News from and Opinions on the Saturday Afternoon Evan Alaska Conference Call

News from and Opinions on the Saturday Afternoon Evan Alaska Conference Call.

I was unable to attend the Saturday afternoon teleconference as something personal came up. I did listen to some of the recording, but for some reason I was not able to rewind it (possibly an issue with my phone) as I had previously done, so transcription was not feasible. What I can say is that there are no major updates and we only have two days left to lobby Ron Paul. If I come across a link of the recording, I will post it. Until then, you can listen to it by dialing 559-726-1299 and then then 811476#, which is the access code. If you are serious about this effort, please send an email to Ron Paul through his house.gov contact form, telling him you want him to at least consider contacting the Libertarian Party about being Gary Johnson’s running mate. And contrary to what you may have heard, it is NOT too late, and ballot access would not be lost in very many states, or any at all if any law suits are won. Nor is a write-in candidacy viable unless Richard Gilbert wins his latest case, which to my knowledge has not even been filed yet. If it is filed Monday, he has five to six weeks to win it and organize a write-in campaign. That’s all fine and good, but on the other hand, the possibility of drafting Ron Paul to the Libertarian ticket has even less time to succeed, which is why if you want Ron Paul to run on at least some ticket, it should be the primary focus, at least until Monday the 17th, by which time it will likely no longer be possible for the LP to do the legwork in enough states, both on the party and on the election level, to change their ballot, as the first ballots ship out September 22nd. If this effort fails, it will not be because it was not viable, as some have erroneously (I can prove that, by the way) been saying since it was first brought up, but because they mistakenly thought other efforts (such as the Richard Gilbert case) were more viable. Or because they stubbornly refused to see Ron on the bottom of the ticket, even if they thought it was viable. Or because they timorously preferred being shrinking violets over actually getting 15% for Gary, which is the only way he can win, and without which there is no real reason to support a Gary Johnson ticket over a Ron Paul write-in, unless perhaps you prefer him to Ron Paul on the issues, which is a perfectly fine reason, but does not reflect even half of his current support, let alone a tenth of the support he needs to win. The only reason for people who prefer Ron Paul to vote for Gary Johnson if this does not happen will be because it counts more, not because he has a chance of winning. Some will think that’s a good enough reason, others, perhaps more, will not. So you see, not only was it viable to get Ron Paul on the ticket, it may have been necessary. But rest assured, if this does not go through, and I expect it won’t, there is still the possibility of a cabinet position or an endorsement. That will likely be the focus of this blog starting in the next few days. It is curious and unfortunate that as the likelihood increases on the scale of our options, the enthusiasm decreases exponentially. I won’t go so far as to say that this is a detrimental characteristic of the Liberty movement, as its opposite would surely play into the status quo’s hands, and make us the worst compromisers.

To All the Factions Here on Daily Paul

To All the Factions Here on Daily Paul.

This is also posted here.

To those planning on voting for Johnson:

Gary Johnson can not get elected unless he gets into the debates. He can not get into the debates unless he gets 15% in three nation-wide polls. He can not reach 15% for a long enough period of time to span three separate polls unless he includes Ron Paul on his team or Ron Paul powerfully endorses him. I do not think either of these things will happen unless we continue to lobby Doctor Paul, Governor Johnson, Judge Gray, the Libertarian Party, and our friends who support Ron Paul or Gary Johnson, even if it means convincing them to change their minds. It is true that the Libertarian Presidential ticket could lose ballot access in a few states for just changing its Vice Presidential nominee. But the amount of support adding Ron Paul to the ticket could bring could offset this, especially if Gary Johnson made it into the debates. Additionally, lost ballot access need not follow, as a legal battle could end in the tickets favor. The Libertarian Party can not hold another convention, and thus may not be able to amend their by laws or pick another running mate, but there is one loophole in its bylaws that could allow them to change their Vice Presidential Pick. It would ultimately be up to the chair whether utilization of this loophole would stand.

