Converting people to Ron Paul 101
Copied from here, just thought it was very important for everyone to see it.
Images do not work so here are the links:
Image 1, of the booth
Image 2, of the materials
Image 3, of the packet
Several of our Meetup members spent a week at the GOP booth during the North Carolina State Fair introducing folks to the message of liberty and a Constitutional federal government. Speaking with over 1,000 people over 6 1/2 days was indeed trial by fire, but after the first couple of days we developed a rhythm hitting the same themes that resonated with attendees.
We engaged folks with our “Liberty Packs”, pictured below. They contained a Pocket Constitution/Declaration of Independence (with an excellent introduction, from the Cato Institute), Slim Jim, four pages of issues-based handouts including Rep. Paul’s Statement of Faith, and a Ron Paul DVD.
Our Meetup members did a fantastic job blanketing the area with Ron Paul yard signs and banners in the weeks leading up to the State Fair, so many people were wondering about Ron Paul before they even showed up at the booth. It was our pleasure to answer their questions!
The conversation summaries below are organized as Question, Answer, and Response. We provide the question, the other person provides the answer, and we provide the response.
The Generic Pickup Line:
Q: Have you heard of Congressman Ron Paul, Republican running for president? (Show the Liberty Pack, with or without the Constitution — not everyone received a Constitution, so we generally led with the pushcard)
Path 1: Unfamiliar but willing to learn more
A: No, but I’ve seen the signs!
R: He’s a ten-term Congressman who just wants to restore the Constitution and the rule of law, which we’ve been missing for the past hundred years or so (Show Constitution/Declaration of Independence).
A: Tell me about it!
R: I’m just a grassroots guy out raising awareness — and this is the first time in my life I’ve ever volunteered for a candidate. Would you like to learn more about Representative Paul?
At this point, the person is willing to take a Liberty Pack. Depending on how willing they are to engage in a deeper conversation, I’d then ask about the Constitution:
Q: Does your family have a copy of the Constitution?
A: No…
R: I’m ashamed it took me until this summer to read it as a thinking adult, but now consider it the second most important book in my family’s life after the Bible. Would you like a copy?
A: Yes…
R: Please take and read this. It’s a gift, and every American family should have one. Do you know why I’ve come to support Ron Paul so strongly?
A: Why?
R: Because he’s been in Congress for 20 years trying to return us to the Constitution — it’s only now that people are waking up to how far we’ve come from our founding documents. Our Founding Fathers (and Mothers!) would be pretty upset if they knew we were sending 40% of our income to the government every year, and THEN our government was borrowing an ADDITIONAL $1-3 BILLION per DAY just to keep the lights on!
For folks who want to continue the discussion, they would typically respond with concerns about big government, out of control spending, inflation, and our declining currency.
Path 2: Familiar but not a supporter
A: Yes, he’s crazy.
R: (Pull out pocket Constitution) Do you like the Constitution?
A: What?
R: Our Constitution — right here. Do you like it?
A: What do you mean?
R: Do you think our federal government should follow the Constitution?
A: Yes!
R: Well, that’s all Ron Paul wants to do: return to the Constitution and the rule of law. How is that a crazy idea?
At this point, we delve into the specific reasons behind the person’s not supporting Rep. Paul. See “Responding to the Issues”, below. Depending on the tenor of the conversation and person’s willingness to discuss, it can be a short conversation where they take a Liberty Pack and express a willingness to learn more… or a longer debate focused on specific issues. There were only a (very) few folks who said they did NOT “like” the Constitution, nor care if our government followed it. One can only assume they wanted to avoid discussion at all costs.
Path 3: Familiar but skeptical
A: Yes, but he doesn’t have a chance.
R: Have you seen any volunteers spreading the word about other candidates? (For most of the fair, we were the only people there representing a presidential candidate. Some Romney folks showed up occasionally later in the fair, but they would typically only work a brief shift.)
A: No…
R: Ron Paul has over 60,000 volunteers like me getting the word out across the country, he raised over $5 million in the third quarter, and he has the third most cash on hand of all the Republican candidates. Do you support his candidacy?
