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The State of the Campaign
Many of us who have been working for the Ron Paul campaign these last few months have been simultaneously encouraged and discouraged by the effects of our efforts. Of course, the first priority was to get Dr. Paul elected. That is, to a 99 degree certainty, not going to happen. Does that mean then that we have failed? I would posit that quite the opposite is true.
Setting aside the fact that we have taken a little known congressman and made him a national figure and that we have assured ourselves a voice in the National Republican Convention, I have seen an infusion of his ideas into the national narrative.
I was in California recently for the last Republican debate. The night before, Dr. Paul's security director and myself stopped in at a local watering hole for a drink. As we sat at one end of the bar enjoying our libations, I heard snippets of conversation coming from three men seated nearby. The topic was the declining dollar and the need for a competitive money market. I was curious and a little surprised so I saddled up next to them and introduced myself. It turns out that they were all in the mortgage industry and had been taking a bath as a result of the economic downturn. None of them were Paul supporters per se, but they all recognized and had been studying the root causes of the recession that they had already been feeling for many months. Never in my wildest libertarian dreams would I have imagined such a scenario.
This is but one small example of what I have experienced all around the country as I have traveled with the campaign. Another important metric that I have used to measure our success is the anecdotal evidence of "Ron Paul Republicans" becoming engaged and, in some cases, taking over local GOP organizations, infusing them with ideas, activists and enthusiasm in a way that has not been seen in many, many years.
While our electoral success has not materialized in the way that many of us had hoped, there is no reason to despair. There is STILL hope for America and I hope that all of you will continue to be a part of it.
Setting aside the fact that we have taken a little known congressman and made him a national figure and that we have assured ourselves a voice in the National Republican Convention, I have seen an infusion of his ideas into the national narrative.
I was in California recently for the last Republican debate. The night before, Dr. Paul's security director and myself stopped in at a local watering hole for a drink. As we sat at one end of the bar enjoying our libations, I heard snippets of conversation coming from three men seated nearby. The topic was the declining dollar and the need for a competitive money market. I was curious and a little surprised so I saddled up next to them and introduced myself. It turns out that they were all in the mortgage industry and had been taking a bath as a result of the economic downturn. None of them were Paul supporters per se, but they all recognized and had been studying the root causes of the recession that they had already been feeling for many months. Never in my wildest libertarian dreams would I have imagined such a scenario.
This is but one small example of what I have experienced all around the country as I have traveled with the campaign. Another important metric that I have used to measure our success is the anecdotal evidence of "Ron Paul Republicans" becoming engaged and, in some cases, taking over local GOP organizations, infusing them with ideas, activists and enthusiasm in a way that has not been seen in many, many years.
While our electoral success has not materialized in the way that many of us had hoped, there is no reason to despair. There is STILL hope for America and I hope that all of you will continue to be a part of it.
posted by Free2Smooze | 7:43 AM
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