I can't shake what I saw earlier this week, but it won't stop me

[ATXRevolutionary]

I was on my way to attend my first Republican party meeting, ready to take my first step into the political process. As I walked into the room several of the establishment Republicans saw me and their faces immediately changed - to a look of complete hatred, complete disgust. I never once identified myself as a Ron Paul supporter, but they assumed so, simply because I'm younger and they had never seen me before.

It was a look of, "WHO THE HELL INVITED YOU TO OUR SOCIAL CLUB!?"

Bring it on.

[Muttley]

Keep fighting dude...we'll beat them at their own game!

[kathy88]

I've been on the receiving end of that look as well. Chills you to the bone, doesn't it?

[georgiaboy]

+Rep

[CaptUSA]

I'm not very young, and I don't look like a "Paul supporter" (whatever it means to look like a Paul supporter), but I've gotten that look as well.

In my case, it comes after I identify myself and say that I think Ron Paul is the best candidate. They immediately look at me as though I am an infiltrator.

Weird, isn't it, that the most conservative candidate gets you looks of derision from the establishment?

[Rocco]

I don't know exactly why my experience is different (maybe because in my county republicans can use everyone they can get) but I was actually welcomed in with open arms despite my Paul affiliation. From reading stories like this I expected the worst but I was even appointed to my county committee!

[sailingaway]

I'm not very young, and I don't look like a "Paul supporter" (whatever it means to look like a Paul supporter), but I've gotten that look as well.

In my case, it comes after I identify myself and say that I think Ron Paul is the best candidate. They immediately look at me as though I am an infiltrator.

Weird, isn't it, that the most conservative candidate gets you looks of derision from the establishment?

Uh, no, that would be standard operating procedure...

The 'establishment' wants to use the government as a funnel to put our money into their friends' pockets. They have never been 'conservative'.

[justatrey]

+rep

Who the hell invited those big government liberals into our small government, conservative party anyway?

[tbone717]

ATXRevolutionary

What was your appearance like? Valid or not people make judgments based upon appearances. If you were wearing a wife beater, low slung jeans and had tats up and down your arms you would get a different response than if you were wearing a button down oxford and khakis.

[SWATH]

Dress for success. I've notice that the Ron Paul supporters have a "look". That look is most notably being under dressed as is they seem to show up wearing hoodies and very casual clothing. They'll slouch, be unshaven, have wild dyed hair, etc. and generally look a little too hip. I don't blame them though why should you dress up to respect the people who are destroying your party and country. However if you want to infiltrate you have to blend in and be perceived as one of them.

Case in point:
At my convention the Ron Paul supporters were easily identifiable. They were younger and as I described above. They tended to all hover around in the corners of the room (a sign of intimidation) and kind of talk amongst themselves and generally act like they were dejected for having to be there.
Myself and another Ron Paul supporter decided to dress as sharp as we could, nice suits, shoes, ties, the whole nine yards. We also tended to hover together in the corner at first. After a few minutes party people started coming up to us asking if we were attorneys. One HUGE party guy who is also the judge executive of our county came up and jokingly asked if we were FBI or CIA agents. He talked about how it was great to see young people getting involved in the party, bla bla bla, and talked about how we need to get behind Romney so we can defeat Obama. We just kind of agreed about how bad Obama is yada yada. He talked to us for an hour and a half about all sorts of stuff and introduced us to a few other party guys and basically pulled us in to their fold. All the while there was the other group of Ron Paul supporters huddled in the corner with their ripped jeans, hoodies, and sketchers getting the cold shoulder. We would have never been approached if dressed like the other group. When Tyler Durden wants to pee in the soup, he dresses like a bus boy.

[MRoCkEd]

I have noticed that local GOP officials are very excited that I am a young person who cares about politics and they encourage me to get involved.

[PaulConventionWV]

Dress for success. I've notice that the Ron Paul supporters have a "look". That look is most notably being under dressed as is they seem to show up wearing hoodies and very casual clothing. They'll slouch, be unshaven, have wild dyed hair, etc. and generally look a little too hip. I don't blame them though why should you dress up to respect the people who are destroying your party and country. However if you want to infiltrate you have to blend in and be perceived as one of them.