A: I like him, but he’s not electable.
R: What do you mean?
A: I mean, he can’t beat Hillary.
R: Look, we have over 250 people in our local Meetup, and it’s split between Democrats, Republicans, independents, and Libertarians. All Ron Paul wants to do is follow the Constitution — he’s bringing people together because the Constitution is a unifying document. It’s what makes us Americans, it doesn’t divide us.
A: Yeah, but he’ll never win the primary.
R: What is the typical turnout in a Republican primary?
A: I don’t know… pretty low.
R: Yes, around 20-25%. Do you vote in primaries?
A: No…
R: Well, I’ve never voted in a party primary either. But this year, knowing what’s at stake, you can bet I’ll be there. And every Ron Paul supporter who knows what’s at stake feels the same way. So why don’t you think he can win?
A: He’s nowhere in the polls.
R: Have you been called by any of these polls?
A: No…
R: Me neither. Mainstream polls are only polling “likely voters in the Republican primary”. That automatically excludes me, since I’ve not voted in primaries, and all of my Democrat friends who have changed their party affiliation to Republican just to vote for Ron Paul. Would you like to vote for someone who’s not the lesser of two evils?
A: Yes…
R: Then would you like to learn more and support his campaign?
At this point, the person is generally willing to take a Liberty Pack, and perhaps a Constitution, and hopefully will learn more about Rep. Paul.
The Tailored Pickup Line
The best part about the GOP booth was its location — directly across from North Carolina Right to Life, and two booths down from a World Peace booth. When someone stepped away from the Right to Life booth, or approached with a Right to Life sticker on, I’d simply ask:
Q: Are you familiar with the strongest pro-life candidate for president?
A: No, who?
R: Texas Congressman Ron Paul. He’s a 10-term Republican Congressman who is actually an obstetrician by training and has a fantastic record protecting the Constitution and the right to life. Would you like to learn more about him?
A: Yes, please!
Likewise, when someone walked by (or frequently tried to avoid) the GOP booth wearing a world peace sticker, I’d ask:
Q: Are you familiar with the strongest pro-peace presidential candidate?
A: No (suspiciously)…
R: Republican Congressman Ron Paul — he’s the only major candidate calling for an immediate and orderly withdrawal from Iraq, and understands that our counterproductive foreign policy is bankrupting our country and hurting our security.
A: A Republican? Who?
R: Yes, Ron Paul is a ten-term Republican congressman who just wants to restore the Constitution and rule of law, which we’ve been missing for the past hundred years or so. Would you like to learn more about him?
That’s typically enough to get someone concerned about the war or pro-life issues to take some information, and I’d also try the Constitution tack if time permitted.
Responding to the Issues: Foreign Policy
A: I disagree with him on foreign policy.
R: How so?
A: He’s an isolationist.
R: No, he’s a non-interventionist — he’s thinks, as our founders did, that we should talk to countries, and trade with them. Do you think that’s a good idea?
A: Those guys are crazy. You can’t talk to them.
R: Kennedy talked to Kruschev at the height of the cold war. Do you think that was a good idea, or should we just have launched missiles?
A: But he thinks we should get out of Iraq — he’s a pacifist.
R: No, he thinks we should only fight just wars that are declared by Congress as required by the Constitution. Would you like to read about what defines a “just war”? (Hand a copy of Ron Paul’s Statement of Faith)
A: Ok… but we need to fight them over there.
R: Why? Like you said, those guys are crazy. The Shia, Sunni, and Kurds have been fighting among themselves for hundreds of years. How can we make them like each other?
A: Well, we can’t… but we need to defend ourselves and stop the terrorists over there.
R: Are you more concerned about jihadists thousands of miles away, or our own wide-open borders?
A: Both.
R: We’re over $9 trillion in debt with a currency that’s now worth less than the Canadian dollar — we simply can’t afford to do both. Pick one — what’s MORE important?
A: Well, we need to defend our borders.
R: I agree, and so does Ron Paul. Do you think we’ll be safer if we secure OUR borders, bring the troops home, talk with countries, and use our military in defense instead of offense?
