Building Momentum

The purpose of a political campaign is to win. To do that, you have to constantly build momentum and reach top speed on Election Day. The Ron Paul 2008 campaign is now shifting to a higher gear. The next stop: Iowa straw poll this Saturday.

There's a Pro-Ron-Paul meme going around, to the effect that 2008 is the new 1964; i.e. that on the premise—debatable in itself, of course—that the GOP has no chance of winning the presidency next year, conservatives should run a Goldwater-style insurgency to remind the party we're here & set up some influence for 2012. Bruce Bartlett floated the meme here.

Director of communications for the Ron Paul Campaign, Jesse Benton, stated today that the Iowa GOP would charge the Paul camp $184,000 if they wanted to verify a paper count of the coming Iowa straw poll. Today, on the Dale Williams radio show, Mr. Benton said there will be a manual electronic count of the Iowa poll results. What Mr. Benton did not explain, as exposed in a previous National Expositor Article, “it is commonly known that this manual count” with Diebold machines “would only consist of spot checks of the voting machines for device calibration purposes.

Last week, the National Expositor revealed the Paul camp had more than 20,000 registered volunteers. Today, on the Dale Williams Radio show, Jesse Benton, director of communications for Dr. Paul’s Campaign stated there are now more than 30,000 registered volunteers. In less than one week the Paul Campaign has added and additional 10,000 volunteers. This extraordinary ground swell of support has never been seen in a U.S. Presidential election. No other presidential candidate even comes close to that number of volunteers.

In circulation in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and Sioux City since Tuesday.

UPDATE: Enough money has been pledged for a full-page advertisement! If you've made a pledge to donate then please send your payment to PayPal: ronpaul4america@yahoo.com. If you haven't pledged you are still more than welcome to contribute to the cause!

Visit the Ron Paul Forums thread for more information.

Check his blog for Iowa updates. Below is the email he sent me before departure:

Originally published at Bull! Not bull
by Michael Nystrom, MBA
August 7, 2007

Today, all eyes were on the Federal Reserve: How it would respond to the recent turmoil in global financial markets? Would it lower rates, and if so, would it do any good?

By the time you read this, the Fed's decision - made in secret - will have already been announced. Hundreds of news articles and blogs will argue over its wording and meaning. Was it dovish or hawkish? Discussed ad nauseam will be: what the policy statement does or does not clarify, what it leaves room for in the future, what it means for the economy, housing, jobs, and the prospects for recession or recovery.

What will not be discussed is the powerful role played by central banks themselves.

Central Banks = Centralized Economic Planning
If you thought that centralized economic planning disappeared with the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, think again. Eight times each year, a group of twelve men meet to make secret decisions that have a profound impact on the US and global economies. None of these men are elected. Their meetings are closed to the public. Even members of the US Congress and the Senate Banking and Finance Committees are barred from attending, or even knowing what is discussed. No detailed account of arguments or discussions is ever made public. Listen to Congressman Ron Paul on the secrecy of the Fed:

From the official campaign:

Dr. Paul's batteries were well charged from Sunday night's enthusiastic rally in Fairfield, giving him a much needed boost for a busy day. Traveling with his wife Carol and a team of four staffers, Dr. Paul was on the road at 7:00 am to Iowa City for an editorial board interview with the Iowa Press-Citizen. Dr. Paul then headed to Cedar Rapids for an interview with the Gazette, several local radio interviews, and lunch with supporters.

Michael G. Franklin writes: I wrote this poem the day after Thanksgiving in Groton, CT while visiting my son and his wife. Please use it with my blessing.

The Building Blocks of Freedom
by Michael G. Franklin

To the land of our forefathers we came to see
What they used to build the Home of the Free.
New London, New Haven, New York and the rest
Gave us a hint of what they did best
To give us a home
Where all can come.

From the Lady in the Harbor to Bunker Hill
We found tributes to their Iron Will.
And we found their materials were not stone and wood
But more permanent ones for the common good.
Liberty, Justice and God-given rights
Were the things on which they set their sights.

“Just come home.”

That was the response of Dr. Ron Paul when he was asked at Sunday’s presidential debate in Iowa as to what his strategy would be for ending the war in Iraq. Simple, to the point and correct. Just like Dr. Paul’s strategies on so many more of the important issues of the day.