Crazy shit for Ron Paul

December 6th, 2007

Ron Paul BlimpDoes anything compare to the ingenuity, enthusiasm, and hard work that Ron Paul has inspired in his supporters? Every time I think the grassroots has had its grandest hour, they go and do something even more crazy and awe-inspiring. Initially, it was mostly a whole lot of clever videos, songs, and blog posts about Ron Paul. Supporters, including myself, couldn’t stop seeking out online media to learn more about the candidate and his chances of winning. Lately, the effort has shifted into massive real world projects that would never be remotely possible for supporters of any other candidate to achieve (although they do occasionally try). Here is a list, in no particular order, of efforts that have made my jaw drop. In many cases, I believed the goal was set too high and failure was certain, but I have been proven wrong every time.

  • November 5th Money Bomb – This legendary fundraiser changed the corporate media’s attitude toward Ron Paul overnight, raising well over $4 million dollars in one day. The official campaign didn’t need to do a thing.
  • Operation Live Free or Die – Hundreds of people are taking time off of work to go to freeze their butts off in New Hampshire, so that every voter in the state knows who Ron Paul is, and what he’s about. It’s hard to get people to leave their homes for a couple of hours even to attend a potluck. But for Ron Paul, they are willing to leave home for days or weeks at a time to get him elected. The organizer quit his cushy job at Google to coordinate the effort. Others have quit their jobs to participate.
  • Tea Party – Not only does it look like the December 16th money bomb will be significantly bigger than the first one, it has also turned into a massive publicity event in Boston, where volunteers are expected to travel from all around to reinact a modern version of the Boston Tea Party, this time dumping the IRS, the Fed, the Iraq War, and any number of other unconstitutional federal programs into the harbor.
  • Ron Paul Blimp – I’m sorry, the what??? A blimp! Awesome. Ron Paul supporters must agree because they have already given $135,000 to pay for this effort. They need to collect $200,000 by midnight on Friday so make sure you send in your money ASAP.
  • Granny Warriors – These dedicated ladies painted their RV up with Ron Paul messages and have taken it all over the country to campaign for Ron Paul over the last year. They barely see their homes because they travel so much. They have virtually given a year of their lives in support of Ron Paul.
  • Ron Paul Love Bug – A supporter in Asheville, NC decorated his beautiful new VW bug with Ron Paul bumper stickers and message decals to help spread Ron Paul’s message wherever he goes. Word has it that he gets a lot of attention, and reactions have generally evolved from curiosity to support.
  • Ron Paul Yacht? – I can’t find any pictures, but I hear there was a Ron Paul yacht outside the recent Florida debate. Huckabee is reported to have asked Ron Paul if he arrived on the boat. There was a huge show of support in Florida. Guiliani commented on the large numbers of supporters for Ron Paul.
Ron Paul Love Bug

Ron Paul Love Bug

These are a few examples that spring to mind, but equally inventive efforts are happening all over the country, and in fact, all over the world. Can you imagine groups of Giuliani, Clinton, Romney, Huckabee, or Obama supporters pulling off even one of these endeavors? Several have tried to at least mimic the “money bomb” success, but none have come close. Because, while other candidate may have supporters who think they’d do a good job, Ron Paul has supporters who believe there is nothing more important right now than to get this man elected. The only thing more amazing than what grassroots supporters have done for Ron Paul’s campaign is the slew of imaginative efforts that are bound to follow.

Did I leave off your favorite Ron Paul grassroots effort? Let everyone know about it in the comments section.

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12 Responses to “Crazy shit for Ron Paul”

  1. stanzx Says:
    December 6th, 2007 at 8:25 pm

    Crazy is right but We The People not special interest make these things happen! We are all apart of this great history! Nice Blog 🙂

    Stan

  2. George Says:
    December 9th, 2007 at 10:47 am

    hey!

    I’ve got that love bug on my video of the Ron Paul Rally in Rock Hill, SC, Dec 08

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=irybNkz_Xfw

    (got the date wrong on the vid – I’ll fix it)

  3. bike4paul Says:
    December 10th, 2007 at 7:54 am

    Add “Ron Paul Riders” to your list – http://www.ronpaulriders.com/blog/ – this man has been riding his bicycle across the country in support of Ron Paul and has been receiving incredible support from meetup groups all the way through. Handing out literature, taking pictures, and getting some real memories out of the adventure.

