A summary sheet of action items only is provided at the end of this article.
As the briefest of backgrounds, I have been a Republican activist for over 30 years and have known Ron Paul since his first congressional race. I serve on the board for Associated Conservatives of America (originally only in Texas and best known there). Most of what I am going to share with you is based on Texas experiences over many years and Oklahoma experience since 2005. That is important because the details may be different for your state, but the general idea is applicable nationwide.
Soon we will all go to the polls and vote in the Presidential Primary and the first item of note is that in some states you must be registered with the Republican Party to vote in the Republican Party. Action Item #1 is to find out if you are in an open state or a closed state and take appropriate action (i.e. if are in a closed state – register Republican to be able to vote for Ron Paul immediately!). [ed note: check here for state deadlines]
Winning at the polls is important, because it will in many states help determine the delegate count for your candidate for the nomination process. But it is not everything and in a race with as many candidates as we have the odds of a brokered convention are extremely high. That means that the delegates who may/may not be bound to the vote in their state on the first round of voting at the National Convention (depending on the rules of the State parties) will ultimately be able to vote their conscience and determine the party nominee.
Obviously the best outcome is a landslide at the polls and we sweep all delegates and take the nomination at the first round at the convention. But even if we could assure that and we cannot, we still should do the things I am about to tell you to build a firm foundation for getting the work done through a Ron Paul administration!
So the Republican party convention process becomes paramount for all that we are about to do and you simply must take some steps immediately to take this ground and hold this ground and elect people of principle at all levels of our government. I hope that we can together return the Republican Party to the wisdom of our founding fathers and constitutional principles throughout the land.
Here is the plan in a nutshell. Action Item #2 is to embed ourselves in the Republican Party, those who have not already done so long ago. We become involved in leadership and meetings and create a Ron Paul presence there. It really isn’t that hard. Find out who the leaders are in your county and ask if you can help. One way to do that is to see if your state party has a website and lists the county leaders there. If not call them and ask them who your leaders like county chair, precinct chair and your committeemen and committeewomen are. Ask by phone or email how best to get in touch with them and let them know you want to be more involved. Keep trying until you get an answer.
Action item #3 is to volunteer to be a precinct chair* in your area if there is not one already and make friends with the one who is if there is one. Attend the meetings and the clubs and help in any way possible. Make sure they all get flyers and information about Ron Paul at the same time. Register people to vote and make calls and mention your efforts for Ron Paul at the first opportunity.
If for some reason, your county is closed to the idea of your assistance and your efforts for Ron Paul then that is where you move into the ‘Mirroring the Republican Party’ phase. Action Item #3A is to simply organize the area for Ron Paul as a county leader and finding precinct captains and block walkers as fast as possible! When the numbers are great enough in your area, the existing Republican leadership will embrace you and say they were friends all along in most cases!
The delegate selection process will start occurring near the presidential primary vote in 2008 at various times in various states. It will start with precinct meetings, and then county meetings, and on up to state meetings. At each level, we must have enough Ron Paul people present to control the vote and determine who is elected to represent us. In some cases, there will be committees that recommend and we must impact that committee process according to the rules of our states. Action Item #4 is to plan now to attend your Republican Party Convention process at the precinct level on up to the state and national level to send as many Ron Paul delegates as possible to the National Convention. **
It is both a numbers game and a perception effort. If you knew how few Republicans are currently attending meetings of any kind, then you would think this will be easy. However, I must warn you, it will not be easy, but it is doable if you can produce more people than the other candidates at every level across the nation. The good news is that if you can do it for Ron Paul, you can do it for local sheriff. So how many of you would consider filing for office in your area – especially if there is an open seat or an opportunity to replace someone supporting illegal immigration in a county office? Action Item #5 is to recruit candidates to file for local office in your area who support the constitution and our national sovereignty. Do not attempt this until you have achieved a base of support in your area! (Filing deadlines vary(updated 6/15/12)).
*A precinct chair takes care of a geographical area representing approx 3000 voters for the party. That can include finding block walkers, hosting coffees, and serving as point of information from the party to the people in that area. It can be as much or as little as the person wants. In some states it is an elected position (on the ballot). [In Oklahoma, for example, it is typically handled at the precinct meetings if anyone shows up and/or appointed by the county chairs if it is done at all. The executive committee for the state is comprised of county chairs and state committee men and women for each county meeting approx quarterly in OKC.]
**more details later on the convention process and rules and dates
Summary of Action Items:
Action Item #1 is to find out if you are in an open state or a closed state and take appropriate action (I e if are in a closed state – register Republican to be able to vote for Ron Paul immediately!).
Action Item #2 is to embed ourselves in the Republican Party, those who have not already done so long ago.
Action item #3 is to volunteer to be a precinct chair* in your area if there is not one already and make friends with the one who is if there is one.
Action Item #3A is to simply organize the area for Ron Paul as a county leader and find precinct captains and block walkers as fast as possible! When the numbers are great enough in your area, the existing Republican leadership will embrace you and say they were friends all along in most cases!
Action Item #4 is to plan now to attend your Republican Party Convention process at the precinct level on up to the state and national level to send as many Ron Paul delegates as possible to the National Convention.
Action Item #5 is to recruit candidates to file for local office in your area who support the constitution and our national sovereignty. Do not attempt this until you have achieved a base of support in your area! [updated 6/15/12 (Filing deadlines vary)]
Posted by Sandra Crosnoe for Finding Gems & Sharing Them
Finding Gems and Sharing Them 