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View Full Version : Do y'all GET Iowa?




Scribbler de Stebbing
07-18-2007, 07:43 AM
I think a lot of people here do, but I just sent the following message to my Meetup Group (was I too harsh?):


I get the impression that this group doesn't understand the importance of Iowa. If you've never been involved in a Republican Presidential campaign before, I can see why that logic wouldn't leap out at you.

Let me say it this way: If Ron Paul doesn't do well -- at least 3rd place -- in the Straw Poll in Iowa on August 11, he's out of the race.

Technically, he doesn't have to leave the race as he has enough money to stay in and just spread the message. But he is out as far as being a contendor.

Forget county fairs in MN, forget handing out literature at events here. There will not be a campaign if we do not get Iowans to the Straw Poll on August 11.

Badger Paul
07-18-2007, 07:49 AM
I agree the straw poll should be our main focus and put our energy into calling Iowans. Once we get past that step then we can worry about fairs, like the big one in St.Paul at the end of August. It will be a lot easier to sell Ron Paul to people then after a good showing in Iowa.

JS4Pat
07-18-2007, 07:57 AM
Our group in Jacksonville is going to shift focus from local awareness to Iowa starting NOW.

Original_Intent
07-18-2007, 08:08 AM
I think a lot of people here do, but I just sent the following message to my Meetup Group (was I too harsh?):

Not harsh at all - just a wake up call.

Thatguyuknow
07-18-2007, 08:37 AM
that he'd be out of the "race" per se. Given it's significant and all, but from my knowledge, no delegates physically cast their vote until the caucus. Now, the New Hampshire primary conceivably will be held FIRST!! :D (let's hope so -- he's got strong support there) and if that much is true, even with a weak showing at the straw poll, a redemption effort in the NH poll will seriously affect the opinions of the delegates in the Iowa poll.

Slugg
07-18-2007, 08:44 AM
She's right....Iowa straw poll is the only place that a good showing will blow away the 'long-shot' status. Actually, even if he wins 2nd (EVEN 1ST)...he will not be completely rid of the 'long-shot status' (but we'll be very very close). If he does poorly, the 'long-shot' status will remain and it will be next to impossible to overcome.

I am overseas, I can't go to Iowa (or to my home town for that matter :( ) but I have convinced my mother to work the phones for Ron Paul. She has been doing phone banks for politics for almost 40years!! She's good. Very very good!! She has committed to making at least 50 calls a day. I will buy her a pecan pie when I go home :D .

Any word on "Operation Groundswell?"

LibertyEagle
07-18-2007, 09:33 AM
bump.

DeadheadForPaul
07-18-2007, 09:46 AM
I truly believe that if we do not finish in the top 3 that we will be done.

Adopt an Iowan is more important than donating to the campaign in my opinion. IF the campaign refuses to buy straw poll tickets, then we need to

dspectre
07-18-2007, 09:55 AM
I definitely think our guts should be spilled for Iowa(Ron should win first), but I'm not doom and gloom about the situation either.

It's one the best chances in the present for RP to get name recognition, but a few months from now it will be yesterday's news.

Noodles
07-18-2007, 09:57 AM
I will not base my future on what a relative handful of Iowans choose to do. I'll still be fighting like hell if we get less than 1%. If we're planning to fold our tents on the whim of a spoiled electorate in a spoiled state then please broadcast this so that everyone can stop working their asses off and sending money to the campaign. Iowa is either with us or not, but I'm not slowing down.

Harry96
07-18-2007, 10:00 AM
It'll be a huge boon to Paul to win, or even do well, and a huge setback for him not to, but I don't think it's accurate to say he's done if he doesn't do well.

Comparisons like this are never perfect because there are too many variables at play (especially McCain being an establishment candidate being promoted heavily by the media in 1999-2000, while Paul is the opposite), but McCain came in TENTH in the 1999 straw poll and got less than 1% of the vote, but went on to win the NH Primary, as well as others, and to give GWB a run for the nomination. None of the eight besides GWB who finished ahead of him even came close to getting the nomination.

