Posted by LLPeace on 11/07/08

The election is over.  What lessons are there to be learned?  It would seem there are many, particularly for those who supported Ron Paul and then looked to anyone who espoused his beliefs.  First of all, people must have hope…hope that the future can be better.  Paul in his campaign and many of the third party candidates spent their time “waking up America”.  In this process, what they did was not just show the things that are wrong (and I believe them) but pound it in that only those who were “awakened” were right; only those who were “awakened” could see the evil in the government and the world, and those who were “awakened” had a duty to show the American people how stupid they were.  They presented a message of despair to America.  They pounded day after day on the blogs and emails with lessons of America’s stupidity and of the calamitous times that were ahead.  They had great ideals:  adhere to the Constitution, abolish the Federal Reserve, and get out of wars around the world.  I agree with all of these things, and I think most Americans do.  How was never answered; specifics were never given; but most importantly HOPE was never given.  When times are hard, people need hope as much as they need air. 

             Another lesson to be learned by the Paulites and third party candidates is in campaign handling.  Ron Paul’s campaign was possibly the worst I have ever seen.  There was great grassroots support, large sums of money raised by average citizens who were eager to support the change this country needs.  Was the media unfair?  Absolutely!  Were the debates fair?  Absolutely not.  All candidates should always be included and treated equally.  Was Ron Paul good in the debates?  No!  Were third party campaigns organized in such a way to show people how they were going to accomplish their goals?  Resoundingly no!  Ron Paul came across to the average citizenry as angry and negative.  Even to those of us to believed in his causes, no answers were given.  How is troop withdrawal around the world to be done?  Did he plan to just close the bases down and leave?  Was there a plan for withdrawal?  Were the effects of this withdrawal studied and contingences planned? (Gee…that seems like the questions that we had for Bush about Iraq).  How do you accomplish the abolishment of the Federal Reserve and go back to the gold standard?  What happens when this is done?  How can a free market work in an environment of corporate greed?  What proof do Americans have that the companies will not get together and agree to higher prices and not competitive low prices?  When such drastic changes are proposed, people want specifics.  People need to know how these drastic changes will work.  Would you go skydiving without knowing what to expect and how it worked?  Why would it be any different with drastic changes in your daily life?

             So…what now?  Will be blogs and emails be filled by the supporters of change with dire warnings and how the “sheeple” (I cannot tell you how much I hate that term) are duped again?  Probably. Will there be people who are looking forward in a perverse way to “Armageddon and the military state where all rights are taken away”?  Probably (a suggestion for them…go join Blackwater).  Will you be a part of it or will you regroup and learn the lessons from this election? Be informed about what is around you, but the average citizen will not join you if you see the world as doomed. Look locally and think about participating positively in your locality.  Present, not just your ideas, but also specifically how they would work. If you don’t know the specifics, how would you possibly expect others to understand?  Don’t take a “us…the awakened and informed and you the sheeple” attitude.  No one wants to be made to feel looked down on and stupid. That will NEVER win votes or friends.  Present these ideas in a positive light. Yes, the stock market is down, the car manufacturers are not seeing a profit…the economy is in recession.  Perhaps we could focus on how that might be good.  Could it be that the false market inflation will reach a more realistic level?  Could it be that people understand that they don’t need a new car every year?  Could it be that people are focusing on what they need rather that having everything that is out there to have? 

            This is our chance.  This is our chance to forge a community of people who bring about change by getting people to work together and to explain their beliefs in a positive light. This is our chance to bring together people who understand that working together and pooling knowledge and skills will get us through hard times. This is our chance to work in our localities to find people with ideas, energy, and knowledge to bring these changes. This is our chance to look at America and see the positive that is there as well…not with blinders on to the negative but not with blinders on to the positive either.  This is our chance to look at ourselves and see where our energy lies and what we are willing to do to create a better America.  This is our chance to give hope.  This is our chance to show that we have learned our lessons too. 

Posted 11/07/08 Nf7mate Cedar Park, TX

I thought Ron Paul did fanstastic in the debates. His performance in the debates raised his profile almost instantly from little known congressman to national icon. As far as lessons learned, I think too much money was spent on print advertisements in NH. That money would have been put to better use on television/radio ads and/or local events.