A: No, we need those bases overseas.
R: Why? How many military bases does China have outside of its country?
A: I don’t know…
R: None. Who is going to attack China?
A: No one.
R: Right. Why do we need 100,000 troops in Germany? Who is going to attack Germany?
A: Ummmm….
R: Why do we need 20,000 troops in Korea? China shares a border with North Korea. Do you think China would let North Korea mount a nuclear threat against the region?
A: Ummmm… but we can’t let Iran get a nuclear weapon!
R: Are you more concerned with Iran potentially getting a nuclear weapon, or the many unaccounted for Soviet nuclear weapons that could be walking across our open borders right now?
A: Well, we need to secure our borders, but we can’t let Iran threaten Israel.
R: Israel already has over
A: Well, we should let Israel do what she needs to do…
R: Exactly. It’s her backyard…
At this point most rational folks would agree to take a Liberty Pack and learn more… or perhaps I’d steer the conversation towards monetary policy if they were still interested in talking.
Responding to the Issues: Monetary Policy
A: Isn’t he that guy who wants us back on the gold standard?
R: Does it make sense that a piece of paper would be money?
The answer to this question could be anything — some folks would mention the gold standard dismissively, yet still thought the gold in Fort Knox had something to do with our currency…
A: Well, I guess I never thought about it…
R: How much are you paying for milk at the grocery store? Four dollars? How about a box of cereal? Three dollars?
A: About that…
R: How much are you paying for rides on the midway? Four dollars? How about a game on the midway? Two dollars? How about a corn dog? Three dollars? (Thanks, State Fair! Inflation is easy to explain when it’s so blindingly obvious…) Does that sound right to you?
A: Yeah, things are getting expensive.
R: Do you know that the Canadian dollar is worth more than the U.S. dollar now?
A: Yeah…
R: Why is that?
A: I don’t know…
R: It’s because we have a $9 trillion national debt, and we’re borrowing an additional $1-3 billion per day just to keep the lights on… and everyone is beginning to realize that the dollars in your pocket aren’t worth as much since we’re borrowing and creating so many new ones. Is that a good thing?
A: Doesn’t sound like it…
R: Look, Ron Paul is the only presidential candidate who understands economics and monetary policy. He understands that the federal government can’t help us any more, and that we’re killing our currency, and our economy, with our endless wars, entitlements, borrowing, and spending. Would you like to learn more about him?
A: Sure, but how is he going to fix the problem?
R: All he wants to do is legalize the Constitution: we need to repeal legal tender laws and eliminate capital gains and sales taxes on gold and silver. That will allow gold and silver currency to be used as money, as the Constitution specifies. Check out this documentary, or this speech by Rep. Paul, to learn more. (In fact this entire section at the Ron Paul library is fantastic.) We also have to stop borrowing and spending so much money. But if we don’t take these simple steps, our paper currency will continue to decline along with our standard of living as inflation makes everything more expensive, and the working poor and middle class will be the biggest losers.
Responding to the Issues: Income Tax
A: He’s crazy. He thinks we can just get rid of the IRS, with our massive national debt.
R: No, he understands that we can only get rid of the IRS if we change our definition of what the government is supposed to do. If the federal government needs to take care of us from cradle to grave and police the world, we can’t get rid of the IRS. But should we be doing those things?
A: Well, no, but we can’t just stop.
R: Ron Paul understands that we have generations of individuals who have become dependent on government assistance, and we can’t switch that off overnight. But he also knows that we waste even MORE money on corporate welfare, and on a foreign policy that is killing our currency, and our economy. Does it make sense to stop foreign aid, corporate welfare, and a counterproductive foreign policy so we can save money overseas, and work on gradually ending the welfare state at home?
A: Yes…
R: Well, that’s all he wants to do — it’s just a matter of following the Constitution when we decide where we should be spending money. Would you like to learn more and support his campaign?
A: I like Huckabee and the Fair Tax.
