Trevor, Elijah Sorry guys, no more blimp funding. Its fun but not a winning tactic.

[Dave Wood]

Aerial assaults never win ground wars. We are in a major ground war and we have to use funds to meet the enemy head on.

The blimp has produced media coverage but not the kind we need to win. Blimp=gimmick in eyes of gop folks on the ground. Bring the blimp to a close or find your funding from other sources.

I would hope you would just ground it and start really working with the rest of us on the ground, we have been divided since you all took on this adventure.

Sorry man, I am responding to feedback from trusted people in FLA And SC....the blimp isnt winning votes. Please come back to earth and rejoin us so we can have a real shot at winning this thing.

PM me is you want specifics. We need you guys to come back to earth and help confront the people who think "he cant win".

[Thomas Paine]

Aerial assaults never win ground wars. We are in a major ground war and we have to use funds to meet the enemy head on.

The blimp has produced media coverage but not the kind we need to win. Blimp=gimmick in eyes of gop folks on the ground. Bring the blimp to a close or find your funding from other sources.

I would hope you would just ground it and start really working with the rest of us on the ground, we have been divided since you all took on this adventure.

Sorry man, I am responding to feedback from trusted people in FLA And SC....the blimp isnt winning votes. Please come back to earth and rejoin us so we can have a real shot at winning this thing.

PM me is you want specifics. We need you guys to come back to earth and help confront the people who think "he cant win".

QFT! The blimb is frankly a damn waste of money. I mean it was a great free media gimmick for one news cycle but funding the blimp beyond one week diverted money from the ground war.

[wfd40]

+1000

I appreciate and respect everything that Trevor and Co. have done up until now.. BUT WE NEED TO LEVERAGE THEIR ABILITY TO ORGANIZE AND FOCUS THE ROOTS $$ INTO TV ADDS THAT TAKE ON THE OTHER CONTENDERS HEAD ON.

your analogy of air-assault vs. ground war is spot on... We need to wage a SHOCK AND AWE PAC/INDEPENDENTLY FUNDED ad blitz. The blimp strategy simply does not make any sense.. the blimp can not call out the other candidates on their bullshit.. the blip can not preach the message of Paul.. the blimp can not spread through SOUND BYTES, Dr. Paul's message of peace, prosperity and liberty

[coffeewithchess]

QFT! The blimb is frankly a damn waste of money. I mean it was a great free media gimmick for one news cycle but funding the blimp beyond one week diverted money from the ground war.

I disagree, the BLIMP got LOCAL media coverage where ever it goes. The older people, 40-50 years or older, are more likely to watch the local news than young people. If the BLIMP was able to get RP's name out by the local press the way it did, it has and is doing the job.

[ItsTime]

only if people did not call me a troll.... 600k in tv ads would have been better... but noooooooo lets be special... well special does not win votes.

[literatim]

We need them to start a PAC and work on real advertising.

[fmontez]

Aerial assaults never win ground wars. We are in a major ground war and we have to use funds to meet the enemy head on.

The blimp has produced media coverage but not the kind we need to win. Blimp=gimmick in eyes of gop folks on the ground. Bring the blimp to a close or find your funding from other sources.

I would hope you would just ground it and start really working with the rest of us on the ground, we have been divided since you all took on this adventure.

Sorry man, I am responding to feedback from trusted people in FLA And SC....the blimp isnt winning votes. Please come back to earth and rejoin us so we can have a real shot at winning this thing.

PM me is you want specifics. We need you guys to come back to earth and help confront the people who think "he cant win".

Wow! No way, the blimp pays for itself in freeing ad time over and over. The blimp is awesome! My guess is RP will do very nicely on Monday.

[Cleaner44]

It did serve a useful purpose for its time. It is my opinion that we should move onto other tools now.

[bolidew]

I agree with OP.

[wfd40]

only if people did not call me a troll.... 600k in tv ads would have been better... but noooooooo lets be special... well special does not win votes.

600k in ads just about equals HQ's TV BUYS in NH!

Jesus.. "we have to come to our senses"

[mstrmac1]

it does seem like every since Trevor left for his blimp adventure things have been kinda stagnit... This started out as a Internet campaign and since we lost his organization we dont seem to be as together. Not saying we cant do it w/o him but he had the lead in the start...I dont know!

[aspiringconstitutionalist]

Agreed. "Bring them home."

[Thomas Paine]

I disagree, the BLIMP got LOCAL media coverage where ever it goes. The older people, 40-50 years or older, are more likely to watch the local news than young people. If the BLIMP was able to get RP's name out by the local press the way it did, it has and is doing the job.