To those planning on writing in Paul:

A Paul write-in will only have an impact if Richard Gilbert of Lawyers for Ron Paul wins his case to have states comply with his understanding of the Voting Rights Act, which is that anti-write-in laws are in violation. If he succeeds in doing this, I will be the first to congratulate his efforts and promote a write-in candidacy.

To those who would vote for a hypothetical JohnsonPaul if it were switched to a real PaulJohnson:

Many states have sore-loser laws meaning that Ron Paul can not run at the top of a ticket because he was in the Republican Primary and lost (albeit through the cheating of the Romney team and other assorted establishment cabals). I personally would favor a Ron Paul Gary Johnson ticket over a Gary Johnson Ron Paul ticket, with good reason. But this would cause several law suits. The ones won would be costly, perhaps counter-productive, and the ones lost would result in loss of ballot access.

To everyone:

There is only until about Monday the 17th to lobby Ron Paul to contact the Libertarian Party about his intentions to join their ticket. This idea has been well-received by high-ranking Libertarian Party officials on the state, national, and campaign levels. They are somewhat indecisive to be sure, and though they will try to make this work if Ron Paul contacts them, they make no promises, and the likelihood of a GJ/RP ticket happening decreases with each passing day.

PaulJohnson 2012 Mission Statement

PaulJohnson 2012 Mission Statement.

The Early Hours of September 3rd, 2012.

This site is dedicated to a Paul-Johnson or Johnson-Paul ticket for the 2012 presidential race. There is no intent to disenfranchise voters or campaign contributors, pressure candidates or staffers, or anger the grassroots or the electorate. There is only the desire to create a winning ticket by asking Gary Johnson, Jim Gray, and/or the Libertarian Party to make accommodations to the Ron Paul camp. This does not mean anyone should blackmail or belittle or berate the Gary Johnson team, but simply that we should ask them to weigh the requests and arguments and decide, voluntarily for themselves to potentially forgo one or both of their chances of becoming the president or vice president, for the sake of the cause. For those Libertarian Party members out there who find this idea reprehensible, I respect their rights, but I question their reasoning. I am certainly not for winning at all costs under any circumstances, but I am for asking all the candidates and officials in question to consider the merits of proposals such as what will be posted and promoted on this blog. Namely that the Libertarian Party make room for Ron Paul.

First, and hardest of all to accomplish would be having both Gary Johnson and Jim Gray step down so that Ron Paul can be placed at the top of the ticket and Gary Johnson at the bottom. Secondly, perhaps easier but still likely to elicit an initial backlash if not permanently damaged relationships between lovers of Liberty would be to have Jim Gray step down so that Ron Paul can take his place at the bottom of the ticket. And thirdly, would be to have Gary Johnson and/or Jim Gray and/or the Libertarian Party promise to appoint Ron Paul to a cabinet level position. There may be the chance that they plan on doing this anyway, but were they to make the promise, and to contact Ron Paul directly about it, before the November election, preferably soon, it could boost their polling numbers, their campaign contributions, and their voter turnout by a considerable margin. Enough to get media attention. Enough to make it into the debates. Enough to compete. Enough to win.

There will always be those die hard Ron Paul supporters, some of whom like Gary Johnson, and some of whom just don’t trust him, that do not plan on voting for Gary Johnson for a variety of reasons. This is their right. All men should be free to vote their conscience. Ridiculing them for this serves no purpose but to alienate you from them and them from you. How does this promote the cause of Liberty? But the numbers of such stubborn people would decrease considerably were they to be given some reassurances. These might include acquiescence to one of the aforementioned proposals, an endorsement of Gary Johnson by Ron Paul, or Gary Johnson convincing people of how much he and Ron Paul have in common, in spite of Gary Johnson’s perceived, though relative, ignorance or halfheartedness on so many issues ranging from the Natural Law to Economics to the Constitution to Foreign Policy to the War on Drugs.

If all of this could only come about at greater cost to the Liberty movement than benefit, the very idea should be cast aside lest a schism rends all that we have fought for asunder. Such rifts only occur for ideological reasons, and even then rarely. They should not be found to arise between former comrades who merely disagree on a few items of strategy.

