Revolution Takes Time and Planning:
We've Only Just Begun!
It
is now obvious that Rep. Ron Paul will not be
elected President of the
Rather than throw ourselves in a fetal position and wait for Armageddon, now is the time to make some concrete, long
term plans to assure we can elect the next Ron Paul.
That, in fact, is exactly what Rep. Paul had in
mind when he started his campaign in the first place.
Without getting involved in the dynamics of party politics and the Herculean
task involved in gaining control of a national party, let me offer three ideas
that the average Ron Paul true believer can do
right there on the local level.
First, every true believer in the Ron Paul
Revolution must understand exactly what it is we are revolting over and then
begin to control the debate. We should make sure that the other side does not
dictate the way issues are framed. Today, Clinton/Obama/McCain gives us a false
choice - they call it security. Security from terrorism; security from the
unknown such as the dips and spins of uncontrolled free markets; security
through free universal health care and so forth.
In fact, the real debate is a choice of freedom vs. control. National IDs won’t
protect us against terrorism or illegal immigration. It is never safer to lock
ourselves in a cell. Just because someone announces a new program to
"protect the environment" doesn't mean it's true. Government control
of the economy is not a good thing - ever. And there is nothing patriotic about
the Patriot Act.
The average American wants freedom - if he understands what it is. And he
doesn't want government intervention into daily life. Eighty percent of the
American people are vitally
concerned about the Supreme Court decision on eminent domain. But so many of
these core issues have either been ignored in the political debate or they are
being whitewashed as protection policy. We have to change that perception and
we can’t sell our revolution until we do.
Second: One has to plan for a revolution five years in advance - not five
months before an election. One of the reasons Ron Paul's
campaign did not catch on is because the media marginalized him from the start.
They called him fringe, long shot or maverick. And they said it over and over.
While the true believers called it censorship and insisted that Ron Paul had more support than the media reported, the
fact is, when the votes were counted he became a five percenter - just as the
media had predicted. As that happened in primary after primary, Paul was ever
more dismissed.
However, had he surged in the polls and dominated in the primaries - just like
Obama - the media would have been forced to report it and the revolution would
have caught on, whether they liked it or not. How to make that happen? Start
now for the next time.
While so many are lamenting that the Republic is dead, we are ignoring the very
silver bullet that the Founding Fathers provided to assure a Republic
everlasting by making government at the local level the most powerful force.
The silver bullet is still there, rusting in the dust from lack of use.
The silver bullet is precinct captain. You scoff? You were hoping for something
more exciting? Well, that's probably the very reason we've ignored it. We would
much rather turn our attention to Washington, Congress or presidential
campaigns. Frankly that's the very reason why those offices are so much more
powerful than they are supposed to be - because we've let them become so by
placing all of our attention on them while ignoring local organization and
involvement in government.
But the power still lies in the precinct captain. Our opponents know it. They
have left no lowly office untouched. Every office has power to impose policy,
even dogcatcher, city treasurer and city clerk. The people who collect taxes
and issue permits control building, development, and how private property is
treated. Start there and then move up to city council and mayor.
How important are these local offices? Consider this. Just two years ago the United Nations held a major conference in
At the UN conference, the main targets were the mayors. Those who attended were
asked to sign two documents in which the mayors pledged to undertake 21 action
items over the next few years to implement Sustainable Development. These
action items include water policy, energy policy, transportation, and health.
They were provided sample legislation and pledged to enact it.
Our enemies know that the power to impose this tyranny on us is now at the
local level. And that's where they are concentrating their efforts. So it will
do little good to spend time trying to stop them through Congress or the White
House.
What does the UN understand that you and I don't? That it doesn't matter what
Think globally act locally is not just a slogan. It's an agenda. It's been used
against us to diminish our freedom because we have neglected it. Now, to save
our Republic and way of life, we need to make it our agenda.
How to get started? Make a chart of every single elected position available in
your county. Break it down to the precinct level and then to the ward level.
List every office, every board position, and every neighborhood precinct
position. Now you will begin to see how large a task it is. But take it one
step at a time and start to fill those spots. You need to find a leader for
every neighborhood or precinct who will carry literature, make phone calls, and
turn out voters on Election Day. One of the most common reasons people gave for
not voting for Ron Paul is that they never heard
of him. A good precinct captain can make sure that never happens again.
Now, as you are organizing the precincts, use that new-found network to begin
to elect revolution-minded candidates for the local offices. Work quietly.
Please don't hold a news conference to announce to the community that you
intend to take it over. Work through whatever party you want - even the
Democrats. The goal is to get our people, who support the principles of the Ron Paul Revolution, into places of decision-making. It
would be a dream to have candidates from every party running on the same
issues. It's a goal to shoot for. The other side seems to have achieved it.
Take over a precinct - just one. You will control the election of every
candidate at every level - at least in your part of the city. Then organize a
second precinct, and so on. You will need the precinct worker to make sure
voters get to the polls. You will need poll watchers to make sure our votes are
counted. Plan your work, work your plan and make our issues the ones people
care about. It's hard work, but that's how a real revolution wins.
Third, pay attention to non-elected review boards, policy committees, and
planning commissions. Can you get one of your people on it? Who is doing the
appointing? Get on the board and control policy - or better yet, make moves to
abolish the board as unnecessary or unconstitutional. And don't stop there.
You need to have the ability to create controversy against policies by current
office holders. This will help you find like-minded folks to join you. And it
will help create public debates on issues so your candidates can address them
and win. Remember, most people would oppose many of these policies if they knew
anything about them. Tell them.
Consider this idea: if your local farm bureau or Chamber of Commerce, for
example, isn't representing you - start new ones. Understand this - you don't
have to just take their double-dealing and double speak. Go around them. Show
up at council meetings, or at meetings of any agency or board that purports to
make policy that affects you.
As a new group representing business interests, homeowners, or farmers, demand
your say. Back up your demands by issuing news releases and doing interviews on
local radio and television as you represent your new group. Over and over again,
repeat the message that the governing body isn't representing the interests of
your constituents. If you make enough noise as a group, which is truly standing
up for farmers or business or property owners, those victimized individuals
will find you and follow your efforts. And the revolution will grow.
Organizing today is the only way to assure victory tomorrow.
Tom
DeWeese is one of the nation’s leading advocates of individual liberty, free
enterprise, property rights and back-to-basics education. For over thirty years
he has fought against government oppression.
In
1988, Mr. DeWeese established the American Policy Center (APC), an activist think tank
headquartered in
Mr.
DeWeese makes regular appearances on radio and television talk shows and has
articles published in several national publications.
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