Taking Stalin's epigram to heart, I decided to volunteer to oversee the caucus vote in one of Clark County's districts.
The vote was, at least in my district, done in a completely open manner. The Republican party volunteer handling the vote count had people from each campaign sit around a table and directly observe each ballot as it was counted for each precinct. Any discrepancies between counts for each precinct resulted in a recount that everyone was able to observe. We each tallied the precincts to arrive at a final total for the district.
Here are the total votes for my district:
Romney: 184
Paul: 104
McCain: 70
Huckabee: 38
Thompson 34
Giuliani: 31
Hunter: 8
Speaking with other Paul volunteers across Clark county reflected that we had a strong second place in a number of large districts. Based on my observations I'd be very surprised if we don't place second in Nevada.
The Revolution grows stronger every day.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Thank you from New Hampshire!
I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to get around to saying thank you. After the celebration at the Marriott, I drove over to the OLFD house party in Rye, NH to thank those folks personally. I left there at 4 AM, and drove to the airport for a flight out to Reno, NV on business. I got a few hours of sleep on the flight, then showed up at a conference and immediately started working with clients all day. I finally got to pass out later that night, then back to the conference in the morning. But I know I am not the only one to have several sleepless nights like this. The dust has finally settled, and I wanted to pass on my deep appreciation to all those involved in the Ron Paul campaign in New Hampshire.
The sacrifices made by folks in NH and around the country have been immense. The sleepless nights, lost pay, financial contributions, quitting jobs, time away from family, etc, etc. These sacrifices have paid off immensely already. We crushed Giuliani in Iowa, and Thompson in New Hampshire. Giuliani spent a ton of money and time in New Hampshire, and could not pull significantly ahead of Dr Paul. We made Fox news look like fools for excluding Dr Paul, and now he is invited to the Fox debates in South Carolina. New Hampshire was only one of many battles for freedom to come. While not the outright victory we hoped it would be, we certainly did some serious damage. The next battle is in South Carolina, where I grew up. And with grassroots support well established across the country, super Tuesday could be very "interesting". You folks in super Tuesday states could really have a huge impact, since voter turnout in those states is usually low, and campaigns are generally not active.
The number of supporters we got in for this is frankly astonishing. We must have had the most supporters of any campaign. On Monday we sent hundreds of folks out across the state to knock on the door of every known supporter. We had 30 people phone banking all day. And then when I walked through downtown Manchester, we had a huge group protesting the Fox Forum!!! Ron Paul supporters were EVERYWHERE. I would estimate that Operation Live Free or Die had up to 300 people at the end, and housed around 500 people total (as some came and left). Then we housed around 100 people with NH volunteers. And these are just the people we know about - I kept bumping into folks that just came up on their own. I think we definitely had 1,000 people in state working for the campaign near the end.
I also want to make sure that we thank the N.H. campaign staff, with whom I got to work very closely. There are so many things that they did behind the scenes that they can never talk about, and will never get credit for.
Tuesday night at the Marriott and then at the house party in Rye, I got to talk to a lot of folks about the future. The overwhelming majority of these folks are committed to continue the fight, not only for Dr. Paul, but for freedom in general. Many of the OLFD folks are headed to Nevada and South Carolina! I hope you will all make the same commitment to continue the fight for Dr. Paul and freedom. Please continue to be a member of our Meetup groups*. More details to come.
Finally, on behalf of everyone in New Hampshire who wants to restore our liberties: Thank you, thank you, thank you!
*Ron Paul's campaign is about more than just the man, it is also the message of freedom and liberty. Now that the NH campaign is over, I urge you to remain a member of your Meetups so we can continue the fight to restore our freedoms. Stay tuned for details coming out in the upcoming weeks and months.
In the meantime there are two organizations that I strongly urge you to join since they have exactly the same purpose that Dr Paul has - to restore our liberties. I am only talking about these two groups, despite the large number of groups to choose from because of how important I think they are.
The first is one that everyone across the country can join - DownsizeDC (http://www.downsizedc.org...). All the special interests have their own lobby groups, but this group's special interest is liberty! Once you sign up, it's only a minute or two a day with a few clicks of the mouse to lobby Congress on a range of issues that most of us would all agree on. If we can get all the folks that have joined the Ron Paul campaign to join, we can have a powerful voice in Congress that can shout down all the special interest groups.