I'm not going to argue with you about whether the blimp continues to garner local media coverage or not. However, it is a sad state of affairs when the blimp is garnering more local media coverage than the actual candidate himself. If the national campaign would make a more concerted effort, if they have been making any effort at all, to schedule Ron Paul to visit more local media stations on a regular basis, perhaps the voters might get to hear the Good Doctor's message instead of seeing some blimp that simply states "Ron Paul Revolution."

[firebirdnation]

I also agree with the OP.

[electronicmaji]

Sc proves it...Blimp was there for a week at least and we got 4% of the vote

if anything we lost votes because of it....

[mstrmac1]

Im not against the blimp... Im against trevor and elijah riding in the blimp... get on the ground and let someone else take it over...the mlk money bomb doesnt have the same feel as "tea Party"

[susano]

We need them to start a PAC and work on real advertising.

+ 1,000,000,000

[MayTheRonBeWithYou]

I gave money to the blimp, but in the last couple weeks I have changed my mind. It's not working, and what press it does generate is "oddball news" sort of stuff. This campaign is already seen as "quirky" or "quixotic" and all those negative adjectives people use to attempt to marginalize us and Dr Paul. The last thing we need is something making us look even more "unusual" or "kooky."

The fact is that Nevada proves TV ADS WORK. That half a million for the blimp could buy millions of views on primetime television in Feb 5th states where Huckleberry, McCain, and the Ghoul cannot even afford to buy radio, let alone TV.

[buffalokid777]

I disagree, the BLIMP got LOCAL media coverage where ever it goes. The older people, 40-50 years or older, are more likely to watch the local news than young people. If the BLIMP was able to get RP's name out by the local press the way it did, it has and is doing the job.

Sure the blimp got local coverage in SC but didn't help much despite being there for days. And the coverage said not a whole lot about Ron Paul's platform but rather his supporters got a blimp to get the name out.

It was a cool idea but just not cost effective based on results. The aircorps are a better value....you could have 900 Flight hours using planes for less than what the blimp costs for 1 month. That's 9 Hours of flight time in the 100 Largest cities in America. I gurantee that amount of airtime people would take notice. AND IT STILL COSTS LESS.

The blimp is a poor investment vs the aircorps. The media the blimp is getting is just not helping for the inflated cost vs the ron paul aircorps.

[coffeewithchess]

I'm not going to argue with you about whether the blimp continues to garner local media coverage or not. However, it is a sad state of affairs when the blimp is garnering more local media coverage than the actual candidate himself. If the national campaign would make a more concerted effort, if they have been making any effort at all, to schedule Ron Paul to visit more local media stations on a regular basis, perhaps the voters might get to hear the Good Doctor's message instead of seeing some blimp that simply states "Ron Paul Revolution."

Exactly what I have written before...when the local media and national media is talking about RP, almost every time is it about what his supporters have done not what the campaign has done or is doing. Now I know that some say the media is biased(which I don't argue), but when the campaign schedules interviews with shows and backs out of the interviews, that reflects poorly on the campaign and if I was the media like Neal Boortz or Glenn Beck, I would have been ticked about it as well.

[BeFranklin]

Sc proves it...Blimp was there for a week at least and we got 4% of the vote

if anything we lost votes because of it....

I think we lost votes because of it -- not a real candidate. And I saw a show where it was presented that way.

[susano]

I'm not going to argue with you about whether the blimp continues to garner local media coverage or not. However, it is a sad state of affairs when the blimp is garnering more local media coverage than the actual candidate himself. If the national campaign would make a more concerted effort, if they have been making any effort at all, to schedule Ron Paul to visit more local media stations on a regular basis, perhaps the voters might get to hear the Good Doctor's message instead of seeing some blimp that simply states "Ron Paul Revolution."

Grassroots can't win campaigns by themselves and cool things like blimps don't make up for media and personal appearances. Ron Paul needs to be going to places like factories and talking to hundreds of employees about the ecomony. We need TV and radio spots running like crazy.

[firebirdnation]

Kind funny how this thread is moved to the blimp forum, yet This thread stays in the grassroots forum. (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=95000)

[Dave Wood]

The main error with the blimp is: It doesnt grab anyone with a message. Whats in it for them, why should they google RP?

Why?

Bring it back to earth folks. Lets concentrate on the many ideas (ground based) we have that can actually contact people, real human beings that need things. Human beings that are trying to make it by themselves in "the land of the free"

[NeoRayden]

We need to stop depending on local news... any news for that matter. Drop the blimp and take the 85,000 some and invest that into ads and other ground based activism.

Big things are good for when you need to break out a message. However they loose ground like the blimp has when you continue it. Great job guys but you cant expect a pay check to come in forever.

It is time for the next big thing. If your town has an easter parade get in it. If thy have a winter fest and display ice carvings get someone to carve a giant ron paul head.

Stage No income tax rallys on April 15th outside irs buildings.