R: Does it make sense to pay a 23% sales tax that’s “revenue neutral” at just over $1 trillion dollars, but still add to the $9 trillion deficit by spending $3 trillion per year? (2006 numbers)
A: Well, we need to cut spending too.
R: Exactly. That’s what Ron Paul has been doing for twenty years. Trying to cut spending and restore a Constitutional federal government. How is Huckabee going to cut spending?
As you can see, I evolved towards a style that was heavily biased towards asking questions whenever possible. It’s not about preaching to folks, it’s about engaging them in a meaningful dialog and letting them express their underlying concerns. I was amazed by how willing people were to talk (granted, folks browsing around the GOP booth are a highly-targeted population), and heartened by how many people share the same concerns as Americans.
Despite the passion we all feel about these issues, it’s important to avoid being too pushy with folks and let them break off if they’re not inclined to discuss. But most folks were more than happy to talk, and the vast majority left the discussion with a smile and a handshake. It’s also important to tell new supporters about ronpaul.meetup.com, and ask if they have any friends in key primary states — for us, South Carolina! Letting them know that the campaign is run entirely by individual donations, and that they should call their friends in early primary states to spread the word, are critical ingredients for success.
In the end, we had 6 1/2 days of fantastic interactions. Eventually we were kicked out of the fair, but it was halfway through the next-to-last day. Since I was representing a candidate and the GOP can’t make any endorsements, I couldn’t hand out material from inside the GOP booth… but since I wasn’t an official state fair vendor, I couldn’t be distributing materials outside the GOP booth. Whoops. Catch-22. To their credit, the GOP booth personnel fought for us as they’ve always welcomed candidate volunteers passing out information, and there had never been problems in the past. Both I and the Mitt Romney supporter (who was Mitt’s cousin, with Romney as his first name — small world!) tried to fight back against this oppression, but the State Fair folks remained steadfast. So I left materials for folks to pick up at the GOP booth, as well as with a couple of other vendors who had become (or were already) Ron Paul supporters.
Images do not work so here are the links:
Image 1, of the booth
Image 2, of the materials
Image 3, of the packet
Several of our Meetup members spent a week at the GOP booth during the North Carolina State Fair introducing folks to the message of liberty and a Constitutional federal government. Speaking with over 1,000 people over 6 1/2 days was indeed trial by fire, but after the first couple of days we developed a rhythm hitting the same themes that resonated with attendees.
We engaged folks with our “Liberty Packs”, pictured below. They contained a Pocket Constitution/Declaration of Independence (with an excellent introduction, from the Cato Institute), Slim Jim, four pages of issues-based handouts including Rep. Paul’s Statement of Faith, and a Ron Paul DVD.
Our Meetup members did a fantastic job blanketing the area with Ron Paul yard signs and banners in the weeks leading up to the State Fair, so many people were wondering about Ron Paul before they even showed up at the booth. It was our pleasure to answer their questions!
The conversation summaries below are organized as Question, Answer, and Response. We provide the question, the other person provides the answer, and we provide the response.
The Generic Pickup Line:
Q: Have you heard of Congressman Ron Paul, Republican running for president? (Show the Liberty Pack, with or without the Constitution — not everyone received a Constitution, so we generally led with the pushcard)
Path 1: Unfamiliar but willing to learn more
A: No, but I’ve seen the signs!
R: He’s a ten-term Congressman who just wants to restore the Constitution and the rule of law, which we’ve been missing for the past hundred years or so (Show Constitution/Declaration of Independence).
A: Tell me about it!
R: I’m just a grassroots guy out raising awareness — and this is the first time in my life I’ve ever volunteered for a candidate. Would you like to learn more about Representative Paul?
At this point, the person is willing to take a Liberty Pack. Depending on how willing they are to engage in a deeper conversation, I’d then ask about the Constitution:
Q: Does your family have a copy of the Constitution?
A: No…
R: I’m ashamed it took me until this summer to read it as a thinking adult, but now consider it the second most important book in my family’s life after the Bible. Would you like a copy?
A: Yes…
R: Please take and read this. It’s a gift, and every American family should have one. Do you know why I’ve come to support Ron Paul so strongly?