The second is an organization to join if you are in New Hampshire or are considering coming to New Hampshire - the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance (http://www.nhliberty.org/). Again, this is a pro-freedom lobby group, like DownsizeDC. However, it also rates candidates based on how they vote for freedom by rating legislation. Even if you are out of state, you may consider checking out the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance, and trying to duplicate something like it in your state. I know the NHLA would be happy to help with that. These are the folks that got a ban on Real ID passed in New Hampshire! They are VERY effective.
The fight for freedom has just begun!
Jim Forsythe
HQNH Meetup Coordinator
The sacrifices made by folks in NH and around the country have been immense. The sleepless nights, lost pay, financial contributions, quitting jobs, time away from family, etc, etc. These sacrifices have paid off immensely already. We crushed Giuliani in Iowa, and Thompson in New Hampshire. Giuliani spent a ton of money and time in New Hampshire, and could not pull significantly ahead of Dr Paul. We made Fox news look like fools for excluding Dr Paul, and now he is invited to the Fox debates in South Carolina. New Hampshire was only one of many battles for freedom to come. While not the outright victory we hoped it would be, we certainly did some serious damage. The next battle is in South Carolina, where I grew up. And with grassroots support well established across the country, super Tuesday could be very "interesting". You folks in super Tuesday states could really have a huge impact, since voter turnout in those states is usually low, and campaigns are generally not active.
The number of supporters we got in for this is frankly astonishing. We must have had the most supporters of any campaign. On Monday we sent hundreds of folks out across the state to knock on the door of every known supporter. We had 30 people phone banking all day. And then when I walked through downtown Manchester, we had a huge group protesting the Fox Forum!!! Ron Paul supporters were EVERYWHERE. I would estimate that Operation Live Free or Die had up to 300 people at the end, and housed around 500 people total (as some came and left). Then we housed around 100 people with NH volunteers. And these are just the people we know about - I kept bumping into folks that just came up on their own. I think we definitely had 1,000 people in state working for the campaign near the end.
I also want to make sure that we thank the N.H. campaign staff, with whom I got to work very closely. There are so many things that they did behind the scenes that they can never talk about, and will never get credit for.
Tuesday night at the Marriott and then at the house party in Rye, I got to talk to a lot of folks about the future. The overwhelming majority of these folks are committed to continue the fight, not only for Dr. Paul, but for freedom in general. Many of the OLFD folks are headed to Nevada and South Carolina! I hope you will all make the same commitment to continue the fight for Dr. Paul and freedom. Please continue to be a member of our Meetup groups*. More details to come.
Finally, on behalf of everyone in New Hampshire who wants to restore our liberties: Thank you, thank you, thank you!
*Ron Paul's campaign is about more than just the man, it is also the message of freedom and liberty. Now that the NH campaign is over, I urge you to remain a member of your Meetups so we can continue the fight to restore our freedoms. Stay tuned for details coming out in the upcoming weeks and months.
In the meantime there are two organizations that I strongly urge you to join since they have exactly the same purpose that Dr Paul has - to restore our liberties. I am only talking about these two groups, despite the large number of groups to choose from because of how important I think they are.
The first is one that everyone across the country can join - DownsizeDC (http://www.downsizedc.org...). All the special interests have their own lobby groups, but this group's special interest is liberty! Once you sign up, it's only a minute or two a day with a few clicks of the mouse to lobby Congress on a range of issues that most of us would all agree on. If we can get all the folks that have joined the Ron Paul campaign to join, we can have a powerful voice in Congress that can shout down all the special interest groups.
The second is an organization to join if you are in New Hampshire or are considering coming to New Hampshire - the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance (http://www.nhliberty.org/). Again, this is a pro-freedom lobby group, like DownsizeDC. However, it also rates candidates based on how they vote for freedom by rating legislation. Even if you are out of state, you may consider checking out the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance, and trying to duplicate something like it in your state. I know the NHLA would be happy to help with that. These are the folks that got a ban on Real ID passed in New Hampshire! They are VERY effective.
The fight for freedom has just begun!
Jim Forsythe
HQNH Meetup Coordinator
Give Freedom a Chance
Images (Jay Reiter/MCT) appear in this McClatchy article:
By WILLIAM DOUGLAS - McClatchy Newspapers
MANCHESTER, N.H. - They come from across the country - and the political spectrum - to work in New Hampshire for Rep. Ron Paul, captivated by the philosophy and personality of the man who's become the Republican Pied Piper of the 2008 presidential campaign.