Heres an idea... Grab a few helicopters and fly a huge and I mean bigger than life itself Ron Paul inflatable all across the super tuesday states. Have ron dressed like uncle sam and on the jacket print the issues. No war, No Income Tax, and so on. Take Ron to every state so the public can meet him in person larger than life.

[Thomas Paine]

Grassroots can't win campaigns by themselves and cool things like blimps don't make up for media and personal appearances. Ron Paul needs to be going to places like factories and talking to hundreds of employees about the ecomony. We need TV and radio spots running like crazy.

I hate to admit it but I kind of get the sense that the other GOP candidates are appearing at more scheduled media events on a daily basis than Ron Paul. I know Ron Paul is one of the older candidates but he still seems vigorous enough to get up at 7:30 am every day to begin campaigning with scheduled radio interviews followed by media events at local colleges, high schools, nursing homes, rotary clubs, chamber of commerce luncheons and ending the day with interviews by local TV stations and night time radio interviews. I don't get the sense that the foregoing is being scheduled on a daily basis. (BTW, I have successfully run GOP congressional campaigns in the past so I am not pulling this discussion about campaign scheduling out of my ass.)

[mstrmac1]

The blimp isnt the problem... the problm is some of our best grassrooters are focusing on nothing but the blimp!

[Dave Wood]

The blimp isnt the problem... the problm is some of our best grassrooters are focusing on nothing but the blimp!

bingo!

[Dave Wood]

Trevor Elijah Pm me if you want info.......its not gaining votes friends. We need votes, not glory. PM me

[mstrmac1]

Also, why is this thread not still in grassroots... its to important of a subject not to be discussed by all! Considering the cirumstances...Most folks dont take the time to find this forum...

[mstrmac1]

I ask that management puts this back into "grass roots" so it can be discussed... Its important... no one comes here. If ONLY FOR A SHORT TIME! Please!

[Thomas Paine]

Also, why is this thread not still in grassroots... its to important of a subject not to be discussed by all! Considering the cirumstances...Most folks dont take the time to find this forum...

Because heaven forbid if some Ron Paul supporters actually express some dissent with regard to various campaign tactics.

[mstrmac1]

Get this thread back to grassroots to be debated... just for a short time.

[Dave Wood]

I dont know who moved this or why. It is a BLIMP deal after all so it should be in blimp cat. The money, however, is a different story.....that is grassroots. This thing needs to end now. If they want to keep flying around, thats fine, a complete separation is in order. The forums are too divided on funding

[Dave Wood]

Mods, please build a thread of your choosing, that deals with these issues, and place it where the $ comes from............grassroots. Thanx Pm me if needed. We arent winning with the blimp, unfortunately.

[mstrmac1]

Mods, please build a thread of your choosing, that deals with these issues, and place it where the $ comes from............grassroots. Thanx Pm me if needed. We arent winning with the blimp, unfortunately.

Sound civil to me.

[bonium]

Don't know where you are, but here, 600,000 might buy you two spots at a decent time. Maybe for a week. I'll ask my sister, she sells tv ad space!

Production alone starts around 25k!

[flames2dust77]

I agree 100%. I feel the money needs to be used for TV ads.

[MN Patriot]

I think the blimp was a valuable experiment in how to bypass the mainstream media blackout. Keep it going until Super Tuesday, fly around Florida and Georgia and Alabama, or wherever it is feasible. See how well Ron does in those states, try to make sense of the results.

Then, what about the mini-blimps? Having those tethered in metro areas around the country might be worthwhile, to get his name out there. Make people curious who don't pay attention to politics.

We are fighting against an enemy with a definite advantage of being able to ignore us, or smear us at will. Our limited resources require some experimentation in learning what works and what doesn't.

[RonPaulFanInGA]

Bring the blimp to a close or find your funding from other sources.


Speak for yourself.

[LukeNM]

Here come the so called Ron Paul supporters showing their true colors again -- just get out of here!

Dave Wood and Thomas Paine same person answering his own post again!

[Veritas1]

If the big blimp comes to an end and lots of mini blimps start to appear all over the place - make sure they say Ron Paul for President instead of Google Ron Paul.

Thanks!

[CrazyRonPaulSupporter]

I support the blimp 100%! But I think it's time to re-focus and switch our attention to a national scale that can truly give us victory. After the Nevada caucus I'm a true believer in that old fashioned ads in the old media really works. I'm giving everybody involved in the blimp project a BIG hand and a standing ovation! They created history.

But, once again, it's time to move on. We need more boots on the ground, and then, even MORE boots on the ground! And we need to direct all our money to a national level. That is how we are going to win this! And I agree with some of the other posts that the Blimp project kind of took over, so to speak, instead of focusing on the real prize!

.