I would appreciate any and all feedback, great or small, positive or negative. Please note that none of these things are originally my idea. I simply felt compelled by recent events (namely the Evan Alaska Conference Calls, one the night of September 2nd, and another on the night of September 6th, as well as rumors on the DailyPaul that gained traction after the Convention and particularly with the news of Ron Paul’s September 4th appearance on Jay Leno) and the hard work of others to become a part of this. For the record, I am a Ron Paul supporter who likes Gary Johnson but remains wary of him. I don’t even know that I could vote for him without some of the above requests being granted.

SIx Page Version of How to Achieve Draft Ron Paul to Libertarian Vice Presidential Slot

SIx Page Version of How to Achieve Draft Ron Paul to Libertarian Vice Presidential Slot.

How to Achieve Draft Ron Paul to Libertarian Party Vice Presidential Slot 6 Pages

Click on Link for Ideas and Info!

How to Achieve Draft Ron Paul to Libertarian Vice Presidential Slot – Click on Link for Hyperlinked Version

How to Achieve Draft Ron Paul to Libertarian Vice Presidential Slot – Click on Link for Hyperlinked Version.

How to Achieve Draft Ron Paul to Libertarian Vice Presidential Slot – Click on Link for Hyperlinked Version.

How to Achieve Draft Ron Paul to Libertarian Party Vice Presidential Slot 4 Pages

NEXT CONFERENCE CALL IS SLATED FOR EARLY SATURDAY AFTERNOON – BE THERE!

NEXT CONFERENCE CALL IS SLATED FOR EARLY SATURDAY AFTERNOON – BE THERE!.

This information is from the Drafting Ron Paul to Stay in the Race event page, https://www.facebook.com/events/343258709094797/

The next call is Satruday at:

12:00 PM ALASKA TIME That is:
1:00 PM Pacific – 2:00 PM Mountain – 3:00 PM Central – 4:00 PM Eastern

If you are willing to support this effort, please share this event and call in:

Conference dial-in number: (559) 726-1200

Participant access code: 811476

We now have a simulcast-Live-stream of today’s conference call set up, thanks to Leandrah Grace. If you can’t afford to call in, just go to http://tobtr.com/s/3742575. to tune in!

HT LIVE Teleconference Simulcast – Electing for Ron Paul
www.blogtalkradio.com
Simulcast Teleconference Electing/Drafting Ron Paul Conference dial-in number (559)726-1200 Participant access code: 811476 The new Facebook Group for everyone in this effort will be open to ALL who wish to join, though negative people will be promptly banned. www.WeNeedPaul.com Facebook Page is “W…

Please understand that any of District Chairs and Bonus votes and other Party officials can be REMOVED from their State Central Committees or other offices for joining this group or otherwise promoting a candidate for office in a party not their own.

As the founder of this group, I’m most likely going to have to resign from my own position on the State Central Committee of the Alaska Republican Party. It’s worth it to me to make a stand for Liberty, but it’s a risk to consider. I do not want to see us lose all the progress we have made in the Republican or other parties, so I hope most people with hard won positions will keep them, and let the rest of us campaign for Liberty, Peace, and Sound Money.

PaulJohnson 2012 Mission Statement

PaulJohnson 2012 Mission Statement.

The Early Hours of September 3rd, 2012.

This site is dedicated to a Paul-Johnson or Johnson-Paul ticket for the 2012 presidential race. There is no intent to disenfranchise voters or campaign contributors, pressure candidates or staffers, or anger the grassroots or the electorate. There is only the desire to create a winning ticket by asking Gary Johnson, Jim Gray, and/or the Libertarian Party to make accommodations to the Ron Paul camp. This does not mean anyone should blackmail or belittle or berate the Gary Johnson team, but simply that we should ask them to weigh the requests and arguments and decide, voluntarily for themselves to potentially forgo one or both of their chances of becoming the president or vice president, for the sake of the cause. For those Libertarian Party members out there who find this idea reprehensible, I respect their rights, but I question their reasoning. I am certainly not for winning at all costs under any circumstances, but I am for asking all the candidates and officials in question to consider the merits of proposals such as what will be posted and promoted on this blog. Namely that the Libertarian Party make room for Ron Paul.