Also notice from the link that Pat Robertson won the straw poll in 1987.

http://snipurl.com/1ogrc

stevedasbach
07-18-2007, 01:47 PM
I truly believe that if we do not finish in the top 3 that we will be done.

While I agree that the Ames Straw Poll is a great opportunity for Ron Paul to advance, it simply isn't the case that he'll be "done" if he doesn't finish in the top three.

To be seen as a top condender, Ron's national poll numbers have to increase, and he needs to raise a lot more money. Both of those will be easier to accomplish if he does well in the straw poll -- harder if he doesn't.

Traditional campaigns tend to collapse if a candidate doesn't do well in these early tests because his/her supporters decide he/she can't win, stop donating (e.g. McCain) and the campaign collapses. That isn't going to happen with Paul's campaign. His supporters will stand with him until the nomination is determined, which gives him a strength and resiliancy no other campaign can match.

Delaware
07-18-2007, 01:51 PM
How many people do we have in Iowa who area in Ron Paul meetup groups?

Scribbler de Stebbing
07-18-2007, 01:53 PM
Our contention has been that the polls are wrong because theyre calling landlines and only Republicans. Ames is where we prove them right or wrong. End of story.

If we're honestly planning to win the nomination, then we should be planning to win the Iowa Straw Poll. Far as I can tell, the campaign is doing little about it, unless you consider calling a halt to an up-and-running calling program doing something about it. Why isn't Ron Paul on a bus touring Iowa?

FreedomLover
07-18-2007, 01:53 PM
It's important, but we arn't doomed if we get 4th or 5th. In my opinion, atleast nationally, we have the advantage of lowered expectations. I think we have way more to win by doing well than we do to lose.

But, we should do everything possible to WIN. Romney may have the money, but we got the message.

LibertyEagle
07-18-2007, 01:56 PM
What I want to know is when in heck are the phone lists going to be sent out by Iowa HQ?!

Dave
07-18-2007, 01:58 PM
How many people do we have in Iowa who area in Ron Paul meetup groups?

458 as of this morning.

LibertyEagle
07-18-2007, 02:00 PM
Dave, do you know anything about the status of the phone lists?

maggiebott
07-18-2007, 02:04 PM
Headquarters sent me my list this afternoon. They must have a lot of people volunteering to call. I asked for 20 names and will hopefully run thru them pretty fast since I've done this before.

Have you all asked for a list? Can't think of a better way to get the straw vote.

LibertyEagle
07-18-2007, 02:05 PM
Yeah, I asked for 75. NOW, knowing how slow they are on the turnaround, I wish I had asked for 200.

Dave
07-18-2007, 02:08 PM
Dave, do you know anything about the status of the phone lists?

Only what I've read here on the forums. Sorry.

maggiebott
07-18-2007, 02:10 PM
I'll ask for at least 50 in a few days since it took them too long to get back to me from my first request also.

200? Is that for a meetup group or just one wee lass like me?

Original_Intent
07-18-2007, 02:20 PM
I will not base my future on what a relative handful of Iowans choose to do. I'll still be fighting like hell if we get less than 1%. If we're planning to fold our tents on the whim of a spoiled electorate in a spoiled state then please broadcast this so that everyone can stop working their asses off and sending money to the campaign. Iowa is either with us or not, but I'm not slowing down.

I really like this attitude. Definitely we should do everything we can to win Iowa, but I am in this for as long as RP is in it. Even a 10% showing in Iowa would be a huge wake up call that the 1% polling numbers are BS.

Winning or a strong second would obviously be a huge boon to all aspects of the campaign though.

UCFGavin
07-18-2007, 02:26 PM
i do not like to put all my eggs in one basket...especially one that romney has bought.

