Tuesday night was the Minnesota caucus. This was my first time ever physically being in the same state where I was registered to vote on voting day. My previous voting location (NY) doesn’t have caucuses either, so I was pretty excited to see how the whole system worked. I had volunteered to be a Romney rep at my caucus (I guess they read a letter from the candidate to their precinct to try to sway undecideds -- I didn’t have to read it as all of the people in my precinct knew who they wanted). After listening to some conservative rhetoric and a few inaudible letters (people really should get to these things on time, how anyone can concentrate with so much hustle & bustle around is beyond my comprehension) we split into our precinct to conduct our straw poll and talk about precinct issues. Well, I knew there probably weren’t going to be hundreds of people in my precinct (1. I live in Saint Paul, which is a liberal haven 2. My precinct just isn’t geographically large 3. This is a non-binding caucus so the vote doesn’t count for much), but I was shocked to see only 4 people (including myself) enter our precinct room. Three of the four of us had never even been to a caucus meeting like this before. One rather large man, wearing a blue National Republican Convention 2008 button-down shirt and an artistic tie that featured the GOP elephant, took charge and took us through the step-by-step outline we were given. I quickly found out that this gentleman worked for the state for the last 35 years and was extremely involved in politics. He bragged about his experiences in politics both local and state-wide. There was another gentleman in attendance that almost immediately went off on governmental control and how he has been following Ron Paul for the past 10 years and thinks he’s just brilliant. This man was seasonally unemployed, quite scruffy, and was a bit flamboyant in his description of the city and government. The last gentleman seemed like a nice guy. He sat there quietly and talked about his divorce and the change he has seen in the neighborhood. He seemed like a clean-cut, blue collar worker. Then there was me. The well-groomed, professionally dressed (I was still in my work attire), well-educated, clean-cut female. We completed the straw poll, which is supposed to be secret, but when there are only 4 people there and 1 of the 4 has already announced that he’s a Ron Paul supporter, it’s not too difficult to figure out who the other 2 people voted for (especially since we were all sitting so close I saw each one write it down). With 4 people present and 4 potential candidates, each candidate got 1 vote. It was very interesting to see how much each one of us fit the stereotype of the type of person who votes for each candidate. The scruffy, unemployed man who is anti-government voted for Paul (this could have only been better if he was a 21 year old pot head). The fat, cocky government guy voted for Newt. The nice, clean-cut, blue collar worker voted for Santorum. And the well-groomed, well-educated, professional female voted for Mitt (this could have only been better if I was a senior citizen). CLASSIC! If that doesn’t play into stereotypes I don’t know what does! Anyway, we discussed some local issues and divvied up responsibilities. I am one of the delegates that go to our BPOU (?) convention in March where we actually select delegates for later on down the road. I am also the newest precinct Treasurer and as there is no money and I am most likely moving out of my precinct in August, I feel great about being more politically active even though I really don’t have any responsibility besides showing up to my BPOU convention on March 13.
It was really interesting to see the very beginning of the political process. I must say it really sparked something in me to be more involved and aware of what is going on in my local area. The whole thing also made me kind of disgruntled that nobody else in my area really cared to be involved at all. I know there are more than 4 conservative leaning people in my neighborhood, and yet nobody even showed up to discuss issues, learn about the process, or vote. What is America coming too?
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Ron Paul Revolution!
I’m going to preface this by stating that I will not be voting for Ron Paul this afternoon in my local caucus. And although I think that some of his ideas have merit (balancing the budget, cutting spending, upholding the constitution, etc.), some of his ideas are simply ridiculous (legalized prostitution and drugs, going back to the gold standard, etc.). I do, however, have a strange fascination with the man. He adds a certain humor and flair to the debates that I appreciate. He also has the tendency to repudiate Newt’s historically slanted “facts,” which is also greatly appreciated. I see Ron Paul as an adorable grandpa figure that is probably going a bit senile. You have to love this guy; he’s just so stinking cute!