First, and hardest of all to accomplish would be having both Gary Johnson and Jim Gray step down so that Ron Paul can be placed at the top of the ticket and Gary Johnson at the bottom. Secondly, perhaps easier but still likely to elicit an initial backlash if not permanently damaged relationships between lovers of Liberty would be to have Jim Gray step down so that Ron Paul can take his place at the bottom of the ticket. And thirdly, would be to have Gary Johnson and/or Jim Gray and/or the Libertarian Party promise to appoint Ron Paul to a cabinet level position. There may be the chance that they plan on doing this anyway, but were they to make the promise, and to contact Ron Paul directly about it, before the November election, preferably soon, it could boost their polling numbers, their campaign contributions, and their voter turnout by a considerable margin. Enough to get media attention. Enough to make it into the debates. Enough to compete. Enough to win.

There will always be those die hard Ron Paul supporters, some of whom like Gary Johnson, and some of whom just don’t trust him, that do not plan on voting for Gary Johnson for a variety of reasons. This is their right. All men should be free to vote their conscience. Ridiculing them for this serves no purpose but to alienate you from them and them from you. How does this promote the cause of Liberty? But the numbers of such stubborn people would decrease considerably were they to be given some reassurances. These might include acquiescence to one of the aforementioned proposals, an endorsement of Gary Johnson by Ron Paul, or Gary Johnson convincing people of how much he and Ron Paul have in common, in spite of Gary Johnson’s perceived, though relative, ignorance or halfheartedness on so many issues ranging from the Natural Law to Economics to the Constitution to Foreign Policy to the War on Drugs.

If all of this could only come about at greater cost to the Liberty movement than benefit, the very idea should be cast aside lest a schism rends all that we have fought for asunder. Such rifts only occur for ideological reasons, and even then rarely. They should not be found to arise between former comrades who merely disagree on a few items of strategy.

I would appreciate any and all feedback, great or small, positive or negative. Please note that none of these things are originally my idea. I simply felt compelled by recent events (namely the Evan Alaska Conference Calls, one the night of September 2nd, and another on the night of September 6th, as well as rumors on the DailyPaul that gained traction after the Convention and particularly with the news of Ron Paul’s September 4th appearance on Jay Leno) and the hard work of others to become a part of this. For the record, I am a Ron Paul supporter who likes Gary Johnson but remains wary of him. I don’t even know that I could vote for him without some of the above requests being granted.

PaulJohnson 2012 Mission Statement

PaulJohnson 2012 Mission Statement.

The Early Hours of September 3rd, 2012.

This site is dedicated to a Paul-Johnson or Johnson-Paul ticket for the 2012 presidential race. There is no intent to disenfranchise voters or campaign contributors, pressure candidates or staffers, or anger the grassroots or the electorate. There is only the desire to create a winning ticket by asking Gary Johnson, Jim Gray, and/or the Libertarian Party to make accommodations to the Ron Paul camp. This does not mean anyone should blackmail or belittle or berate the Gary Johnson team, but simply that we should ask them to weigh the requests and arguments and decide, voluntarily for themselves to potentially forgo one or both of their chances of becoming the president or vice president, for the sake of the cause. For those Libertarian Party members out there who find this idea reprehensible, I respect their rights, but I question their reasoning. I am certainly not for winning at all costs under any circumstances, but I am for asking all the candidates and officials in question to consider the merits of proposals such as what will be posted and promoted on this blog. Namely that the Libertarian Party make room for Ron Paul.