Scribbler de Stebbing
07-18-2007, 02:27 PM
What I want to see, before I fork over my remaining eligible $1,300, is the campaign making an effort on this, the Iowa Straw Poll. This is where a 2nd Tier campaign shows whether it can go the distance or not. Anyone who doesn't think so hasn't been around Republican Presidential politics very long.

Before Takeover, we WERE the campaign and I wasn't so worried about what HQ was doing. But now that they have insisted on owning the calling effort, they need to put everything they've got into it. RP also needs to trick out an RV and travel the state. ("Trick out." LOL. See what this pop-campaign is doing to me?)

Badger Paul
07-18-2007, 02:29 PM
The opportunities from finishing at least second if not first in the Iowa Straw Poll are enormous. Not that we'll close up shop if we finish third or fourth but the impact of a first of second place finish to the camapign will be huge.

The way I understand it, as soon as Congress goes into recess for the month of August, RP will begin to spend all of his time in Iowa. There's Operation Groundswell going on in the state as well. What we need to do is just keep hitting the phone lines for the next three and a half weeks reach as many Iowans as possible and then all head to Ames on Aug. 11.

Joe Knows
07-18-2007, 02:32 PM
Here is an article that predicts Ron will get second place in Ames. The press reports a winner based upon expectations. If more people think he will win second and he comes in third it will be viewed as a loss for his campaign. With everything happening in Iowa we all better work a little harder.

I personally think that if everyone coordinates, we can win Iowa, but I do not want that type of optimism to reported as an expectation.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Ron Paul Will Place Second at Ames
Posted by: Patrick Ruffini at 1:48 AM
You heard it here first.

He leads the second tier in cash-on-hand. He was able to get 1,200 people out to the Hy-Vee (has any candidate done something that big on their own, not at an RPI event?). His home base in Texas isn’t that far of a drive, and his people are motivated enough to come in from out of state for him. And he’s making a big push on his Web site, which for all intents and purposes, is his campaign.

Romney, given his dominant position organizationally in Iowa, should still win. Even with the rest of the top tier not participating, he won’t be able to let his guard down, lest he be ambushed by one of the second tier. Should Romney underperform against someone not even playing at Ames, or against someone not taken seriously, that’s a blow to his Iowa inevitability.


Does Paul placing a close second make the straw poll and its winner into a laughingstock? Do benched McCain or Giuliani supporters direct people to vote for Paul to ensure that outcome? Or does this portend something bigger? I see that Ron Paul is up to 3% in the Gallup poll, above Huckabee and Brownback. He won’t come close to winning, but can he aggregate whatever Bilderburger and Trilateral Commission-phobic votes there are in his corner, in the same way that Lyndon LaRouche could get 15% in a Democratic primary against Bill Clinton?

And what’s happened to Huckabee and Brownback? Conn Carroll and I got into a lengthy “What about Huckabee?” discussion on BloggingHeads.tv. Intellectually, the Huckabee campaign seemed to make sense in the context of the standard playbook of GOP campaigns. With no Country-Western candidates and no authentic pro-lifers in the race, and with his personal connection to the pastors, he has/had a chance to break out in Iowa. Where this theory breaks down is that the interest groups may not matter so much in GOP politics anymore. What matters is going to your base directly, which only Fred Thompson, Ron Paul, and maybe Mitt Romney are doing. Can Huckabee or Brownback be carried by the church lists, or is the drawn out calendar and the Internet helping Evangelicals to make their own independent assessments (which is why Rudy isn’t getting killed, BTW)?

Scribbler de Stebbing
07-18-2007, 02:34 PM
What we need to do is just keep hitting the phone lines for the next three and a half weeks reach as many Iowans as possible and then all head to Ames on Aug. 11.

I'd be thrilled to do that IF I KNEW WHO TO CALL.

DeadheadForPaul
07-18-2007, 02:36 PM
I'd be thrilled to do that IF I KNEW WHO TO CALL.

Are you waiting for the campaign to give you numbers or have you not signed up yet?

