Comments on: What Ron Paul supporters SHOULDN’T apologize for

By: Rojas

Rojas — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 04:23:32 +0000

I hear you, PaulB.

You couldn’t be more right about our obligation to the campaign. It’s the obligation of every Ron Paul supporter to represent the campaign in a way that builds its support–independent of our own agendas.

And you are as right as rain, in that our campaign has to offer substance alongside the style. At every stage, we must speak to our audience-not in terms of our own preferred agenda, but in terms of those issues which speak to the voters.

And, as you say, Ron Paul makes that easy, in that he’s with the American people from the start–on Iraq, on the Constitution, on the role of government in or lives generally.

By: PaulB

PaulB — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 04:08:13 +0000

You make some good points. However, I believe one can get carried away with enthusiasm and lose sight of the ultimate goal.

The ultimate goal is to convince primary voters to support Ron Paul. Often, what passes for enthusiasm looks intimidating to those who are not committed to a candidate yet. Intimidating, or undisciplined, or thoughless, you name it. It will come across in various ways to various people.

Put yourself in the other person’s shoes…

Enthusiasm is great for motivating already-committed campaign workers, so we should keep it up. But let’s keep in mind how we look to others, while we are doing it. Even just adding a smile on our face when we are chanting has to help. And let’s remember enthusiasm cannot be the main course we serve to uncommitted voters; they need more substance than that. Fortunately Ron Paul gives us a lot to work with in that respect.

By: Rojas

Rojas — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 14:11:57 +0000

A final note: anyone who has linked to this article in order to read an appreciation of the Paul movement will want to read this as well.

By: Rojas

Rojas — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 18:43:32 +0000

I still think Laura Ingraham’s comments were meant more or less affectionately. She’s not on our side, but it’s important to her that the party faithful develop SOME form of enthusiasm prior to 2008, and I think it kind of tickled her to see that energy displayed by us, of all people.

In other words: she’s not on board, but at least she understands.

By: sb

sb — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 10:49:08 +0000

Conventional behavior is behaving within a circumscribed set of behaviors deemed “acceptable” by “leaders” of the entrenched interests. Of course, behaving conventionally, as expected or as is “acceptable” changes nothing and pretty much guarantees the continuation of the status quo. The “obnoxious” smear is an attempt to marginalize Pauls supporters as inappropriate, just a step away from marginalizing them as unhinged, as Laura Ingraham did. The marginalizing takes advantage of people’s innate needs for acceptance, it is a behavioral technique used to manage people. It is an attempt to “herd” the population away from paying attention to Ron Paul. This is simply the Delphi technique (Google it if you’re unfamiliar) on a larger scale. There are techniques to defuse it.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 04:13:35 +0000

great article. I’m from Minneapolis and went down Thursday morning to Iowa and stayed till Sunday. great vacation! they can call us obnoxious if they wish, but it’s not our campaign that bussed retarded people (and I’m not kidding..) in from the sticks, leaving them for half hour on the bus not permitting them to get off until a paid staffer comes up to lead them with a tall “follow me” sign from the parking lot directly to the voting booths before they could even see anything else at the event. the people on one bus were waiting so long the bus driver asked _me_ (wearing a revolution tshirt) to escort the people from the lot to the event!

and the other candidates’ staff were deathly afraid that their sheeple would read RP’s testimonial I was passing out in the parking lot. there were even a couple instances where the staffers took the brochures away from the voters I just gave them to.

anyway, the day was a unique experience for me. never would have dreamed I’d scream ‘Freedom!’/'Ron Paul!’ at the top of my lungs for over an hour straight.

By: jonahtrainer

jonahtrainer — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 03:32:01 +0000

That is a great article! The Establishment has drained the passion for politics through their vampiric oppression via the Federal Reserve/Income Tax and its consequences. But the freedom message is a needed transfusion and will invigorate people. With the Internet providing the largest marketplace of ideas the freedom message will get out.

Then the fire for liberty that runs deep in the bones of the American People will burst into a raging inferno. Think of the united patriotism after 9/11 directed towards the MSM and Federal Reserve.

Watch out Establishment here comes a century worth of blowback! Give me Liberty or give me death!

By: freeyourmind

freeyourmind — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 03:02:32 +0000

Wow. That was one of the most inspiring pieces I’ve ever read… And I agree with every word of it. Thank you for putting so gracefully into words the feeling so many of us share! Rock on.

By: Darren

Darren — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 02:16:48 +0000

Outstanding commentary! I’ll be linking to this entry from my own blog.