Mistakes by the R3VOLution

First off, Treg: excellent thread. Every wise organization is willing and even eager to review their strengths and weaknesses, and improve upon their efforts.

So, you wanted feedback? Okay...get comfortable...here's some feedback.

Start off with a few quotes...

James Madison: "Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."

Thomas Jefferson: "Some preparation seems necessary to qualify the body of a nation for self-government."

TJ again: "The most effectual means of preventing [the perversion of power into tyranny are] to illuminate, as far as practicable, the minds of the people at large, and more especially to give them knowledge of those facts which history exhibits, that possessed thereby of the experience of other ages and countries, they may be enabled to know ambition under all its shapes, and prompt to exert their natural powers to defeat its purposes."

Dr. Benjamin Rush: "Freedom can exist only in the society of knowledge. Without learning, men are incapable of knowing their rights."

So where did we go wrong; or looked at more optimistically, how can we do better?

1a. I am Ron Paul. and/or I am the r3volution. Accept personal responsibility. Yes, work with others, combine efforts, harness the power of teamwork, BUT, as long as we have an attitude that assumes that it's someone else's responsibility to get it done, then our efforts as a whole are diminished. The ol' "chain is only as strong as its weakest link" concept.

1b. This means, even if there is "official," "headquartered" leadership, we, in our hearts, must nevertheless keep ourselves accountable. There will always be people to point at for slipping up (and be assured plenty of people may point at you for ways you may have slipped up) (and, if you're like me, you're pointing your own finger at yourself in recognition of how you've slipped up), but accusations of failure -- even legitimately warranted ones! -- do not shore up the damage. Think Triage: address the problem first, set it aright as best you can, and only then, once the need is handled, take the time to investigate and quibble and remedy for the future. It matters not one whit how the hole got in the dam while you're standing beneath its mighty pressure about to burst -- seal up that hole NOW, before all is lost, and bicker about it later...when you're still alive to discuss the issue.

2. Education. I'm sure I'm not alone in confessing that this past year and a half has been a whirlwind of education. Many comments abound here on DP of how much we've learned just during this campaign. It has been a steep learning curve.

To be better prepared for future efforts (runs for office, legislative action, etc.), we must first and foremost take it upon ourselves to become educated. That means instead of picking up a Danielle Steele paperback or watching the game on ESPN, we pick up the Constitution and actually read the whole darn thing, and watch solid, worthy documentaries to round out our reading.

As I've recommended before, I strongly urge folks to check out The Thomas Jefferson Education Consortium, the Face to Face with Greatness seminars presented by George Wythe College (available as live seminars or on DVDs), and these books, for starters:

A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-first Century

A Thomas Jefferson Education in Our Home

A Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion

As you take upon yourself the mantle of self-education, you may be surprised at what piques your interest. I am the last person on Earth who I'd have expected to get into studying history. Yet, for the first time, I not only enjoy it, but I am constantly seeing the connections, and therefore the value, of taking the time to look back at ancient Greece and the Colonial Era and more. It all relates to us today, and arms us with knowledge to do battle (figuratively and literally).

3. It's not about the Big Offices. Naturally, getting RP into the Oval Office would be a dream come true, but it won't help a whole lot if he's got 500+ anti-r3volutionary minds in Congress vetoing him left and right (so to speak!). This grassroots mentality has already proven to be far more successful than RP even dreamed; applying that mentality to the local levels is precisely how we grow our organization from the bottom up. We didn't have a whole lot of time to do this during this election season; we were all focused on supporting the good doctor and spreading the word in general. Now we know: WE are the front lines. That means it's up to us to (gulp!) actually get involved ourselves in local politics and elections. It's intimidating enough to go door-to-door to pass out little cards with pre-printed info on 'em about somebody else; now, we get to step up to the next level of putting ourselves on the doorsteps with our own information on little cards to pass out. As I've said before, I don't want to do this! I admit it. And it's crystal clear that if I don't; if I leave a potential space open for a neo-con/liberal to seize, then I may as well go out and vote the neo-con/liberal ticket right now, because my failure to act is essentially an endorsement for the opposition.