Joe Knows
07-18-2007, 02:39 PM
I haven't got my numbers yet either.

Dave
07-18-2007, 02:40 PM
RP also needs to trick out an RV and travel the state. ("Trick out." LOL. See what this pop-campaign is doing to me?)

I've personally seen these 2 sleds roving around Iowa. I don't know if the others have buses like this but I wouldn't be surprised. Maybe we could pick up the McCain one cheap!


http://blog.4president.org/2008/WindowsLiveWriter/PICT0021.jpg

http://www.4president.us/blog/photos/2008/mccain/straighttalkbus.jpg (http://www.4president.us/photos/mccain08iowa.htm)

Scribbler de Stebbing
07-18-2007, 02:42 PM
Are you waiting for the campaign to give you numbers or have you not signed up yet?

Signed up Sunday, the minute I got the word the padlock went on Spooner and HQ was taking over.

Scribbler de Stebbing
07-18-2007, 02:43 PM
I've personally seen these 2 sleds roving around Iowa. I don't know if the others have buses like this but I wouldn't be surprised. Maybe we could pick up the McCain one cheap!

Maybe he can rent GrannyWarrior's.

Joe Knows
07-18-2007, 02:44 PM
Maybe he can rent GrannyWarrior's.

Since Ron is a bicylce enthusiast, why doesn't he do a bike trip across Iowa and get everyone to ride along.:)

Nash
07-18-2007, 02:44 PM
Signed up Sunday, the minute I got the word the padlock went on Spooner and HQ was taking over.

Can somone explain why Spooner was shut down? I mean I can discern it's because they don't want people getting called twice but how was this communicated to the spooner people? I'm just curious what the conversation was and what the purpose of it was.

FreedomLover
07-18-2007, 02:47 PM
Since Ron is a bicylce enthusiast, why doesn't he do a bike trip across Iowa and get everyone to ride along.:)

Reminds me of that scene from Forrest Gump.

Also, since there is alot of miscommunication and conjecture going on about the iowa programs, why not just direct those in charge at national and in iowa to get an account on these forums?

maggiebott
07-18-2007, 02:52 PM
Heather Olson

Field Coordinator, Iowa

Ron Paul 2008 Presidential Campaign Committee

The above is who sent me the names and phone numbers. They also give you a script if you need it and some great tips on calling times.

Dave
07-18-2007, 02:53 PM
Since Ron is a bicylce enthusiast, why doesn't he do a bike trip across Iowa and get everyone to ride along.:)

We already have this! It's called RAGBRAI - a weeklong bike ride and party across Iowa starting this weekend. Lance Armstrong is riding this year, too. I hope some RP fans are riding with RP shirts. Waterloo is one of the overnight towns and I've heard they're planning to post a bunch of 4x8 signs along the route there. This is from my June 3 post:

The other really big event in Iowa this summer is RAGBRAI - the big bike ride/party across Iowa July 21 to 28. I've never ridden it but I've been to some of the parties. I really think this crowd would be into freedom. I'd say at least 15,000 people ride but it's a huge party in every town they ride through, especially the overnite towns. There were some posts in another thread a few weeks ago about trying to use this event to promote Dr. Paul. I think it's a great idea. Anyone planning to come to Iowa this summer to work for Dr. Paul should really look into this - it might be the time of your life. There's never enough room for everyone who wants to ride but tons of people just ride along anyway. Some background is here:

http://www.ragbrai.org/

Badger Paul
07-18-2007, 02:57 PM
Did HQ tell the Spooner people to completly shut down their operation and turn their call lists over to them? That's not the impression I got from reading Joe Seehausen's message. Why not keep doing what you were already doding unless HQ told them to turn over their lists?