In my quest to become more politically-minded I have been following the GOP race. This weekend some of the candidates were in town so some friends and I decided to go check out a Ron Paul rally. Saturday afternoon we went to Bethel University (a staunchly Christian private school), but there were too many people and the room was filled before we were able to get in. Last night we headed down to the Minneapolis Convention Center early for another Ron Paul rally. It was an interesting experience. Before walking into the main event room, there were tables filled with flyers, business cards, and the RON PAUL COOKBOOK! The cookbook made the whole excursion worth it. I really think that was the best part of the rally and I’m excited to try some Paul family favorites. Anyway, we took a bunch of free stuff and headed for the main room. Upon entering the event room a short man, dressed in revolutionary war era clothes was playing a drum… this was going to be one great night! We found some seats in the back, sat down, and listened to two very boring speeches about Ron Paul, and a third that was much more exciting, but strange nonetheless. The last speech focused on how the year 2012 was going to be the year of 212 because water boils at 212 degrees – I guess the Ron Paul revolution is the boiling point or something to that affect. Finally Ronny steps on the stage and there he is, this tiny old man. Man, he’s just adorable! Ron spoke for a while. Some of his ideas were great and if he didn’t ramble on from one topic to the next in random cyclical patterns, he probably would have been much more effective. I consider myself an intelligent, educated individual but it was very difficult to follow his train of thought and the progression of his ideas. I do remember him throwing in the word “tyranny” quite a few times and talking about how we need to fight against tyranny. Combine that with the theme “revolution” and the whole thing had a very eerie feel to it. During his speech, my friend turned to me and said, “He should fire his speech writer.” I wholeheartedly agree, but then after thinking about it for a while, it didn’t seem like he was even looking at anything at all. He seemed to just be going wherever the wind blew him. Maybe he writes his own speeches because I don’t know how you could pay someone the big bucks to come up with that unorganized message. The crowd seemed to love it though. I think he got the most applause when he started talking about ending the war on drugs and legalizing drugs. At that point I turned to my friend and asked, “What percentage of people here do you think are Ron Paul supports simply because he believes in legalizing drugs?” To which she responded, “At least 50%.” And I agree. After taking a long hard look at the mass of people that came together to support Ron Paul, the vast majority of them would fall into the category of 18-30 young people who look like they do not own a razor, shampoo, or soap. Granted, I feel like the Twin Cities has a large hippy population, but the vast majority of the people at the rally were young hippies who may or may not have been high on something. Don’t get me wrong, there were a couple of elderly couples there and a few middle-aged families that brought their kids along, but for the most part the group looked like a bunch of unwashed street bums. It made me wonder what Occupy Wall Street looked like. Anyway, at the end of Ron’s speech the crowd left while chanting, “End the Fed” and “RON PAUL REVOLUTION, GIVE US BACK OUR CONSTITUTION!” While we walked out to the parking garage, we were passed by a group of young men in an SUV who also came from the rally. The gentleman in the passenger’s seat rolled down the window (that wasn’t the only thing he was rolling) and while smoking a joint asked us how we liked the rally. Nice fellow, really… but he totally confirmed my earlier analysis.
Overall, the experience was enlightening and entertaining. After further analysis I find it interesting that people attribute Ron Paul’s enthusiastic following to the youth movement becoming disenfranchised with government and desire to preserve liberty and the constitution; (Let me state that preserving liberty and the constitution are phenomenal objectives and should be part of the movement of the day) however, I really don’t actually think that’s what the real underlying motivation is for his supporters. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there are some sincere, educated people out there who truly believe and will fight for the intentions of Paul (and I think his intentions are good), but I can’t help but think that the vast majority of the Ron Paul supports (primarily those coming from the youth) are because Paul is very liberal when it comes to his drug and prostitution views. I think for the most part the young and uneducated (who are the 2 groups that make up the majority of Paul’s following) want to get government out of the way so they can engage in any type of behavior they want without any repercussions from law enforcement. I also think a lot of youngsters join the cause because it is a fad. These self-determined truths are probably disappointing for those people who are supporters of Paul because they see him as a true champion of liberty and the constitution. I really don’t think that most of the Ron Paul followers actually understand what he stands for and the motivation for his stances, which is kind of sad because he does stand for some very good and important things.