Case in point:
At my convention the Ron Paul supporters were easily identifiable. They were younger and as I described above. They tended to all hover around in the corners of the room (a sign of intimidation) and kind of talk amongst themselves and generally act like they were dejected for having to be there.
Myself and another Ron Paul supporter decided to dress as sharp as we could, nice suits, shoes, ties, the whole nine yards. We also tended to hover together in the corner at first. After a few minutes party people started coming up to us asking if we were attorneys. One HUGE party guy who is also the judge executive of our county came up and jokingly asked if we were FBI or CIA agents. He talked about how it was great to see young people getting involved in the party, bla bla bla, and talked about how we need to get behind Romney so we can defeat Obama. We just kind of agreed about how bad Obama is yada yada. He talked to us for an hour and a half about all sorts of stuff and introduced us to a few other party guys and basically pulled us in to their fold. All the while there was the other group of Ron Paul supporters huddled in the corner with their ripped jeans, hoodies, and sketchers getting the cold shoulder. We would have never been approached if dressed like the other group. When Tyler Durden wants to pee in the soup, he dresses like a bus boy.

I haven't noticed this stereotype of Ron Paul supporters that you portray...

[sailingaway]

I've notice that the Ron Paul supporters have a "look". That look is most notably being under dressed as is they seem to show up wearing hoodies and very casual clothing. They'll slouch, be unshaven, have wild dyed hair, etc. and generally look a little too hip.

I think that is a major overgeneralization:

[SWATH]

I haven't noticed this stereotype of Ron Paul supporters that you portray...

I'm glad because it doesn't work. One Ron Paul supporter showed up with bright purple and pink dyed hair and wearing a wild frickin' tie-dyed shirt and sweat pants and her car was covered in hand painted Ron Paul stuff and bumper stickers. We noticed she got a lot of negative attention from the party people. I believe she is totally passionate about Ron Paul and not a plant to make his supporters appear insane although it wasn't immediately obvious.

[No Free Beer]

Dress for success. I've notice that the Ron Paul supporters have a "look". That look is most notably being under dressed as is they seem to show up wearing hoodies and very casual clothing. They'll slouch, be unshaven, have wild dyed hair, etc. and generally look a little too hip. I don't blame them though why should you dress up to respect the people who are destroying your party and country. However if you want to infiltrate you have to blend in and be perceived as one of them.

Case in point:
At my convention the Ron Paul supporters were easily identifiable. They were younger and as I described above. They tended to all hover around in the corners of the room (a sign of intimidation) and kind of talk amongst themselves and generally act like they were dejected for having to be there.
Myself and another Ron Paul supporter decided to dress as sharp as we could, nice suits, shoes, ties, the whole nine yards. We also tended to hover together in the corner at first. After a few minutes party people started coming up to us asking if we were attorneys. One HUGE party guy who is also the judge executive of our county came up and jokingly asked if we were FBI or CIA agents. He talked about how it was great to see young people getting involved in the party, bla bla bla, and talked about how we need to get behind Romney so we can defeat Obama. We just kind of agreed about how bad Obama is yada yada. He talked to us for an hour and a half about all sorts of stuff and introduced us to a few other party guys and basically pulled us in to their fold. All the while there was the other group of Ron Paul supporters huddled in the corner with their ripped jeans, hoodies, and sketchers getting the cold shoulder. We would have never been approached if dressed like the other group. When Tyler Durden wants to pee in the soup, he dresses like a bus boy.

At signwaves, yes. But at actual official GOP events, no.

[SWATH]

I think that is a major overgeneralization:

I'm not saying in general, I'm saying what I witnessed at the several conventions I've been to.

[sailingaway]

I'm glad because it doesn't work. One Ron Paul supporter showed up with bright purple and pink dyed hair and wearing a wild frickin' tie-dyed shirt and sweat pants and her car was covered in hand painted Ron Paul stuff and bumper stickers. We noticed she got a lot of negative attention from the party people. I believe she is totally passionate about Ron Paul and not a plant to make his supporters appear insane although it wasn't immediately obvious.

The media will always find the odd Ron Paul supporter. But look at pictures of caucusers for every other candidate. There is always SOMEONE you can make fun of in EVERY group. I don't support the media 'weird Ron Paul supporter' meme.

[ronpaulhawaii]

+ rep to the OP. Kill 'em with kindness. What I've done in situations like that is to state that my main priority is to unseat Obama, and that I fully believe Paul is the best suited to do that. If they want to argue about something I suggest that perhaps we should get to know each other a bit more before tackling disagreements and for now lets talk about what we agree on...

We just need to crowd out the "Rockefeller" Republicans like they did to the "Goldwater" Republicans. (Big Government Neo-cons vs Small Government Conservatives).

And yes, attire/grooming is very important to most of these type crowds. A rule of thumb for "speaking" slots is to dress one step up from the audience, that can be adapted for simply attending events as well...

[aclove]

I'm not very young, and I don't look like a "Paul supporter" (whatever it means to look like a Paul supporter), but I've gotten that look as well.

In my case, it comes after I identify myself and say that I think Ron Paul is the best candidate. They immediately look at me as though I am an infiltrator.

Weird, isn't it, that the most conservative candidate gets you looks of derision from the establishment?