mtmedlin
07-18-2007, 06:04 PM
Everybody, Please....take a deep breath. Now relax. What I am about to say is VERY important. Iowa is not a live or die situation. If we win, the media will say it was because McCain and Guiliani didn't show. If we come in second, it will be because McCain and Guiliani didn't show. If we come in third (please see above response).... Get the point. We are not in a simple election. We are in a war of ideals. The campaign doesn't need an explosion to be legitimate. It only needs steady growth. Is the main office spending huge money. NO, we don't need to. Look at all the camps that are blowing there money early. Its not really helping. We can fight to be the temporary number one and then Fred Thompson comes in and he will be the media darling for a few months. Consistent growth based on ideals and backed by a fierce and determined group of supporters will be the basis for Primary/Caucus wins. It only counts, when it counts. Straw polls don't win elections. We are spending at the grass roots level and creating a solid base. The next reporting period is MUCH more important then Ames. The Paul campaign will go to the end of the primaries because his message is just as important to him as a win. So save the money until "we can see the whites of their eyes". Ninety days before the primaries, we will have more cash on hand than many others. Most of the field will drop out. In Florida, I truly believe it will be a four to five person debate and RP message will win out. When the rest of the field is finally labeled as three shades of the same, there will be one voice to be heard and it is better to have the cash on hand to advertise this message at the right time then to win a straw poll that usually doesn't pick the winner.


(PS. McCain and Guiliani won't win. Historically no candidate that has skipped the Iowa straw poll has gone on to win the Presidency)

LibertyEagle
07-18-2007, 06:12 PM
I agree, but sometimes you have to spend a little money to make a LOT. I'm very glad RP is frugal, but we badly need to pull in more people who will then be willing to make donations.

mtmedlin
07-18-2007, 06:26 PM
{High angle shot with camera sweeping in overhead}
{setting: In a corn field with an overpaid actor who only does baseball movies}

(whispering voice) - "If you build a grassroots, they will come"

LibertyEagle
07-18-2007, 06:28 PM
That reminds me... Nolan Ryan at one time was a supporter of Ron Paul and helped out his Congressional campaign at one point. I wonder if anyone from HQ has contacted him. Of course he's not quite the hotshot now that he used to be.

LibertyEagle
07-18-2007, 06:29 PM
{High angle shot with camera sweeping in overhead}
{setting: In a corn field with an overpaid actor who only does baseball movies}

(whispering voice) - "If you build a grassroots, they will come"

Yeah, what's the name of the African-American gentleman who was in that movie? His voice would be great for an ad.

BillyBeer
07-18-2007, 06:35 PM
I GET that Ron Paul needs to avoid that state. As Ive said countless times, Iowa goes for the machine politicians, not the outsiders. Concentrate all resources on New Hampshire and WIN there. A Win for Paul is NH likely cripples Romney.

Derek
07-18-2007, 06:35 PM
James Earl Jones, I believe

LibertyEagle
07-18-2007, 06:37 PM
James Earl Jones, I believe

Yeah, that's him. I would love to have him do an ad. His voice is amazing. Good actor too.

BillyBeer
07-18-2007, 06:43 PM
If we're honestly planning to win the nomination, then we should be planning to win the Iowa Straw Poll. Far as I can tell, the campaign is doing little about it, unless you consider calling a halt to an up-and-running calling program doing something about it. Why isn't Ron Paul on a bus touring Iowa?

You DO NOT have to win Iowa to win a Presidential nomination.

McGovern did not win Iowa in 72.

Reagan did not win Iowa in 80.

Dukakis did not win Iowa in 88.

Clinton did not win Iowa in 92.

Candidates who got a lot of traction who didnt win in Iowa: Gary Hart in 84, Pat Buchanan in 96, McCain in 2000.

mtmedlin
07-18-2007, 07:10 PM
I see a trend of good hearted people needing RP campaign to explode and at times I think it is more for them then it is for his campaign. Its almost as if we as a collective group need reassurance that he will win. This whole campaign is far bigger then just RP. For the first time in a long time, I see real debate about issues I care about. I have Republicans, Democrats, a Green, Libertarians and Independents in my RP group. We are crossing lines and becoming Americans instead or our respective parties. The message will win and when it does RP will be the one carrying the banner. Iowa is a step, one of thousands that it will take to carry his message to the Presidency but if we get so caught up on taking this one step and dont look to the marathon ahead we will certainly trip and faulter. With two little girls of my own, this isnt an option. I invest my time, money and every second of spare thought to this campaign for them. We must follow the course and not let the flame we started to smolder because of lost faith for a single event that didnt meet the expectations we overinflated.

