Michigan Prime
Ron Paul 2012 primary result propels us forward
 The third-place total, at 12%, for the Good Doctor in the Michigan Presidential Primary on February 28, 2012, was discouraging but still double the 2008 number.
As a late-in-the-game coordinator for a well-designed direct voter engagement
system, I was ineffective in bringing volunteers online for the last two weeks. But I did put in several hours of solo street time in my region (Novi, Walled Lake, Commerce, Wixom).
An adjoining district, coordinated by a Mr. Go-Getter-Can-Do, Dennis Marburger,
had a motivated bunch out in the precincts for weeks. I thought sure his district/region would win it for the Gipper. Not so. The percentages seemed to land in the 12%
range regardless of district.
We comiserated this morning:
"Slightly Discouraged in Novi..."
In response to my query for a post-mortem this a.m., here's what M had to say:
Brian, last night I felt sick to my stomach. Really thought that we would do better, particualrly in the precincts where we worked so hard for Dr. Paul and Liberty. Upon further reflection, and after some sleep, this is my perspective: in my precinct we had 38 victories for Ron Paul and freedom. That number is embarassingly low, but I know that it would have been lower without the effort. The same is true in other precincts and towns, all over the state. We made progress, woke some folks up and RP's state-wide vote percentage went from 6%(2008) to 12%(2012).
It's not enough, I know, but this very long journey to a free society has moved forward in this campaign. And besides, what great fun we had with our wonderful Liberty family. It really is a privilege and honor to be on the team doing this important work. What great folks!
Let's not forget all the obstacles - including long-term disinformation via gov't schools, corp. media, political establishment, etc...etc... - that we need to overcome. We are fighting a very long, uphill battle, against great odds. Together we had successes and planted more seeds, lit more "brushfires of Liberty".
Last nights' results were a painful reminder of how far we have to go. They were also an indicator of our progress and the positive direction of our work.
To that I replied, "I had a hard time sleeping, too, but did wake up this morning with renewed enthusiasm especially after reading your note...." Along with my other impressions of the campaign, particularly the stellar event at Michigan State:
What's exciting about the Ron Paul campaign—and what I especially realized sitting in that MSU Auditorium, with 4,000 other 'kids,' getting tears and goosebumps—is how the Freedom Philosophy is reigniting the spirit of the young. When the leader of Youth for Ron Paul stepped up to the podium and conveyed his heartfelt hero-respect for Dr. Paul I remembered the same love and passion I felt for Rand and Rothbard and other moral/intellectual icons of the Freedom Philosophy in my day....
Then the official word came down later today, from the man of the hour, our no nonsense sine qua non Michigan coordinator Adam de Angeli. [Of all the 24/7 Freedom Road Wolverine State warriors, he's the one I feel most sad for... i.e. for the widespread unconsciousness in Michigan Republican World that led to the Romney/Santorum nod.]
Michigan: Far from over!
"Isiah 21:11: The burden concerning Dumah. He calls to me from Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?
"It is nighttime in America, it is nighttime in urban America...
I believe, however, that Dr. Paul is a watchman."
— Rev. Jim Holley,
2/27/2012
Dear Michigan Patriots,
You may have heard the expression "character is doing the right thing when nobody is looking."
Character, however, is also doing the right thing when everybody is looking.
And throughout this campaign, since the beginning and through the present day, you have gone out of your comfort zone, reached out to strangers, walked your precinct until your feet hurt, built strong local organizations, donated with incredible generosity, and worked harder than anyone can expect.
Now you are being told that all your work was for nothing. Now you might even be laughed at.
But I know you have the character to shrug all that off.
And guess what else?
It isn't true.
It was all worth it, to be sure. When we opened our headquarters in Ann Arbor I said then: "We will win Michigan, or build the finest political organization Michigan has ever seen trying."
And that we have. The local volunteer organizations, the precinct leaders who have profiled the voters in their precincts, that will all survive this campaign.
But there's much more to it than that: you see, there are still delegates to be won for Ron Paul in Michigan.
You might wonder "how can this be?"
Because, Santorum and Romney won different districts, and when either of them drops out, those delegates are unbound.
We are still waiting to see what the final results are. If you can believe this, the unofficial results posted on the Secretary of State website were wrongly added up by the previous decade's Congressional districts!
When I called the Bureau of Elections to find out more, they informed me that the Secretary of State's office "didn't have time" to figure out which precincts were in which district, and the Republican Party was going to have the job of adding up the precinct totals and figuring out who actually won in each district.
Oh, brother!
I can tell you that Santorum won the 1st, 2nd, and 6th districts. I can tell you that Romney had to win somewhere to win the most votes statewide. But delving into Grand Rapids' 3rd district and metro Detroit's many freshly-gerrymandered districts is going to take a long, long time for the precinct results to be added up.
All we know now is that at least three Congressional districts have delegates up for grabs. (And the possibility of a brokered convention means that really all delegates are still up for grabs.)
So, the race in Michigan is still far from over.
But, you will not hear any of this from the mass media (imagine that.)
It is up to you to resolve to see this through to the end.
And of course, no matter what happens, it is not over.
A lot of people tell me, "If Ron Paul doesn't win, our country is doomed."
Yeah? I heard that four years ago. And things are rough, sure.
But we're still here, guys. And between you and me, as long as Europe's still holding up, America's demise is still some distance away.
The watchman said, "The morning comes, and also the night: if you will inquire, inquire you: return, come."
There are good times and there are bad times. Surely many of you felt sadness when the results were announced last night.
But you're not going to quit, are you?
You're not going to give up on Liberty, are you?
Because the fight for freedom is without a beginning or an end.
And while our campaign office will be closed soon (and by the way, please ship or bring as many supplies back as you can, we'll forward them to upcoming states--122 S Main St Ste 110C, Ann Arbor MI 48104) the battle is far from over.
Today, please visit your county clerk's office and file to run for precinct delegate in your precinct, to appear on the August ballot.
And if you haven't already signed up on our website as a volunteer, please do so.
Because no matter what the media tells you, this isn't over.
I will need a few days here to close up the office, gather up the supplies, and build a tool on our website for you to report voting irregularities (yes, I know of many, and yes, we do want each one of them documented.)
We'll still be in touch.
It's not over.
For Liberty,
Adam de Angeli
Michigan Coordinator, Ron Paul 2012
P.S. Don't forget to visit your county clerk's office, and file to run for Republican Party Precinct Delegate on the August ballot. Make sure every Ron paul supporter does the same.
Paul: the only 'anti-Romney' who can beat Obama: The Rasmussen poll on 2/28/12 has Ron Paul as the only GOP presidential candidate who can actually beat President Obama in the general election. If Republicans don’t want Mitt but still want to beat Obama, Ron is their best practical bet.
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2012 February 29
Excerpt by The Coffee Coaster™ Copyright Adam de Angeli et al
Ron Paul 2012 Michigan Primary | Freedom Philosophy | Liberty 2012 |
