foreign policy issues and how they effect taxes/economy/liberties at home. RP had the foresight and courage to oppose Iraq war years ago and need to capitalize on that. Now will be good time to take a look at our ads for NH and make sure we have the right message of Hope and Change and nothing like the recent controversial, pandering ad that was played in Iowa. Iraq War and its human, financial, liberty costs should be highlighted. We should stick with the message RP sent out in debates, that works. Majority of Americans consider Iraq war a mistake and chances of someone who supported Iraq war going to the White House in 08 are between slim and none.

Agreed, the Ron Paul campaign needs to hear this advice!

wildflower
01-04-2008, 04:12 AM
Registered Paul supporters in Iowa numbered some 22,000. Roughly 10,000 showed up to vote.


Is this true? Seems very strange..

I also would like to know if that is true. Did we for sure have that many Paul supporters in Iowa? If so, then wth?? :confused: :mad: I'm very curious to hear an explanation on that, from someone in Iowa.

That said... I don't want to keep being negative, we do need to learn and move on. The good news is we exceeded the expectations of lots of people out there (who barely knew who Paul was, but now they know he's in double digits)

Young_Apprentice
01-04-2008, 04:47 AM
We've gone as far as we can with the internet. When people google RP they find a wealth of positive information, as well as the multitude of videos on youtube, etc. Tonight really illustrates the disparity between people who are on-line and those who aren't. I think that many of us are so used to sharing information and finding things with a few clicks of a mouse that we tend to forget that most people are still thinking at the speed of the old media.

Hangly Man
01-04-2008, 04:48 AM
Ron Paul supporters spend too much time on the computer filling out meaningless internet polls and not enough time in the real world. I'm at fault here, too.

While it was pretty cool, that time spent doing the WoW march would have been better spent going door-to-door.

speciallyblend
01-04-2008, 05:02 AM
3 letters GOP thats the issue

joenaab
01-04-2008, 05:19 AM
Let's take some time to vent our frustrations, but then be done with it. We can equally be spending this time being grateful for our successes. We can't cure 100 years of ignorance overnight. I think we saw the power of the mainstream media blackout yesterday. The elderly and the ignorant still must be given permission to support a candidate by MSM.

This was the night that we buried Rudy. I'm thankful for that. This was the night that we put an end, forever, to the MSM's overused expressions, "barely registers in the polls", "fringe candidate", "polling in the low single digits". Isn't that worth something?

We finished within a few percentages of two of the media's darlings and crushed their favorite! The two clear winners are the very two "front runners" who have the least national appeal. Further, the fact that Huckabee and Romney won by such large margins tells me that Iowa would be a very tough state for anyone who's not an ardent and outspoken christian.

I'm excited for New Hampshire. I'm excited for the pickle that Fox is in when they seat little 3% Rudy down at their forum while 10%, $20 million dollar Ron Paul is locked out of the trailer. If we got 10% in Iowa we will easily beat that mark in New Hampshire and could beat one or more of the candidates who finished ahead of us.

Finally, what good Cinderella story doesn't contain a series of challenges and defeats that test character and produce positive growth? Plus, I don't see this as a defeat. To use a football analogy, we marched straight down the field and scored a field goal on the opening drive. There's nearly a full game to be played and we are on the board.

WilliamC
01-04-2008, 05:35 AM
MODERATOR...

To solve this last problem, I suggest a separate Forum for "Official Communications". Have it locked down so that only a few specific people can post there. Mainly people from HQ. We can all see it and it won't have to come down in a press release. PLEASE consider doing this. It would save us so much time and confusion.

Please do this. The grassroots is the strength but it could be used much better.

Also everyone, keep in mind the grassroots isn't the main campaign. Let's see what Ron Paul says today and follow his lead.

johngr
01-04-2008, 05:42 AM
He started a trend in Iowa. Let's hope he continues that trend. That trend is to do as well in the caucus/election as he did in the straw poll.

noztnac
01-04-2008, 06:14 AM
Terrible ads from the campaign did not help.

123tim
01-04-2008, 06:20 AM
I


Edited " .....What I'm saying is get off this forum, get a list and get on your phone. Make a difference. Reading is not making a difference. Talking to real people is. Get out there and talk to people in your area. Ask people what is important to them. Then sell Ron Paul. Then tell them just how important their vote is. Then tell them to write down the date and time they vote, and place. Get them committed to showing up. Call them the day before the vote takes place.