LibertyEagle
07-18-2007, 07:16 PM
I don't think that is what you are seeing. I think you are instead seeing a group of people who are frustrated because they are past ready to take action in Iowa, and were with Operation Spooner, but since this was shut down so Iowa HQ could supposedly take over, we've been sitting here twiddling our thumbs.

We may not win in Iowa, but IMHO, it's stupid to lose because of inaction, when there are a plethora of people ready and willing to do or donate to whatever needs to be done to either win it, or make a good showing.

It reminds me of the old saying.... Lead, follow, or GET OUT OF THE WAY.

Scribbler de Stebbing
07-18-2007, 07:20 PM
Ninety days before the primaries, we will have more cash on hand than many others.

Even cooler, he will have twice as much cash on hand when he loses the first primary, and three times as much cash on hand when he loses the second primary. By the time Giuliani has sewn up the nomination, Ron Paul will have more cash on hand than any candidate in history!!!

Joe Knows
07-18-2007, 07:22 PM
We already have this! It's called RAGBRAI - a weeklong bike ride and party across Iowa starting this weekend. Lance Armstrong is riding this year, too. I hope some RP fans are riding with RP shirts. Waterloo is one of the overnight towns and I've heard they're planning to post a bunch of 4x8 signs along the route there. This is from my June 3 post:

The other really big event in Iowa this summer is RAGBRAI - the big bike ride/party across Iowa July 21 to 28. I've never ridden it but I've been to some of the parties. I really think this crowd would be into freedom. I'd say at least 15,000 people ride but it's a huge party in every town they ride through, especially the overnite towns. There were some posts in another thread a few weeks ago about trying to use this event to promote Dr. Paul. I think it's a great idea. Anyone planning to come to Iowa this summer to work for Dr. Paul should really look into this - it might be the time of your life. There's never enough room for everyone who wants to ride but tons of people just ride along anyway. Some background is here:

http://www.ragbrai.org/

Wouldn't it be great if Dr. Paul would ride part of the distance. He would probably get a lot of publicity.

mtmedlin
07-18-2007, 07:31 PM
Even cooler, he will have twice as much cash on hand when he loses the first primary, and three times as much cash on hand when he loses the second primary. By the time Giuliani has sewn up the nomination, Ron Paul will have more cash on hand than any candidate in history!!!

The point was, that having more cash on hand to spend at an effective time. Right now, not many people are really paying attention to the race. College students haven't come back to campus, average Americans are not really geared up for the election. We can spend money now and we get mixed in with everybody else. McCain, Guiliani and Romney are ALL going down in the polls despite spending like freaks. We wait, build up and when people are paying more attention, closer to the primaries, we spend and are much more effective.

JS4Pat
07-18-2007, 07:32 PM
I have to say mtmedlin – those were two of the best posts I have read on this forum!

I see that you are a fellow Floridian – Where is your Meetup Group?