Paul is low in polls here. He's got only modest campaign funds. But his long-shot campaign seems unmatched when it comes to the organization, dedication and enthusiasm of its volunteers here, where the first primary will be held on Tuesday.
Perhaps none is more dedicated than Vijay Boyapati. He's the founding father of Operation Live Free or Die, an effort to get 1,000 volunteers to come to New Hampshire and live in youth hostel-like conditions to wave Ron Paul signs along highways, canvas neighborhoods and work phone banks.
Boyapati's organization is independent of Paul's campaign and borrows its name from New Hampshire's motto. Its mission is to lift libertarian Paul to a surprise victory Tuesday - or at least a strong finish.
"I know how important New Hampshire is in the election - it's the first primary and decides who's viable," he said. "If Ron Paul wins New Hampshire, it changes everything. It changes the perception of Paul's viability and the perception of the campaign to more than just an Internet phenomenon."
Boyapati, 29, knows a little something about the Internet. He quit a well-paying software engineering job at Google in Seattle and raised more than $50,000 from 3,000 donors to launch Operation Live Free or Die - online, of course.
"I could have taken a leave of absence, but I want to go all the way to November," he said. "I didn't quit my job to lose."
Most of the cash has gone to renting 10 large houses throughout the state, each sleeping up to 24 volunteers, who are existing on caffeine, junk food and their dream of having a president who will strictly interpret the Constitution, return America to the gold standard and get U.S. troops out of Iraq. What little money's left after paying the rent has gone for supplies.
"I cleared out Wal-Mart," Boyapati said. "I bought every single air mattress in Wal-Mart."
Paul, campaigning in Manchester on Saturday, said he was grateful for Boyapati's effort but mildly shocked that he quit his job and moved cross-country for him.
"When I heard about that, I said `Are you OK?'" Paul said.
Boyapati, an Australian-born Indian who became a U.S. citizen last year, got hooked on Paul after watching a televised debate where Paul stated that terrorists attacked the United States because it's interfering in other countries' affairs.
The comments angered former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who demanded that Paul retract them. Paul refused.
"To say that when you have a crowd baying for your blood, that's a courageous thing," Boyapati said.
In October Boyapati put out an online call for volunteers to come to New Hampshire. Sam Wolanyk, 37, of San Diego, signed up.
"When I got here on Dec. 10, I was supposed to stay only until the 18th but then I saw how intense it was, so I called my wife and said I wanted to stay through the primary," Wolanyk said. "She said come home for Christmas. I got home Christmas Eve and came back the day after Christmas - with her."
Kim Wolanyk, 38, a self-professed liberal Democrat, thought her husband had become a tad obsessed with Paul. But the more she heard her husband talk, and the more she realized how angry she was at congressional Democrats for failing to end the Iraq war or kill the Patriot Act, the better Ron Paul sounded.
Now she's waving signs along highways and living in a group home - and loving it.
"I didn't know there were other people out there who thought like me, I didn't know they felt the way I felt," she said. "Ron Paul - I don't agree with him on everything, but he's a man of integrity."
Boyapati hopes Operation Live Free or Die has a big future.
"When we change everything in New Hampshire, we'll go to South Carolina and Nevada," he said. "This is only the beginning."
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Once in a lifetime experience
After my first full night's sleep after 9 days in New Hampshire with Operation Live Free Or Die, I've had a chance to reflect on this once in a lifetime experience.
I can say quite honestly, that I have never enjoyed a group of people more than the supporters I lived with and volunteered with in New Hampshire. It is a reflection on the quality and intelligence of Ron Paul and his message of liberty, that he attracts such highly thoughtful, fun, clever, and generous people.
The fact that we were all working toward a common goal made the experience that much more meaningful. We are up against true tyranny in this country, but that didn't stop us from turning our struggle into one giant week-long party for liberty.
Thank you, Vijay, for having this vision for OLDF and following through on it to make it happen. You and Trevor (and surely many others) have shown what can be accomplished for this revolutionary movement if we focus and follow through on great ideas.
I feel honored to have been invited to participate and get to know you all. I highly recommend that others join in the upcoming similar efforts in Nevada and elsewhere. We don't get many chances to be in the midst of history in the making.
Diana
I can say quite honestly, that I have never enjoyed a group of people more than the supporters I lived with and volunteered with in New Hampshire. It is a reflection on the quality and intelligence of Ron Paul and his message of liberty, that he attracts such highly thoughtful, fun, clever, and generous people.
