The Long Road to a Brokered Convention

... in Florida and South Carolina... January 31 and January 21 respectively.

Seems the GOP can't follow its own rules.

Here's the catch...Romney is going to lose big in Iowa, and if he loses in New Hampshire his campaign is over.

Who do you think independents in New Hampshire are going to vote for?

Sorry, but if Mitt can't win up north, he's never going to win a single southern state. Romney did not win a single southern state primary/caucus election in 2008.

Romney will bow out of the race if he does not win in New Hampshire.

...I hope we know WHY Ron Paul has not "completely ruled out" a 3rd Party/Independent run!!!

Can he take all his moneybomb money with him if the writing on the wall says the GOP party bosses will NOT let the delegates vote for him???

I think I know where this is headed; we have been debating this for 3 years; how many believe restoration of the Republican Party under the principles of Ron Paul's domestic and foreign policy is possible? I do not...Mark Kirk, the guy who schooled Bernake about debt-free money under Andrew Jackson just endorsed Romney yesterday!!!

The GOP at large does not want to cut ONE TRILLION dollars from the Federal Budget, nor STOP the undeclared wars...

Yes, we will see what happens in each state; but depending how far it goes, I hope the GOP unmasks themselves to the public at large as the equal-half of a two-party communist ologarchy that they are as they display their unreasonable dismissal of Dr. Paul's fiscal conservatism and Christian ideals as relates to just war theory, liberty, and peace on Earth!

I am ready for anything!

I think the focus needs to be on Iowa and New Hampshire right now and I would highly recommend people donate what they can to the New Hampshire Super Brochures. This entire cycle we have seen 3 or 4 Presidential Candidates rise in the polls and come back down for no apparent reason. It's not because of a rockstar debate performance or some powerful ad that shakes the nation - it's largely people being swayed by the media. A very good number of people simply vote for who the media tells them to generally correlating with who they perceive has the best chance to win.

All indications are that Ron Paul is going to win Iowa and we see the media trying to tear his success down. When Iowa comes and goes and Ron Paul wins it isn't going to be a surprise that the media will try to discourage his momentum and brainwash people about his chances. A week will pass and New Hampshire comes along, and if Ron Paul doesn't do well (first or extremely close second) the media will justify their remarks that Ron Paul was a fluke and I think our chances of winning overall become very low because now the media is going to focus on the winner of New Hampshire and 'the people' who only vote for 'winners' will go with who they're told.

However, if Ron Paul wins Iowa and then wins New Hampshire which no one in the media is expecting there would be two weeks before the next state votes where the media would either be forced to talk about him or try to ignore him and start to really expose their agenda to the people who generally rely on them to pick a candidate. I think if Ron Paul wins in Iowa and New Hampshire it will send a powerful message to people who are not 100% about who to pick to look into what Ron Paul is about and the momentum of people who choose the 'frontrunner' will mostly follow him by default and the momentum will be powerful.

The bottomline to me is: If Ron Paul gets first in both states, we have a really good chance since there will be a few weeks for those wins to absorb before the next votes take place which will give him strong momentum. But if he wins Iowa and doesn't win New Hampshire or come extremely close then all the momentum of people who coast with the projected winner will go away from Ron Paul. The latter may not be a problem if we had someone like Ross Perot backing us financially where we could handout Super Brochures to everyone and reach every state in the country, but with negative momentum against us and no real solid campaigning in the other states after New Hampshire we are basically hopeless fighting against the mainstream media machine.

I wish it weren't the case, but the mainstream media does still have a lot of push and we saw it last election. That's why I would strongly encourage everyone to focus all of their donations towards the New Hampshire Super Brochure. I'm willing to hear alternative views, but momentum is the name of the game from what I've observed and the reality is: Ron Paul isn't going to get any favors from the mainstream media because he is going up against a system worth billions of dollars in lobbyists and special interests.

If Ron Paul is President he is going to tear a lot of the corrupt structure in Washington down so they are going to fight like crazy to make sure he gets no media or political establishment favors. If you don't want to pay towards the Super Brochure then do something that benefits New Hampshire specifically. Maybe you can make phone calls or go door to door, but I think that has to be the focus. Becoming a delegate and all that is great, but I really believe we need to keep pushing until we are winning in New Hampshire.

become a delegate in New York State ?

Ron Paul supporters need to become delegates now. It is vitally important we remember the lessons learned from the past. The GOP hates most of us, that is very important to remember. When supporters go to the local GOP meetings to become delegates remember to be polite, don't wear any Ron Paul t-shirts, sweaters, hats, pins, nothing. If someone asks you can always say you are not 100% decided on who you want but you are taking a close look at all of them. Depending on how hostile the organizers are towards Paul, you might even declare you are looking at Romney, Perry, or whomever. We need delegates and the GOP will be fighting tooth and nail now not to allow Ron Paul supporters into the delegate process. Please use your head when going to meetings, be tactful, optimistic, and become one of them. It will be a smoother ride than it was last time, we just need to out-fox these entrenched criminals, beat them at their own game. Cheers!!

With such a confusing nomination process, we'll look to follow the lead advice of people in the know of the process. With such a long road, and with the GOP probably planning to change things along the way to trip up Ron Paul, we'll have to stay focused on one fight at a time. Already, with some confidence in Iowa, we need to hit hard in N.H., and gear up for Fl and SC. I'm thinking Ron Paul will build steam and network over the course of the process, causing much problem for Mitt and GOP. Just like a football game, one first down at a time will win the game. Having said all that, you really have to admire Ron Paul for undertaking such a monumental task!