First, and hardest of all to accomplish would be having both Gary Johnson and Jim Gray step down so that Ron Paul can be placed at the top of the ticket and Gary Johnson at the bottom. Secondly, perhaps easier but still likely to elicit an initial backlash if not permanently damaged relationships between lovers of Liberty would be to have Jim Gray step down so that Ron Paul can take his place at the bottom of the ticket. And thirdly, would be to have Gary Johnson and/or Jim Gray and/or the Libertarian Party promise to appoint Ron Paul to a cabinet level position. There may be the chance that they plan on doing this anyway, but were they to make the promise, and to contact Ron Paul directly about it, before the November election, preferably soon, it could boost their polling numbers, their campaign contributions, and their voter turnout by a considerable margin. Enough to get media attention. Enough to make it into the debates. Enough to compete. Enough to win.

There will always be those die hard Ron Paul supporters, some of whom like Gary Johnson, and some of whom just don’t trust him, that do not plan on voting for Gary Johnson for a variety of reasons. This is their right. All men should be free to vote their conscience. Ridiculing them for this serves no purpose but to alienate you from them and them from you. How does this promote the cause of Liberty? But the numbers of such stubborn people would decrease considerably were they to be given some reassurances. These might include acquiescence to one of the aforementioned proposals, an endorsement of Gary Johnson by Ron Paul, or Gary Johnson convincing people of how much he and Ron Paul have in common, in spite of Gary Johnson’s perceived, though relative, ignorance or halfheartedness on so many issues ranging from the Natural Law to Economics to the Constitution to Foreign Policy to the War on Drugs.

If all of this could only come about at greater cost to the Liberty movement than benefit, the very idea should be cast aside lest a schism rends all that we have fought for asunder. Such rifts only occur for ideological reasons, and even then rarely. They should not be found to arise between former comrades who merely disagree on a few items of strategy.

I would appreciate any and all feedback, great or small, positive or negative. Please note that none of these things are originally my idea. I simply felt compelled by recent events (namely the Evan Alaska Conference Calls, one the night of September 2nd, and another on the night of September 6th, as well as rumors on the DailyPaul that gained traction after the Convention and particularly with the news of Ron Paul’s September 4th appearance on Jay Leno) and the hard work of others to become a part of this. For the record, I am a Ron Paul supporter who likes Gary Johnson but remains wary of him. I don’t even know that I could vote for him without some of the above requests being granted.

How to Achieve Draft Ron Paul to Libertarian Vice Presidential Slot – Click on Link for Hyperlinked Version

How to Achieve Draft Ron Paul to Libertarian Vice Presidential Slot – Click on Link for Hyperlinked Version.

How to Achieve Draft Ron Paul to Libertarian Party Vice Presidential Slot 4 Pages

Some Comments I Made Elsewhere on this Blog

Some Comments I Made Elsewhere on this Blog.

Please excuse my tone. I don’t know everything, but below is my rationale for not thinking there is any progress in the GOP:

Perhaps you are right. Paul did not endorse anyone, overtly or covertly, in my view. But that doesn’t mean his mind can’t be changed.

Progress in the GOP?

You mean like Goldwater and Reagan (good rhetoric, bad record) made progress? How long did that last?

You mean like Ron Paul’s own campaign staff stabbing him in the back in the things that they say?

You mean Rand Paul (I would have as much trouble voting for Rand as I would Johnson) and Mike Lee who endorsed Romney before he won? Or DeMint who endorsed Romney but was too cowardly to actually say the word “endorse”?

Or perhaps you mean all the rules that the establishment made even worse at the convention in spite of the best efforts by the Paul camp to make them better.

Or maybe the platform that will not be followed.

No, sir, I think this progress is completely a myth. The harder the Paul people try to take over the party, the harder those already in charge will try to purge them.

The GOP, like the Whigs and like the Federalists must be cast into the abyss before this country can have any meaningful changes. It is not able to be, nor does it deserve to be saved.

If you don’t believe me, perhaps you will answer me these few things:

Will Romney or Obama win? I am thinking it will be Obama.

If Romney wins do you think he and the establishment will start to go easy on liberty-minded people in the GOP? I don’t.

Do you think Romney will reverse anything? I don’t.