The fact that we were all working toward a common goal made the experience that much more meaningful. We are up against true tyranny in this country, but that didn't stop us from turning our struggle into one giant week-long party for liberty.
Thank you, Vijay, for having this vision for OLDF and following through on it to make it happen. You and Trevor (and surely many others) have shown what can be accomplished for this revolutionary movement if we focus and follow through on great ideas.
I feel honored to have been invited to participate and get to know you all. I highly recommend that others join in the upcoming similar efforts in Nevada and elsewhere. We don't get many chances to be in the midst of history in the making.
Diana
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
We want Liberty, not Bill and Hillary!
An article in the New York Times describes the fervent Operation Live Free or Die volunteers and how their chanting often drowned out the chants of other groups of supporters.
At the ABC debate I remember each candidate had a group of supporters gathered outside St Anselm College with signs. Ron Paul's supporters made up about 30% of the entire group and at one stage we were next to Hillary's group. While they were chanting "Hillary! Hillary!" our group was chanting "We want Liberty, not Bill and Hillary!"
Of course they were drowned out because our group was three times as big as theirs, but things got really fun when we started chanting "She voted for the War! She voted for the War!" The faces of almost all Hillary's supporters dropped.
Each of them was thinking, oh yeah... she did vote for the war... twice!
At the ABC debate I remember each candidate had a group of supporters gathered outside St Anselm College with signs. Ron Paul's supporters made up about 30% of the entire group and at one stage we were next to Hillary's group. While they were chanting "Hillary! Hillary!" our group was chanting "We want Liberty, not Bill and Hillary!"
Of course they were drowned out because our group was three times as big as theirs, but things got really fun when we started chanting "She voted for the War! She voted for the War!" The faces of almost all Hillary's supporters dropped.
Each of them was thinking, oh yeah... she did vote for the war... twice!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Vijay and Mike
The other day I spoke at the Indian association of New Hampshire alongside Presidential candidate Mike Gravel. I spoke first, for about 20 minutes, then Senator Gravel spoke for about the same time. Each of us took questions from the audience and then I had the chance to ask Mike a question:
"Senator Gravel, firstly I'd like to say it's an honor to sit beside you and listen to your ideas. I also wanted to personally thank you for your role in ending the draft in the 70s. The draft is one of the most immoral attacks on personal freedom that one could imagine.
I became a citizen last year because I believe in the principles on which this Republic was founded, and I believe in the Constitution. You've spoken a lot about democracy, but if you look at the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, the word "democracy" is not mentioned a single time. Our nation is a Republic founded to secure the blessing of liberty for ourselves and our posterity.
The 9th and 10th amendments in the bill of rights emphasize that the power not delegated to the Federal government should go to the states, and to the people. The benefit of having little power at the Federal level, and most power at the local level is that citizens have choice. If a citizen doesn't like the community they're in, they can move immediately and they have a large number of states to choose from. In a democracy, voters have to wait four years, and the choice they're given is typically the lesser of two horrible evils.
So my question is why don't you support returning to the principles on which the country was founded with more freedom and less government?
Also, I wish you well in New Hampshire, but if things don't go well, I invite you to endorse Ron Paul for President. He's a man of integrity, he speaks the truth and he's a tireless defender of the Constitution."
Senator Gravel then spent a few minutes waffling about One World Government, and talking about how state governments are often just as incompetent as the Federal government (totally missing my point about competition between the states, and choice for individuals in each state). He smiled at my request that he endorse Ron, saying he invites Ron to endorse him and that Ron would make a great Secretary of Defense in a Gravel administration.
I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Senator Gravel, firstly I'd like to say it's an honor to sit beside you and listen to your ideas. I also wanted to personally thank you for your role in ending the draft in the 70s. The draft is one of the most immoral attacks on personal freedom that one could imagine.
I became a citizen last year because I believe in the principles on which this Republic was founded, and I believe in the Constitution. You've spoken a lot about democracy, but if you look at the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, the word "democracy" is not mentioned a single time. Our nation is a Republic founded to secure the blessing of liberty for ourselves and our posterity.
The 9th and 10th amendments in the bill of rights emphasize that the power not delegated to the Federal government should go to the states, and to the people. The benefit of having little power at the Federal level, and most power at the local level is that citizens have choice. If a citizen doesn't like the community they're in, they can move immediately and they have a large number of states to choose from. In a democracy, voters have to wait four years, and the choice they're given is typically the lesser of two horrible evils.
