The Ron Paul campaign is surveying supporters on what should happen next (see forwarded message below for details). Please take this opportunity to let them know that if Ron Paul does not win the GOP nomination and declines to pursue an independent run for president, you urge him and his organizations to support the Libertarian ticket of Gary Johnson and Jim Gray for president:
https://yaliberty.wufoo.com/forms/the-revolution-continues/
If Ron Paul does not continue his campaign through November, the Johnson campaign will clearly be the most pro-freedom nationally organized bid for the White House and will deserve the freedom movement's undivided support. Toward this end it will be crucial to help Gary poll 15% nationwide so that he can meet the establishment's artificial hurdle of polling 15% in order to be included in the presidential debates with the establishment party nominees.
To achieve that goal, we will need the help of Ron Paul's supporters, and to get that support it will be invaluable if Dr. Paul himself and the people around him get on board. Please take a minute and encourage them to do so by filling out this short, 1-page survey:
https://yaliberty.wufoo.com/forms/the-revolution-continues/
I've copied my own responses to the three open-ended questions from the survey below, and you are welcome to echo in your own responses anything I've said that you agree with.
Love & Liberty,
((( starchild )))
At-Large Representative, Libertarian Party of California Executive Committee
At-Large Representative, Libertarian National Committee
(415) 625-FREE
From: Edward King <edwardk@...>
Date: June 7, 2012 3:39:55 PM PDT
To: <Realreform@...>
Subject: The REVOLUTION continues...
Reply-To: Edward King <edwardk@...>Starchild,
"This is not about one campaign. It's about a REVOLUTION of ideas." -- Ron Paul
Right now, this statement could not be more true.
Ron Paul's campaign was a giant leap forward for our cause of liberty. But it is only the beginning.
So, as the campaign focuses on the remaining primary states, it's time to prepare for the next phase of our REVOLUTION.
This is where I need your input.
Our movement is ready to move forward, but I want to get your feedback before I go any further.
Can you please give me two minutes of your time and complete this members survey about the next step for the Ron Paul movement?
This is your only opportunity to tell us about yourself and share your feedback before we move forward. But, please do it now, because we need to move quickly.
The deadline to submit your survey is this Monday at midnight. So if you can take two minutes right now, please complete it here:
https://yaliberty.wufoo.com/forms/the-revolution-continues/
For liberty,
Edward King
National Youth Director
Ron Paul 2012P.S. Over the next couple weeks, I will begin to lay out our plans, introduce you to some important people, and share a few opportunities with you to continue the REVOLUTION. But right now, your input is critical. Please complete your member survey to share your feedback with me.
What kind of events, activism projects, and programs would you most like to see in 2012?
I'd like to see the Ron Paul campaign, Campaign for Liberty, and Young Americans for Liberty become more democratically run (i.e. grassroots activists have more of a voice in setting policy, direction, etc.). Less like a traditional non-profit run from the top down by a small number of people, and more like a bottom-up movement. My disappointment with the leadership of C4L in particular not appearing to recognize and act on the lessons of the 2008 campaign by seeking to empower and organize local members/activists to fight for liberty at the grassroots level is a reason I haven't given more money this cycle.
I want the opportunity of giving money for *specific* projects, and to be told *exactly how it will be spent*. I want to know how much people at the campaign and these other groups are being paid. There should be more openness and transparency. We need to know that our money is being spent wisely.
I do not want to receive mass-audience direct mail or emails that are written in a traditional fundraising manner. I would take everyone who thinks they know how to write fundraising letters and politely show them the door! Then bring in people who value honesty, transparency, and candor. Not condescension or dumbing-down.
I'd like to see a big rally in Tampa alongside the GOP convention in August, as was done in Minneapolis last time around. Its flavor should be defiant, not "get along with the GOP establishment and don't make waves"!
Other than Ron Paul, what candidates do you support?
Gary Johnson for president, if Ron Paul does not get the GOP nomination and does not run as an independent. Any candidate who stands up strongly for freedom (both civil liberties and economic freedom) on the basis of the Non-Aggression Principle (see e.g. http://www.isil.org/resources/introduction.swf ).
From what I hear by the way, Jesse Benton is doing a poor job as Ron's campaign manager and should be replaced. We need someone more willing to work with the Libertarian Party and its candidates, and who is more committed to a grassroots guerilla campaign approach and will NOT seriously entertain the possibility of Ron Paul supporting Mitt Romney.
John Dennis in San Francisco is a great candidate, and Anthony Gregory of C4L is a terrific writer and speaker. I trust both of them to do the right thing.
But the Ron Paul organizations as a whole are very opaque to people at the grassroots level. I flew to Iowa to volunteer for a week prior to the caucuses in January, and found the official campaign there badly disorganized and of little help. I could not get basic information from them that would allow me to determine for myself how I could most usefully help. Too much top-down/control-oriented mindset and not enough focus on valuing and seeking to inspire and mobilize grassroots support.
NOTE - Thank you for conducting this survey and listening to the grassroots. Please release the raw data results (minus names and contact info) to Ron Paul supporters. Don't be secretive/controlling!
Please leave any additional comments or feedback here.
Barring success at the Tampa convention, I urge Ron Paul to mount an independent run for the White House. If he does not, I hope he will do everything he can to get his supporters to back the Johnson/Gray ticket, which would then clearly be the most pro-freedom choice in November.
"Border security" not only isn't an issue for me, I oppose it! It is fundamentally at odds with libertarian principles and a violation of the rights of peaceful people to cross borders. Governments have NO RIGHT TO DISCRIMINATE ON THE BASIS OF NATIONALITY. And border security can easily be used to keep people *in* as well as out! Already American drivers are being stopped and unconstitutionally searched at "internal checkpoints" as far as 60 miles from the border. It's just one more tool for ramping up the police state.
I urge Ron Paul and other leaders take a more explicitly pro-freedom stance on social issues and not just say they're state issues.
Please DO NOT have uninformed people who are not campaign supporters but just paid mercenaries call people to ask for money or to listen to pre-recorded speeches from Ron Paul and others! People who are committed to the movement should be making the calls and communicating the message in their own words.
P.S. - I'm an elected representative on the Libertarian National Committee and 5-time candidate for public office. Anyone wishing to discuss any of the above with me is encouraged to call -- (415) 625-FREE.