It boils down to work. Not just reading about what other people are doing. Spend an hour a night on the phone. Get involved and WORK.

Team up with someone else if you need a push. Get together and make phone calls. Get a board and write down the "Yes"s.

This all boils down to hard work. I was disappointed to find out that out of my meetup group, we had only identified a little over 60 people and most of them was from my own work.

We can do better than that. Let's take New Hampshire. Spend your time on the phone tomorrow instead of on the internet. Get a list immediately from the campaign. Get involved.

Bump

Bradley in DC
01-04-2008, 07:18 AM
How do we fix this? How does the Grassroots organize and manage better non voter turn out?

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=72640

Bradley in DC
01-04-2008, 07:24 AM
I hate to say it, but the general public gets most of their info from tv. The campaign is going to have to do something to end the blackout.

The only blackout if from the official campaign towards the media. This is the norm, not the exception.
http://blog.nj.com/njv_paul_mulshine..._bad_news.html
You're right that if we need to reach people with the message, but that is not going to happen with this staff.

Bruehound
01-04-2008, 07:31 AM
We had a turnout problem. 10,000 of our people did not show up. GOTV efforts are what will win or lose elections.

braumstr
01-04-2008, 07:48 AM
I am not that disappointed with HQ. If saying Jesus 1000 times is what it takes to win in Iowa, then maybe staying out of Iowa seriously was the right thing to do.

I think we all need to take a deep breath and wait and see.

Some of the more traditional steps mentioned cannot hurt though. I view this more of a failure of the grass roots than HQ, I dont think they ever predicted anything but a middle of the pack win. It was we who inflated our own expectations.

We did have an effect, but the goal is to win. We didnt win, we didnt get close so obviously we need to change.

Pete Kay
01-04-2008, 08:20 AM
I agree with achilles.

We need to quit with the delusional excuse making and get serious. We lost big time. 5th place is not acceptable. The sooner we come to grips with that , then the sooneer we can get our asses into gear. What the hell is our goal? To win the damned election! Already people are saying the same tired crap, "Even if we lose, we win." NO! If we lose, we lose. You want to make a difference in this country? Then let's hit the streets hard. We have little time left.

The key is education, not promotion. We can promote Ron Paul until every person in America knows his name. It doesn't mean that they will vote for him. Practically everyone knows the name Dennis Kucinich, but no one votes for him. The key is getting people to understand the ideas that Ron Paul believes in. Only when people wake up to these ideas, will Ron Paul have a chance to win.

All of us Revolutionaries, came on board because of our knowledge of what is going wrong with this country. We have to spread the message! People that believe in entitlements and endless war will not support Ron Paul. We need to barrage the public with education. We need to show David Walker's charts that tell of the impending financial disaster coming. We need to stress the immorality of the income tax. We need to teach people about our constant meddling in the Middle East and the harm it has caused us. Once people can come around to understanding the problem, then they can start wanting the solution.

evandi
01-04-2008, 08:46 AM
Well, very recently Huckabee was saying things that Ron Paul was saying with some of the same rhetoric that is repeated on the internet, while being "viable" and critisizing Bush. Huckabee has also shamelessly pandered to Iowans by saying he wanted ethanol subsidies while Paul has said many times he is outright opposed to them. Talking about "fascism" and "cross" in the same sentance didn't help Paul either, but all of these things might help him everywhere but Iowa.

Furthermore, a lot of people really do not want a Mormon to be president (which might imply high turnout to guarantee a "Christian). For everyone saying the polls were right.... Huckabee was not even close to Romney unlike what some polls would say. And no the polls did not predict around 10% for paul. Zogby had 10%, Des Moines had 9%, but a lot of other polls that people like Fox News were reporting had him at a few percentage points lower than that. No one overestimated his support. Very odd.

The polls about Thompson were really off. Some had him in the teens while others had him in the low single digits.

The polls are not gospel and we've at least proven that we do not have a single-digit candidate.