A: Why?
R: Because he’s been in Congress for 20 years trying to return us to the Constitution — it’s only now that people are waking up to how far we’ve come from our founding documents. Our Founding Fathers (and Mothers!) would be pretty upset if they knew we were sending 40% of our income to the government every year, and THEN our government was borrowing an ADDITIONAL $1-3 BILLION per DAY just to keep the lights on!
For folks who want to continue the discussion, they would typically respond with concerns about big government, out of control spending, inflation, and our declining currency.
Path 2: Familiar but not a supporter
A: Yes, he’s crazy.
R: (Pull out pocket Constitution) Do you like the Constitution?
A: What?
R: Our Constitution — right here. Do you like it?
A: What do you mean?
R: Do you think our federal government should follow the Constitution?
A: Yes!
R: Well, that’s all Ron Paul wants to do: return to the Constitution and the rule of law. How is that a crazy idea?
At this point, we delve into the specific reasons behind the person’s not supporting Rep. Paul. See “Responding to the Issues”, below. Depending on the tenor of the conversation and person’s willingness to discuss, it can be a short conversation where they take a Liberty Pack and express a willingness to learn more… or a longer debate focused on specific issues. There were only a (very) few folks who said they did NOT “like” the Constitution, nor care if our government followed it. One can only assume they wanted to avoid discussion at all costs.
Path 3: Familiar but skeptical
A: Yes, but he doesn’t have a chance.
R: Have you seen any volunteers spreading the word about other candidates? (For most of the fair, we were the only people there representing a presidential candidate. Some Romney folks showed up occasionally later in the fair, but they would typically only work a brief shift.)
A: No…
R: Ron Paul has over 60,000 volunteers like me getting the word out across the country, he raised over $5 million in the third quarter, and he has the third most cash on hand of all the Republican candidates. Do you support his candidacy?
A: I like him, but he’s not electable.
R: What do you mean?
A: I mean, he can’t beat Hillary.
R: Look, we have over 250 people in our local Meetup, and it’s split between Democrats, Republicans, independents, and Libertarians. All Ron Paul wants to do is follow the Constitution — he’s bringing people together because the Constitution is a unifying document. It’s what makes us Americans, it doesn’t divide us.
A: Yeah, but he’ll never win the primary.
R: What is the typical turnout in a Republican primary?
A: I don’t know… pretty low.
R: Yes, around 20-25%. Do you vote in primaries?
A: No…
R: Well, I’ve never voted in a party primary either. But this year, knowing what’s at stake, you can bet I’ll be there. And every Ron Paul supporter who knows what’s at stake feels the same way. So why don’t you think he can win?
A: He’s nowhere in the polls.
R: Have you been called by any of these polls?
A: No…
R: Me neither. Mainstream polls are only polling “likely voters in the Republican primary”. That automatically excludes me, since I’ve not voted in primaries, and all of my Democrat friends who have changed their party affiliation to Republican just to vote for Ron Paul. Would you like to vote for someone who’s not the lesser of two evils?
A: Yes…
R: Then would you like to learn more and support his campaign?
At this point, the person is generally willing to take a Liberty Pack, and perhaps a Constitution, and hopefully will learn more about Rep. Paul.
The Tailored Pickup Line
The best part about the GOP booth was its location — directly across from North Carolina Right to Life, and two booths down from a World Peace booth. When someone stepped away from the Right to Life booth, or approached with a Right to Life sticker on, I’d simply ask:
Q: Are you familiar with the strongest pro-life candidate for president?
A: No, who?
R: Texas Congressman Ron Paul. He’s a 10-term Republican Congressman who is actually an obstetrician by training and has a fantastic record protecting the Constitution and the right to life. Would you like to learn more about him?
A: Yes, please!
Likewise, when someone walked by (or frequently tried to avoid) the GOP booth wearing a world peace sticker, I’d ask:
Q: Are you familiar with the strongest pro-peace presidential candidate?