If he doesn’t, do you think the GOP will be able to stop the hemorrhaging from its ranks that will inevitably occur? I don’t. Not unless they deiced to let Ron Paul or some one very similar to him reshape it. Which they would have to do regardless of whether he made any progress in it or not, regardless of what other tickets he ran on. Neither major party has what it takes to reverse any of the bad things going on. Even if there is “progress”, it won’t matter, because the GOP will have destroyed itself before the liberty movement even has another chance.

And if Obama wins, the GOP will lose even more credibility. They staked their entire reputation, their very being on Romney not being another McCain.

And if Romney wins and keeps things afloat like Bush did after the dot-com burst, he will win re-election. Instead of four years to screw everyone over, he will have eight.

I think the progress has been in people themselves, the grassroots. But within the GOP, it is only skin deep.

Of course, if Ron Paul decides against this, many Ron Paul supporters will not be supporting Johnson. I don’t really blame them, as I would have trouble doing so as well. In which case we will be able to keep what little progress has been made. But it won’t do anything.

I am not “giving up on” the GOP. The GOP’s fate is already set in stone.

The Libertarian Party is corrupt. I agree with you. It is loaded with utilitarians and public rent seekers. But I guarantee you any progress you make with it will go deeper and last longer than any “progress” you make with the GOP.

That is not to say that Ron Paul shouldn’t have run in the GOP. It has served him and us and the movement very well. Without it, no one would have heard of him.

For the record, I absolutely am NOT voting for Johnson without one of the major concessions I am pushing for. Here is a comment I saw on the Daily Paul that I absolutely agree with:

I’m only voting for Johnson if he picks up Paul as part of his team. I like Johnson but there are just too many things he doesn’t quite get or is not yet clear on. For example, he supports humanitarian military intervention. So do I if it is done Spanish-Civil War or Letters of Marque style. Gary has not stated clearly how he would go about this. Also, he may be a civil libertarian, but his support for free markets seems limited to a very utilitarian point of view, which effects his view on just about everything, not just economics. A Paul as VP (not implausible even at this late hour) or cabinet official would ideally have Gary’s ear and would hopefully help to steer him in the right direction. Until I see something like this happen, I have as much reason to vote for Gary as I do either Obama or Romney, ie, none at all. That is not to say he is the same as them, but just that he is different enough from an ideal candidate to satiate my conscience. Maybe that is selfish of me, but I can not vote against my conscience, even if the consequences are a Obama-reelection or a Romney election.

And in response to one of Kazvorpal’s posts on the Jay Leno “big announcement” and what Paul; actually said and meant.

I distrusted this rumor from the beginning. There was no source. But I held out hope and mentioned the possibility. Paul’s statements are what they are: honest, but diplomatic. He is not running any more, so he didn’t have to spill his guts, even though everyone was hoping he would do just that and more.

I think the best thing to do is to take his words at face value. But also to put them in context. He did not say who he was voting for. Nor did he announce a third party run or make any endorsements. But that does not mean all of this is final. At this stage it would be pure fantasy to expect Paul to win as a third party presidential candidate or a write in candidate. But in this small window of time, we should weigh every option and not just assume the GOP will somehow succumb to the liberty movement’s demands, just because it has made a few (very FEW) inroads.

I have no faith in the GOP. They are anathema to me. The Liberty movement will pry control from its cold dead fingers before the GOP relents to any reform of substance. It has been around for 150 years and has always been the way it is. Harding and Coolidge made inroads into the mercantilist corporatist corrupt party of Lincoln, McKinley, and Roosevelt. They were destroyed by Hoover and what little progress that was left was done-in by Eisenhower and Nixon. Goldwater made some progress as well. His own party rejected him and his legacy was finished off by Nixon and Ford. Reagan talked a good talk. He may have even meant well. While in office, what little progress he made was wiped out by the Bushes.

This will continue to happen until the day the GOP collapses under its own weight. The blood on its hands and the money in its pockets counts for too much for them to just turn around and say they love liberty all of a sudden. The United States will not get past this gloomy stage until the day the GOP and its leadership implodes.