Everybody, Please....take a deep breath. Now relax. What I am about to say is VERY important. Iowa is not a live or die situation. If we win, the media will say it was because McCain and Guiliani didn't show. If we come in second, it will be because McCain and Guiliani didn't show. If we come in third (please see above response).... Get the point. We are not in a simple election. We are in a war of ideals. The campaign doesn't need an explosion to be legitimate. It only needs steady growth. Is the main office spending huge money. NO, we don't need to. Look at all the camps that are blowing there money early. Its not really helping. We can fight to be the temporary number one and then Fred Thompson comes in and he will be the media darling for a few months. Consistent growth based on ideals and backed by a fierce and determined group of supporters will be the basis for Primary/Caucus wins. It only counts, when it counts. Straw polls don't win elections. We are spending at the grass roots level and creating a solid base. The next reporting period is MUCH more important then Ames. The Paul campaign will go to the end of the primaries because his message is just as important to him as a win. So save the money until "we can see the whites of their eyes". Ninety days before the primaries, we will have more cash on hand than many others. Most of the field will drop out. In Florida, I truly believe it will be a four to five person debate and RP message will win out. When the rest of the field is finally labeled as three shades of the same, there will be one voice to be heard and it is better to have the cash on hand to advertise this message at the right time then to win a straw poll that usually doesn't pick the winner.


(PS. McCain and Guiliani won't win. Historically no candidate that has skipped the Iowa straw poll has gone on to win the Presidency)



I see a trend of good hearted people needing RP campaign to explode and at times I think it is more for them then it is for his campaign. Its almost as if we as a collective group need reassurance that he will win. This whole campaign is far bigger then just RP. For the first time in a long time, I see real debate about issues I care about. I have Republicans, Democrats, a Green, Libertarians and Independents in my RP group. We are crossing lines and becoming Americans instead or our respective parties. The message will win and when it does RP will be the one carrying the banner. Iowa is a step, one of thousands that it will take to carry his message to the Presidency but if we get so caught up on taking this one step and dont look to the marathon ahead we will certainly trip and faulter. With two little girls of my own, this isnt an option. I invest my time, money and every second of spare thought to this campaign for them. We must follow the course and not let the flame we started to smolder because of lost faith for a single event that didnt meet the expectations we overinflated.

Original_Intent
07-18-2007, 07:39 PM
I know Iowa is important, but I think we need to put a little more faith in Ron Paul than many of us are.

He has actually run a few campaigns, even a presidential one.

He may be not putting all of his eggs in the Iowa basket because he "knows" that without Giuliani and McCain, even a win there may be dismissed by the Old Media.

Too much second guessing as to what the campaign should or should not be doing. I am dead certain they had a legitimate reason for shutting down "Operation Spooner" - why else would they? I mean they would not put the kabosh on a grass roots activity like that without very good reasons.

I am also sure that the campaign is open to suggestions, and still want people to show initiative and just take off on their own doing a lot of the activites that we have been doing. But let's have faith that the good doctor and his team know what they are doing.

mtmedlin
07-18-2007, 07:47 PM
JS4Pat

I am with the lakeland RP meetup 42. We only have 46 people with some a little less active then others ;) but were getting bigger. In the coming weekends we are making some ridiculous 9' x 5' signs that nobody can overlook. Ill get some pics when done

JS4Pat
07-18-2007, 08:23 PM
JS4Pat

I am with the lakeland RP meetup 42. We only have 46 people with some a little less active then others ;) but were getting bigger. In the coming weekends we are making some ridiculous 9' x 5' signs that nobody can overlook. Ill get some pics when done

Great!

I am the Organizer for Jacksonville RP meetup 116. We just hit 80 people today. We have a group going to South Carolina on Saturday.

mtmedlin
07-18-2007, 08:32 PM
http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/9/5/1/event_1742385.jpeg

If this link works this is the sign were making. 5 feet tall and 9 feet wide. wel have probably 15 of them for rallies and the Orlando debate. At that size, a TV camera will have to work hard to miss it.

ThePieSwindler
07-18-2007, 08:52 PM
One question i have about iowa - will his position against subsidies for farms that run ethanol-extracting operations hurt him in iowa? Or will it actually help him among the average farmer because he is against the subsidies that will most likely end up in the hands of the large-scale commercial farmers?

mtmedlin
07-19-2007, 09:14 AM
There already is a bill being debated about limiting the subsidies to farmers with revenue over 1 million. This will probably go through and it wont be attributed to RP. I really dont think it will hurt him in Iowa