4. Remember Kahn. Ghengis left us precious words of wisdom. These pearls are worthless if we ignore them. It is essential to turning our country around that we view the "sheeple" not as those terrible, dumb idiots, but as those who sadly have not been fortunate enough to have anyone care enough to come help wake them up. Yes, it's frustrating. Infuriating. Makes you want to bang your head against a brick wall at times, or wish you could smack 'em upside the head to make them see. But consider these people as you might consider a toddler. They do dumb, stupid things. They don't know any better. Even if you tell little Timmy a hundred times not to pull the cat's tail because the cat will scratch you, little Timmy may nod and smile and go right on over and pull the cat's tail. Do you smack little Timmy upside the head with a two-by-four? (Tell me you don't, please.) No; with love and a merciful abundance of patience, you correct -- again -- and explain and show the way. One day, little Timmy discovers that it's not such a good thing to pull the cat's tail. Little Timmy may even say to you, "Hey, why didn't you ever tell me that?" Just smile and heave a sigh of relief that little Timmy has finally come around. And instruct him how to teach others the same things you taught him.

Which brings us to...

5. Replication. In any movement when people are trying to bring new folks on board, it's often much easier to "win" people over than it is to keep them on board. People get distracted; they are accustomed to certain habits and slide back to familiar ways; you know what I mean; every person who has tried to evangelize a religion knows what I'm talking about; every salesman knows this, too.

It is critical that we not only win people, and keep them on board, but also train them up in winning new people to the movement. Replication is key; multiplicity is the result.

6. Paced tenacity. Whoo, boy, here's a case of the pot preaching to the kettle. If it's one thing I've learned, it's that dramatic upheavals in either direction do not serve the stability of the movement. It's very easy to become over-ecstatic; just as easy to plunge into the depths of despair. When unchecked, this whirlwind of a roller-coaster ride sucks the energy right out of you, which means you don't think as clearly, you don't lead as well, and you don't accomplish as effectively that which you are devoted to. So, (said while looking in a mirror), take the immediate ups and downs with deep breaths. Remember from time to time to look at a scale; say, the Dow Jones or any such chart. Notice in the short-term how jagged it looks. Scary! Now, step back and look at the same chart, but within a grander timeframe. Huh. Those particular jags seem far more manageable now. And we can then more objectively see the overall trends of where we're heading. So assume far-sightedness, stand back, look at the big picture, and remember to breathe.

Um...I hope that's enough for now. Hello?.... :D

1. start earlier (ok, we can't help what happened with that)
2. start at the local level; start at the family level
3. make more reasoned and better arguments; respect other's points of view
4. recognize the limitations of the internet (great for raising money; for getting votes, not so much---pursue person to person interaction
5. generate educational literature so parents can teach their children about topics like the constitution.

If we don't do it, who will?

If we don't do it, we will never learn.

Top ten mistakes where:

1)
2)
3)
4)
5) Blimp???

Anyone?

In Peace & Liberty,

Treg

Paul couldn't have won the election. Most people do not agree with the idea of limited government. Getting them to agree is the task at hand.

We need to accept all member's ideas. Whether or not we agree, everybody is entitled to an opinion. Diversity doesn't weaken us, it makes us a force to be reckoned with.

Acceptance of idea's does not mean we agree, but only that we acknowledge a differing opinion.

For example, Ron Paul said we should have a march on Washington, and Granny Warriors set up a march, and most members did not accept that invitation and instead derided the Granny March.

Well, let me tell you something, I was there, and quite frankly, I was dissapointed at the turnout. And at the time every one said that, "no, we should wait for Ron Paul", and then Ron Paul said July 12th, and now I don't see any "buzz" about the D.C. march.

Are we going to D.C. or not?

Should everyone have gone to the Granny March?

I can't answer these questions, only time will tell.

But I will tell you this, If you see someone here on this site, that is a diehard supporter of Ron Paul, and they have a plan to help Dr. Paul, then listen to them people. Time is always of the essence. Procrastination is the enemy of the Revolution.