So my question is why don't you support returning to the principles on which the country was founded with more freedom and less government?
Also, I wish you well in New Hampshire, but if things don't go well, I invite you to endorse Ron Paul for President. He's a man of integrity, he speaks the truth and he's a tireless defender of the Constitution."
Senator Gravel then spent a few minutes waffling about One World Government, and talking about how state governments are often just as incompetent as the Federal government (totally missing my point about competition between the states, and choice for individuals in each state). He smiled at my request that he endorse Ron, saying he invites Ron to endorse him and that Ron would make a great Secretary of Defense in a Gravel administration.
I couldn't help but chuckle.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Ron Paul backlash hits Fox
Fox faced a huge backlash in downtown Manchester, New Hampshire with hundreds of Operation Live Free or Die volunteers and local Ron Paul supporters gathering for a protest. This was a big story which made the top spot in digg within an hour of it going live on the web.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Snowmen for Ron paul
The Hampton house built an army of snowmen in Exeter, NH the other night. Enjoy!
The Intersection of Ron Paul and TGI Fridays
Article in ABC News:
At the busy intersection of Rt. 28 and the Mall of New Hampshire entrance, between roaring six-lane traffic and the glittering retail mecca, the libertarian Republican presidential candidate's eclectic ground soldiers staged a makeshift battleground, waving signs and and playing chicken with the oncoming traffic ... all in the name of the man sometimes known as Dr. No.
...
At the busy intersection of Rt. 28 and the Mall of New Hampshire entrance, between roaring six-lane traffic and the glittering retail mecca, the libertarian Republican presidential candidate's eclectic ground soldiers staged a makeshift battleground, waving signs and and playing chicken with the oncoming traffic ... all in the name of the man sometimes known as Dr. No.
...
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
They risk their lives for us, we give our time and energy for them
I just flew into New Hampshire late last night, where I was greeted quite warmly by a huge group of Ron Paul supporters, celebrating the New Year at Murphy's Tap Room.
On my flight, I had the pleasure of sitting next to an Army reservist, who was on his way home to visit his wife for 15 days after being in Iraq for 8 months. Then, he goes back for another 4 months. He hopes this is his last tour, but he isn't sure. He had just finished another 12-month tour, when he was sent right back out again. He said there is a limit for the Reserves. You aren't supposed to have to tour for more than 2 years in any 5 year period, but he didn't seem convinced that he wouldn't be called again anyway. He was a very upbeat, kind man. He wanted to start his life, but felt like everything was on hold. "But I guess, in the end, it's worth it, right?"
We chatted for a while and then the discussion turned to the primary. He said he doesn't like to talk about politics but he thinks he will have to vote for a Democrat this time. "I'm not very happy with my Commander-in-Chief," he said. He wants a big change in Washington and he doesn't want the U.S. military jumping from country to country over there trying to fix everything.
I told him I was supporting Ron Paul who will end the war and will definitely bring a huge change to Washington. I know he was more interested in spending time with his wife than researching political candidates, but I hope he looks into Ron Paul.
It seems like no matter who I meet, and no matter who those people are voting for, when I hear what is important to them, it's clear that Ron Paul will deliver the America they are looking for. We just need to keep getting the word out.
Diana
On my flight, I had the pleasure of sitting next to an Army reservist, who was on his way home to visit his wife for 15 days after being in Iraq for 8 months. Then, he goes back for another 4 months. He hopes this is his last tour, but he isn't sure. He had just finished another 12-month tour, when he was sent right back out again. He said there is a limit for the Reserves. You aren't supposed to have to tour for more than 2 years in any 5 year period, but he didn't seem convinced that he wouldn't be called again anyway. He was a very upbeat, kind man. He wanted to start his life, but felt like everything was on hold. "But I guess, in the end, it's worth it, right?"
We chatted for a while and then the discussion turned to the primary. He said he doesn't like to talk about politics but he thinks he will have to vote for a Democrat this time. "I'm not very happy with my Commander-in-Chief," he said. He wants a big change in Washington and he doesn't want the U.S. military jumping from country to country over there trying to fix everything.
I told him I was supporting Ron Paul who will end the war and will definitely bring a huge change to Washington. I know he was more interested in spending time with his wife than researching political candidates, but I hope he looks into Ron Paul.
It seems like no matter who I meet, and no matter who those people are voting for, when I hear what is important to them, it's clear that Ron Paul will deliver the America they are looking for. We just need to keep getting the word out.
Diana
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