It has nothing to do with who is conservative and who is not. It's about who's on the take, and who is not. Look at it from this perspective: a regular person with a camera walks into a room full of criminals plotting their next heist. Think they'll be happy to see the new guy? Of course not. That's what's happening here, and that's why we have to expect this reaction.

When dealing with a gang of crooks, if you're not part of the gang, you're a problem. Period. End of discussion.

[vechorik]

The Tea Party was split to heck in support of various candidates. The GOP is at least smart enough to avoid that situation.
My state bylaws prevent any GOP member from speaking for/or against a candidate until after the primary.
I can discuss FACTS without even mentioning RP's name.

Sometimes we think we're mind-readers, but we're not.
Just volunteer to help the GOP, attend all meetings and you'll be part of the "in crowd" before you even realize it.

[69360]

Eh, whatever. I'm 39, not a kid, lifelong republican. I don't give a crap what anyone wears.

If you have 50 RP people in hoodies and jeans and 20 establishment types in suits at your local GOP convention, you win.

[ATXRevolutionary]

ATXRevolutionary

What was your appearance like? Valid or not people make judgments based upon appearances. If you were wearing a wife beater, low slung jeans and had tats up and down your arms you would get a different response than if you were wearing a button down oxford and khakis.

It was certainly nothing like that. I went straight from my work as a video game designer to the meeting so I was wearing my normal work clothes - my company jacket (which I think most would find is pretty darn snazy), blue jeans, and closed-toe shoes. Yes, it wasn't a button down and khakis but I don't think I looked unkempt, overly hip, or unprofessional either. I'm a nice person and I think what I wore reflected that.

[Highstreet]

Dress for success. I've notice that the Ron Paul supporters have a "look". That look is most notably being under dressed as is they seem to show up wearing hoodies and very casual clothing. They'll slouch, be unshaven, have wild dyed hair, etc. and generally look a little too hip. I don't blame them though why should you dress up to respect the people who are destroying your party and country. However if you want to infiltrate you have to blend in and be perceived as one of them.

Case in point:
At my convention the Ron Paul supporters were easily identifiable. They were younger and as I described above. They tended to all hover around in the corners of the room (a sign of intimidation) and kind of talk amongst themselves and generally act like they were dejected for having to be there.
Myself and another Ron Paul supporter decided to dress as sharp as we could, nice suits, shoes, ties, the whole nine yards. We also tended to hover together in the corner at first. After a few minutes party people started coming up to us asking if we were attorneys. One HUGE party guy who is also the judge executive of our county came up and jokingly asked if we were FBI or CIA agents. He talked about how it was great to see young people getting involved in the party, bla bla bla, and talked about how we need to get behind Romney so we can defeat Obama. We just kind of agreed about how bad Obama is yada yada. He talked to us for an hour and a half about all sorts of stuff and introduced us to a few other party guys and basically pulled us in to their fold. All the while there was the other group of Ron Paul supporters huddled in the corner with their ripped jeans, hoodies, and sketchers getting the cold shoulder. We would have never been approached if dressed like the other group. When Tyler Durden wants to pee in the soup, he dresses like a bus boy.

Nice!

[LopTarDaBoo]

I'm not saying this is you, but I have seen some Paul supporters try to integrate themselves less than elegantly.

What I might imagine from the other side:

"I can't shake what I saw earlier this week, but it won't stop me"

"I was at my Republican party meeting (been going ten years and loving it), ready to get down to business. As we were chatting amongst ourselves a disheveled person walked into the room with a complete look of hatred and disgust on their face. He hadn't introduced himself to us, and though he had apparently walked in of his own volition, he acted as though it were some form of punishment to work with us.

His expression was one of, 'I'M HERE TO GET MINE, THEN I'M GONE!'"

Make sure when going to these events that some effort is made to build friendships and "win the hearts and minds".

[TruckinMike]

+rep

Who the hell invited those big government liberals into our small government, conservative party anyway?

I'm making a T-shirt with that on it and wearing it to my precinct meeting

TMike

WHO THE HELL
INVITED those BIG government LIBERALS
into our small government,
conservative party anyway?

RON PAUL 2012

[CJPrinter]

I think that is a major overgeneralization:

Ditto! I challenge ANYONE to point out the Ron Paul supporters in this pic:

[jeremiahj13]

Screw those establishment guys

[sailingaway]

Ditto! I challenge ANYONE to point out the Ron Paul supporters in this pic:

the red triangle?

[Tiso0770]

Interesting, I'm curious what would happen if someone came in the room wearing a mitt romney T-shirt with colored hair...would he get the same cold shoulder treatment?.

[CJPrinter]

the red triangle?

WOW that was quick! LOL!!! Apparently my link was bad. Fixed now.