A: No (suspiciously)…
R: Republican Congressman Ron Paul — he’s the only major candidate calling for an immediate and orderly withdrawal from Iraq, and understands that our counterproductive foreign policy is bankrupting our country and hurting our security.
A: A Republican? Who?
R: Yes, Ron Paul is a ten-term Republican congressman who just wants to restore the Constitution and rule of law, which we’ve been missing for the past hundred years or so. Would you like to learn more about him?
That’s typically enough to get someone concerned about the war or pro-life issues to take some information, and I’d also try the Constitution tack if time permitted.
Responding to the Issues: Foreign Policy
A: I disagree with him on foreign policy.
R: How so?
A: He’s an isolationist.
R: No, he’s a non-interventionist — he’s thinks, as our founders did, that we should talk to countries, and trade with them. Do you think that’s a good idea?
A: Those guys are crazy. You can’t talk to them.
R: Kennedy talked to Kruschev at the height of the cold war. Do you think that was a good idea, or should we just have launched missiles?
A: But he thinks we should get out of Iraq — he’s a pacifist.
R: No, he thinks we should only fight just wars that are declared by Congress as required by the Constitution. Would you like to read about what defines a “just war”? (Hand a copy of Ron Paul’s Statement of Faith)
A: Ok… but we need to fight them over there.
R: Why? Like you said, those guys are crazy. The Shia, Sunni, and Kurds have been fighting among themselves for hundreds of years. How can we make them like each other?
A: Well, we can’t… but we need to defend ourselves and stop the terrorists over there.
R: Are you more concerned about jihadists thousands of miles away, or our own wide-open borders?
A: Both.
R: We’re over $9 trillion in debt with a currency that’s now worth less than the Canadian dollar — we simply can’t afford to do both. Pick one — what’s MORE important?
A: Well, we need to defend our borders.
R: I agree, and so does Ron Paul. Do you think we’ll be safer if we secure OUR borders, bring the troops home, talk with countries, and use our military in defense instead of offense?
A: No, we need those bases overseas.
R: Why? How many military bases does China have outside of its country?
A: I don’t know…
R: None. Who is going to attack China?
A: No one.
R: Right. Why do we need 100,000 troops in Germany? Who is going to attack Germany?
A: Ummmm….
R: Why do we need 20,000 troops in Korea? China shares a border with North Korea. Do you think China would let North Korea mount a nuclear threat against the region?
A: Ummmm… but we can’t let Iran get a nuclear weapon!
R: Are you more concerned with Iran potentially getting a nuclear weapon, or the many unaccounted for Soviet nuclear weapons that could be walking across our open borders right now?
A: Well, we need to secure our borders, but we can’t let Iran threaten Israel.
R: Israel already has over
100 nuclear weapons. Do you think Israel is capable of defending herself?
A: Well, we should let Israel do what she needs to do…
R: Exactly. It’s her backyard…
At this point most rational folks would agree to take a Liberty Pack and learn more… or perhaps I’d steer the conversation towards monetary policy if they were still interested in talking.
Responding to the Issues: Monetary Policy
A: Isn’t he that guy who wants us back on the gold standard?
R: Does it make sense that a piece of paper would be money?
The answer to this question could be anything — some folks would mention the gold standard dismissively, yet still thought the gold in Fort Knox had something to do with our currency…
A: Well, I guess I never thought about it…
R: How much are you paying for milk at the grocery store? Four dollars? How about a box of cereal? Three dollars?
A: About that…
R: How much are you paying for rides on the midway? Four dollars? How about a game on the midway? Two dollars? How about a corn dog? Three dollars? (Thanks, State Fair! Inflation is easy to explain when it’s so blindingly obvious…) Does that sound right to you?
A: Yeah, things are getting expensive.
R: Do you know that the Canadian dollar is worth more than the U.S. dollar now?
A: Yeah…
R: Why is that?
A: I don’t know…
R: It’s because we have a $9 trillion national debt, and we’re borrowing an additional $1-3 billion per day just to keep the lights on… and everyone is beginning to realize that the dollars in your pocket aren’t worth as much since we’re borrowing and creating so many new ones. Is that a good thing?