In my quest to become more politically-minded I have been following the GOP race. This weekend some of the candidates were in town so some friends and I decided to go check out a Ron Paul rally. Saturday afternoon we went to Bethel University (a staunchly Christian private school), but there were too many people and the room was filled before we were able to get in. Last night we headed down to the Minneapolis Convention Center early for another Ron Paul rally. It was an interesting experience. Before walking into the main event room, there were tables filled with flyers, business cards, and the RON PAUL COOKBOOK! The cookbook made the whole excursion worth it. I really think that was the best part of the rally and I’m excited to try some Paul family favorites. Anyway, we took a bunch of free stuff and headed for the main room. Upon entering the event room a short man, dressed in revolutionary war era clothes was playing a drum… this was going to be one great night! We found some seats in the back, sat down, and listened to two very boring speeches about Ron Paul, and a third that was much more exciting, but strange nonetheless. The last speech focused on how the year 2012 was going to be the year of 212 because water boils at 212 degrees – I guess the Ron Paul revolution is the boiling point or something to that affect. Finally Ronny steps on the stage and there he is, this tiny old man. Man, he’s just adorable! Ron spoke for a while. Some of his ideas were great and if he didn’t ramble on from one topic to the next in random cyclical patterns, he probably would have been much more effective. I consider myself an intelligent, educated individual but it was very difficult to follow his train of thought and the progression of his ideas. I do remember him throwing in the word “tyranny” quite a few times and talking about how we need to fight against tyranny. Combine that with the theme “revolution” and the whole thing had a very eerie feel to it. During his speech, my friend turned to me and said, “He should fire his speech writer.” I wholeheartedly agree, but then after thinking about it for a while, it didn’t seem like he was even looking at anything at all. He seemed to just be going wherever the wind blew him. Maybe he writes his own speeches because I don’t know how you could pay someone the big bucks to come up with that unorganized message. The crowd seemed to love it though. I think he got the most applause when he started talking about ending the war on drugs and legalizing drugs. At that point I turned to my friend and asked, “What percentage of people here do you think are Ron Paul supports simply because he believes in legalizing drugs?” To which she responded, “At least 50%.” And I agree. After taking a long hard look at the mass of people that came together to support Ron Paul, the vast majority of them would fall into the category of 18-30 young people who look like they do not own a razor, shampoo, or soap. Granted, I feel like the Twin Cities has a large hippy population, but the vast majority of the people at the rally were young hippies who may or may not have been high on something. Don’t get me wrong, there were a couple of elderly couples there and a few middle-aged families that brought their kids along, but for the most part the group looked like a bunch of unwashed street bums. It made me wonder what Occupy Wall Street looked like. Anyway, at the end of Ron’s speech the crowd left while chanting, “End the Fed” and “RON PAUL REVOLUTION, GIVE US BACK OUR CONSTITUTION!” While we walked out to the parking garage, we were passed by a group of young men in an SUV who also came from the rally. The gentleman in the passenger’s seat rolled down the window (that wasn’t the only thing he was rolling) and while smoking a joint asked us how we liked the rally. Nice fellow, really… but he totally confirmed my earlier analysis.
Overall, the experience was enlightening and entertaining. After further analysis I find it interesting that people attribute Ron Paul’s enthusiastic following to the youth movement becoming disenfranchised with government and desire to preserve liberty and the constitution; (Let me state that preserving liberty and the constitution are phenomenal objectives and should be part of the movement of the day) however, I really don’t actually think that’s what the real underlying motivation is for his supporters. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there are some sincere, educated people out there who truly believe and will fight for the intentions of Paul (and I think his intentions are good), but I can’t help but think that the vast majority of the Ron Paul supports (primarily those coming from the youth) are because Paul is very liberal when it comes to his drug and prostitution views. I think for the most part the young and uneducated (who are the 2 groups that make up the majority of Paul’s following) want to get government out of the way so they can engage in any type of behavior they want without any repercussions from law enforcement. I also think a lot of youngsters join the cause because it is a fad. These self-determined truths are probably disappointing for those people who are supporters of Paul because they see him as a true champion of liberty and the constitution. I really don’t think that most of the Ron Paul followers actually understand what he stands for and the motivation for his stances, which is kind of sad because he does stand for some very good and important things.
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