MrThorpe
01-04-2008, 08:54 AM
New Hampshire voters are much more independent than Iowans, and religion counts for a helluva lot less. Assuming "momentum" doesn't act against him, I think RP will have a much stronger showing. New Englanders love hearing about the Constitution, and New Hampshire has no sales tax...I think he will do much better up there.

the3AMgenius
01-04-2008, 09:24 AM
I think that local newspapers is a great idea! I posted the contacts to the Iowan and New Hampshire local newspapers but not to many hits I'm afraid
because I am in Washington I am currently working on more coverage for him in my county
I also think a great way to get more coverage is through Liberal,Independent,environmental magazine such as U.T.N.E and the Nation they have many subscribers and I am sure Ron Paul would proper respect, write to them asking for more coverage or an interview. Although this is not ground support I think it would help
here are the contact links again to the local newspapers in New Hampshire

tnh.editor@unh.edu;editor@thedartmou...almonpress. com;
mailboat@weirs.com;brendan@weirs.com...on@weirs .com;
intertown@conknet.com;cabnews@cabine...orhoodnews. com;
karenhladd@newsandsentinel.net;news@...elegrap h.com;
comments@hellometro.com;community@seacoastonline.c om;
equirk@seacoastonline.com;rfabrizio@...stonline .com;
writeus@unionleader.com;jhowe@citize... l@citizen.com;
wlaforme@citizen.com;kmarrs@citizen....@c itizen.com;
gcunningham@citizen.com;lingham@citi...er@citizen. com;
gober@citizen.com;bwheeler@metrocast...@c itizen.com;
jmitchell@citizen.com;rmartin@citize...nesentinel. com;
rdoherty@fosters.com;mprowland@fosters.com;
letters@fosters.comAdam@mountwashingtonvalley.com;
Bart@mountwashingtonvalley.com;news@...s@cmonitor. com

Paul10
01-04-2008, 09:35 AM
....

HOLLYWOOD
01-04-2008, 09:44 AM
Well, very recently Huckabee was saying things that Ron Paul was saying with some of the same rhetoric that is repeated on the internet, while being "viable" and critisizing Bush. Huckabee has also shamelessly pandered to Iowans by saying he wanted ethanol subsidies while Paul has said many times he is outright opposed to them. Talking about "fascism" and "cross" in the same sentance didn't help Paul either, but all of these things might help him everywhere but Iowa.

The polls about Thompson were really off. Some had him in the teens while others had him in the low single digits.

The polls are not gospel and we've at least proven that we do not have a single-digit candidate.

PROVERBIAL SAYING... "It not what you say... but how you say it!"

HUCKLEBERRY knows how to say it, and also how to PLAGIARIZE other candidates strong attractive points, using them to his advantage... IMMENSELY!

Goldwater Conservative
01-04-2008, 09:51 AM
Considering Alan Keyes and Pat Buchanan have pulled upsets like the ones we were hoping for, I still don't think the average expectation around here was a bad one. It's easy to Monday morning quarterback.

The polls are still biased (not including him as an option, leading public opinion) and the media is still effectively working against us (would Huckabee have done as well even among evangelicals if he had the coverage Paul had?). Take it easy and let's wait for the 49 states and 99% of the American population that has yet to have their say. We'll do better when we're not in Bush country and where 60% of the base is not "born-again Christian."

the3AMgenius
01-04-2008, 09:52 AM
here is a site that can find all the contacts to magazines and newspapers in your state
http://capwiz.com/pfaw/dbq/media/

If every supporter of Ron Paul e-mails all the newspapers and Magazines in there own state
you will have thousands of e-mails in every newspaper and magazine in-box in the country requesting for more Ron Paul coverage or an interview or placing an add with there magazine
pass it on!

USAF Vet Dan
01-04-2008, 10:34 AM
Time for a sober assessment of tonight’s developments -- we got our butts kicked.

At first, your post really pissed me off. However, I realize that many RP supporters are "new to this game" and this may make some overreact. So let me try to help you understand how UNWARRANTED your negativity really is.

You view the tiny handful of votes that separated 3rd, 4th, and 5th as getting "our butts kicked". Yes, 3rd was the predetermined target and it would have been nice to hit it or do better, but so what? The overall percentage of votes obtained when compared to what was targeted was so close that we should view the Iowa results as a success - especially when analyzing the likelihood of hitting the targets for other states yet to come.

Also remember, Iowa is only one of 50 states.

Sure... make suggestions for improvements but leave the UNWARRANTED negative BS out of it. Those of you who espouse such UNWARRANTED negativity are doing far more harm to the campaign than the few votes of which we were shy to make 3rd place in Iowa.

My final advice: When we take a hit, stay on your feet. When we score a victory, keep your feet on the ground.

Now let's look forward to New Hampshire and turn all this negativity into some positive action.