A: Doesn’t sound like it…
R: Look, Ron Paul is the only presidential candidate who understands economics and monetary policy. He understands that the federal government can’t help us any more, and that we’re killing our currency, and our economy, with our endless wars, entitlements, borrowing, and spending. Would you like to learn more about him?
A: Sure, but how is he going to fix the problem?
R: All he wants to do is legalize the Constitution: we need to repeal legal tender laws and eliminate capital gains and sales taxes on gold and silver. That will allow gold and silver currency to be used as money, as the Constitution specifies. Check out this documentary, or this speech by Rep. Paul, to learn more. (In fact this entire section at the Ron Paul library is fantastic.) We also have to stop borrowing and spending so much money. But if we don’t take these simple steps, our paper currency will continue to decline along with our standard of living as inflation makes everything more expensive, and the working poor and middle class will be the biggest losers.
Responding to the Issues: Income Tax
A: He’s crazy. He thinks we can just get rid of the IRS, with our massive national debt.
R: No, he understands that we can only get rid of the IRS if we change our definition of what the government is supposed to do. If the federal government needs to take care of us from cradle to grave and police the world, we can’t get rid of the IRS. But should we be doing those things?
A: Well, no, but we can’t just stop.
R: Ron Paul understands that we have generations of individuals who have become dependent on government assistance, and we can’t switch that off overnight. But he also knows that we waste even MORE money on corporate welfare, and on a foreign policy that is killing our currency, and our economy. Does it make sense to stop foreign aid, corporate welfare, and a counterproductive foreign policy so we can save money overseas, and work on gradually ending the welfare state at home?
A: Yes…
R: Well, that’s all he wants to do — it’s just a matter of following the Constitution when we decide where we should be spending money. Would you like to learn more and support his campaign?
A: I like Huckabee and the Fair Tax.
R: Does it make sense to pay a 23% sales tax that’s “revenue neutral” at just over $1 trillion dollars, but still add to the $9 trillion deficit by spending $3 trillion per year? (2006 numbers)
A: Well, we need to cut spending too.
R: Exactly. That’s what Ron Paul has been doing for twenty years. Trying to cut spending and restore a Constitutional federal government. How is Huckabee going to cut spending?
As you can see, I evolved towards a style that was heavily biased towards asking questions whenever possible. It’s not about preaching to folks, it’s about engaging them in a meaningful dialog and letting them express their underlying concerns. I was amazed by how willing people were to talk (granted, folks browsing around the GOP booth are a highly-targeted population), and heartened by how many people share the same concerns as Americans.
Despite the passion we all feel about these issues, it’s important to avoid being too pushy with folks and let them break off if they’re not inclined to discuss. But most folks were more than happy to talk, and the vast majority left the discussion with a smile and a handshake. It’s also important to tell new supporters about ronpaul.meetup.com, and ask if they have any friends in key primary states — for us, South Carolina! Letting them know that the campaign is run entirely by individual donations, and that they should call their friends in early primary states to spread the word, are critical ingredients for success.
In the end, we had 6 1/2 days of fantastic interactions. Eventually we were kicked out of the fair, but it was halfway through the next-to-last day. Since I was representing a candidate and the GOP can’t make any endorsements, I couldn’t hand out material from inside the GOP booth… but since I wasn’t an official state fair vendor, I couldn’t be distributing materials outside the GOP booth. Whoops. Catch-22. To their credit, the GOP booth personnel fought for us as they’ve always welcomed candidate volunteers passing out information, and there had never been problems in the past. Both I and the Mitt Romney supporter (who was Mitt’s cousin, with Romney as his first name — small world!) tried to fight back against this oppression, but the State Fair folks remained steadfast. So I left materials for folks to pick up at the GOP booth, as well as with a couple of other vendors who had become (or were already) Ron Paul supporters.
As long as “The Judge”, FOX News senior judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano, does not mind, I am going to be adding a new category of post to my blog: A Nation Of Sheep quotes. That is, selected quotes taken from Napolitano’s EXCELLENT and TIMELY new book titled A Nation Of Sheep.