  4. Randolphus Maximus Says:
    December 12th, 2007 at 8:01 am

    Vegan Girl-

    My favorite so far has to be the blimp. Once that thing launches, there’s no way that the media can ignore it.

    Telling the FEC to eat it by creating a for-profit LLC and removing any monetary limits that may be in place is brilliant on at least two levels. One, it breaks new ground in campaign finance and is a story in itself (which gets Ron Paul extra publicity).

    But on top of that, any response by the FEC, if they were so inclined to put the kibosh on the blimp is ANOTHER story which gets Ron Paul’s name out there.

    Genius, pure genius.

    btw nice blog, I don’t know if you pay attention to things like this, but I found your blog because I’m listed right above yours over at Liv’s blogroll.

  5. Another RP Vegan! Says:
    December 16th, 2007 at 1:20 am

    If it wasn’t for the crazy ingenuity of Ron Paul supporters, I wouldn’t have even given him a second look (I was content in my decision to vote for no one). Thanks y’all!

  6. Martin Says:
    December 18th, 2007 at 7:59 pm

    Vegan Girl,
    I really admire your open-mindedness to to different viewpoints. I think that attitude is very healthy. I think that libertarians and liberals could both gain a lot from each other.

    In your “the vegan case for Ron Paul”, you talked about how anti-cruelty laws legislate morality. Do you consider anti-child abuse statutes legislating morality? Don’t you believe that animals, just as human children, have a right to freedom from cruelty? Is it legislating morality to outlaw murder? Isn’t it the proper exercise of government to protect people’s rights to physical integrity? If you believe in animal rights then wouldn’t anti-cruelty legislation also be a proper exercise of government? I don’t mean this offensively but your argument appears to smack of speciesism.

    I think you could easily reconcile an animal rights view with libertarianism. In some ways, they are very similar in their reliance on a notion of rights.

    However I don’t agree with libertarianism, and here’s why. Basically I think human welfare trumps personal freedom sometimes. In other words, I believe not only in negative rights but positive rights as well. I think every person is entitled to a decent life: clothing, shelter, food, medicine, healthcare, etc. And I think that the initiation of coercion against individuals to assure it is a proper exercise of government.

    I would still believe in ‘human rights’ even if our present society had developed without having violated anyone’s rights. But it is worth noting that our current society’s distribution of existing wealth and power is the result of centuries of massive injustice. In light of this, a good argument could be made that the government has a proper role in remedying some of that injustice.

    If I could be convinced that basic human rights could be assured without government, I would be on board with libertarians all the way. I don’t think there is much evidence to suggest that this would happen. 10% of families own about 70% of the nation’s net worth. 40% of families of own about 1%.

    Thanks,
    Martin

  7. Katherine/Aunt Kathie Says:
    December 20th, 2007 at 11:39 am

    Hi Martin,

    Well said. You have expressed my feelings about libertarianism much better than I did in my long rambling rants on other posts. There is too much room for the poor and sick to become even more disenfranchised than they already are.

    Katherine

  8. vegangirl Says:
    December 20th, 2007 at 11:43 am

    Hi Martin,

    Thanks for your comments. I have posted a response in the comments section of A vegan’s case for Ron Paul.

    Diana

  9. Jed Gillen Says:
    December 23rd, 2007 at 11:29 pm

    I decided to start commenting on your blogs.

    I am deeply hurt to have been left off of your “crazy shit for Ron Paul” list. I mean, no one could argue that it’s not shit… so I guess you must be saying that it’s not crazy enough to make your list?

    More to the point, I think your readers should know that the whole Ron Paul Girl thing was your idea. We’ve gotten over a half a million views and lots of emails from people saying that they had never heard of Ron Paul before but had checked him out because of our videos and liked what he had to say– and ultimately you deserve a lot of the credit for that.

  10. vegangirl Says:
    December 24th, 2007 at 10:56 am

    Welcome to my little world, Jed!

    I assure you, it was just an oversight in what was a much-too-quickly written post. Videotaping your hot girlfriend taking her clothes off for the world to see to help get Ron Paul elected definitely qualifies as crazy enough.

    Thanks for the credit. It’s nice to know I contributed somewhere somehow.

  11. kc Says:
    January 6th, 2008 at 10:34 pm

    Loveoultion R3volution Love Bug, Love Bug #2
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaE2183ob5w
    kc Tucson

  12. Dr Hook Says:
    May 23rd, 2011 at 12:26 pm

    RonPaul is the king of pork projects, a career politician, and a nutcase . .no thanks, we have enough problems with 0we-bama.

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