Lazy Freddy
Submitted by militant on Sun, 09/23/2007 - 00:57Fred Thompson said something interesting today:
Thompson, in a brief roundable with Michigan reporters, said he isn’t worried about his late start.
“I don’t know why I have to worry about catching up when most of the polls have me already ahead,” he said.
That's exactly the sort of thinking that'll cost him this election. Polls mean nothing - you and I know that by now. What matters is, to borrow a term from the early Iraq War debate, 'boots on the ground.' Having a solid, energized, sincere base of supporters and activists nationwide. But it's more than just that. It really comes down to those individuals coming together into a cohesive and productive organization. State by state, county by county, precinct by precinct. Freddy's intent seems to be to just coast along and grab the GOP nomination out of the air, and I'd wager that by Thanksgiving, his poll numbers having dropped by 10 points or more, he'll be scrambling to build a real campaign. Or more likely, he'll decide it's too hard, too complicated, too expensive, just too much work. Lazy Freddy... poor guy.
Now to my point: We have three months, people. Three months. That's it. Three months to turn our mobs of rabid freedom lovers into a disciplined campaign with a real plan of action. Now, I'm not suggesting a centralized, top-down campaign like the other guys will run. Those are indeed expensive, because after all, they're bought and paid for, unlike our spontaneous and passionate volunteerism. Meetup.com has become a hub of activity alongside other sites such as DP and RPF, and that is well and good, but these do not a national campaign make. What will win this for us is the good will and the participation of the average 'middle America' Joe or Jane. To earn that, we have much work to do. Three months to get the supply lines in place, the troops recruited, trained, and armed, and our battle plans laid and war-gamed. And those in the early voting states have even less time. The final weeks before any vote are when the voters are won.
There's a question in the point above, also. How strongly do you want to be free? Strong enough to put an extra few hours here and there into the campaign, above what you're already doing? Strong enough to overcome fears, squelch anxieties, and approach complete strangers and try to earn their vote? Do you believe in our message firmly enough to dig just a little deeper into your pocket, give up a luxury, buy the cheaper version, drop your change in a jar every evening, and really give the Good Doctor the tools and resources he needs?
I am learning a lot about nitty gritty campaigning even in just the first two weeks as a regional coordinator. It's a frightening amount of work. I have eight counties, and I estimate about 130,000-150,000 voters to appeal to. Those of you taking up the task in more populated areas are in even deeper. But there's no reason on this good earth we can't pull this off. We have the greatest message and the most worthwhile candidate any national election has seen in living memory. All we need are the right attitude, the right work ethic, and the right approach. I urge all who truly want liberty within their lifetimes to GET MOVING. To that end, I have a few small suggestions, and would love to hear more from all of you.
Fundraising:
Organizing:
A lot of this seems like common sense, but it can be a lot more effective when it's consciously, consistently applied. I hope to see our spirit matched by our hard work. The free market shows us that the best product, filling the biggest need, at the best price point, all from the perspective of the consumer, will win the dollars of those consumers. It's time our Republic also shows us that the best message, providing the most freedom and hope, at ANY cost at all, wins the votes of the people. We've got a lot of work to do to earn those. This is no time to be a Lazy Freddy.
Counter strategies
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In addition to putting Ron Paul forward, it is important to be able to counter the opposition with facts.
Each of the other republican candidates supports prolonging the war; this means more dead Americans and more money borrowed from Communist China. (Important to say Communist). The Chinese Communists are paying for our war. Do they like that?
With the exception of Mike Huckabee, all of the other candidates are members of the Council on Foreign Relations. What this means is that we are, through its efforts, losing our sovereignty though alliances such as the UN, GATT, NAFDA, the WTO and the likely North American Union with Canada and Mexico. If your audience still doesn't get it, you might point out that our borders remain open, Mexican trucks are rolling into the heartland and the dollar is hitting record lows. The alliance between the FED and the CFR is a long and crooked on.
Last, Giuliani, Thompson, and Romney have very shady pasts. Giuliani and Thompson are the worst; Romney's flip-flopping on abortion and gay rights are sore points. I encourage you to do a little research, so that when someone says they are for Rudy Giuliani, you can lay out a list of mis-deeds. (Reading Ed Koch's book, Nasty Man, about Giuliani, is an eye-opener).
So, while it is essential to put forward Ron Paul's agenda and clean, honest record, it is also important to mention the liabilities of the others. Don't be caught without a counter argument.
Counter Strategies
Just ended a full weekend of Ron Paul campaigning. When we would encounter people who really liked Ron Paul but were unsure about the war, we would ask them the following.
"We already won the war, do you think its worth sacrificing 2500-5000 more dead American soldiers to see if the Iraqi government can come together. Everytime we can an emphatic "NO"
Most people don't want to experiment with our soldiers lives.
Where to go..
Go where the crowds, are:
Fairs
Festivals
Old Home Days
Parades
Rest Homes
Busy Parking Lots
Football Games
Health Fairs
Fireworks
Veteran's Homes
Ice Cream Stands
NASCAR Races
Busy Restaurants
College Campuses
GOP events
Airports
Shopping Malls
Car Washes
Gas Stations
Send a letter to GUN SHOPS, homeschooling groups, pro-life groups, anti-tax groups, inviting them to look up Dr Paul
Write letters to the editor -- even to NH papers or Iowa papers
Absolutely
All of those are fine places to win votes. Then there's the random encounters. Just today I walked down my brother's street and saw a man working in his driveway. I politely asked him if he was a voter, and he replied that he was, so I offered him some literature and offered to check back in a week or two. His response? 'I heard on Fox News that he's the most conservative guy running. I'm old, I don't have the energy for campaigning, but I do have money. See you next week.' That was a major win for me, it felt great.
None of that activity should consume so much time/energy that a person doesn't plan longterm, looking beyond the next big event or the next free afternoon to sign-wave, though.
One thing my roommate has started doing is putting RP literature in those business reply by mail envelopes, with the intention of getting the attention of the low-paid workers opening them, and possibly the management. If someone can verify that there are no legal issues involved, I have a nice letter I wrote for doing this sort of thing, thanking them for offering their services, and asking them to take a look at a candidate who believes in the free market and the right make money, both being essential to the interests of business owners and honest workers.