But, this is only my opinion.

the will be any 2012 elections. Our liberties are being destroyed at too fast a pace. I'm been hearing this, "we'll do better next time" nonsense, since Barry Goldwater chose not to challenge Richard Nixon for the 1960 Presidential nomination. When Goldwater did run, in 1964, the RINOs creamed him. The closest we ever came was 1980, and Reagen hopelessly compromised himself by taking George Bush on the ticket.
If you're looking for something to do between now and the election, besides promoting Ron Paul and our positions, then do a little "RINO hunting."
Target RINOs for defeat. It's easy, it's fun, and the party actually eventually gets the message. My target is Saxby Chambliss.

Pick one, there's plenty to go around. Make your goal driving their poll numbers down at least ten percentage points.
You'll get the GOP's attention. Trust me...

not worth a bump but I had to say something. I'm still in this because there's actually more to this than the 08 campaign. This is about long-term changes. Stay in, stay informed, don't let your guard down.

I don't believe there will be a President Obama. The next President will be McCain. Obama's wife is a catastrophe for him. He won't be President unless Barr can steal heaps of votes.

Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes. We just have to learn from them.
grant

One mistake the R3VOLUTION is making is reading and bumping any of Treg's posts! This is just negative defeatist bullshit with a twist of Obama at the end. "There WILL be a revolutionary candidate come 2012 to challenge President Obama." WTF!!! How do you know Obama will win? Who says there will even be an election?(PSD-51) Will it be too late for freedom in 2012? The only mistake the R3volution can make is to give up THIS election. We will fail if the MASSES aren't woken up NOW!!! Stop bitching about the past and crying over spilt milk. LOOK AHEAD and stop bumping Barack Treg Hussein Obama's posts!

He is rumored to have been fired three weeks ago. He and Jesse Benton should have been run out of town after the NH primaries.
The guy in charge of the advertising should have been tarred and feathered.(not really) well maybe.
This campaign would have been nothing without grassroots efforts and support. They should have harnessed the power and talent of the grassroots.

------------------
"My role in the revolution is to wake up the lemmings of this country, who sit back and accept the pablum the media feeds them"
Jesse Ventura
Ventura/Paul 2008
http://www.gopetition.com...

over the next 4 years is election fraud reform. The people at Blackbox.org did alot in NH - but really opened our eyes to how widespread and deeply entrenched the corrupt counting procedure really is. I would say if there is still an electronic machine in operation by 2012 we will have made a greivous mistake in underestimating the corruption. Electronic votes+ padded biased MSM polls = publicly accepted stolen elections. Im still convinced that the same people who stole the election for Bush will steal it for McCain this year to further the same exact policies they needed Bush in there for. Even though Hillary is throwing her support behind Obama all the MSM has to do is say that the HRC people are bitter and flocking to McCain and pad the polls accordingly- just enough to make it close enough to make programmed machines close the deal. People wont like it-and some wont buy it- but the same sleepy majority wont care or refuse to beleive the polls were fake all along because they saw a few YouTube videos of prejudice white folk threatening to vote McCain. This year theyd rather beleive that race was the factor- not corruption. The machines should have been eliminated after 2000.

I think the biggest mistake made by many members of the R3VOLUTION was assuming that the R3VOLUTION was about winning this election. That was never Ron Paul's intention, which is obvious by how elated he is with the results achieved by his campaign, beyond his wildest dreams, as compared to the despair commonly expressed within the R3VOLUTION, including starting threads like this.

"Know what you know, know what you don't know, and understand and appreciate the distinction."

Advocating for minarchical libertarianism since 1984...

Everything in the campaign coffers should have been poured into these early efforts, along with an extensive speaking schedule by Dr. Paul, to go for some early recognition. We didn't do it, and we didn't get it. We've been in the rear view mirror ever since.

For upcoming convention states, there are times to focus on different activities. The week before and the morning of convention, focus on the rules and getting our people to show up.
Sign waving the morning of the convention, in my opinion, is a waste of time. OK, a few folks can do that if that is what they want to be doing, but make sure you have the rules, RROO and your people covered. This is what counts at the conventions, so don't get distracted doing more of the same sign waving.