Opinion

Paul-supporting delegates: Make yourself heard, but be respectful

Matthew Hurtt Contributor
Font Size:

With the 2012 Republican National Convention less than a week away, I want to take a few moments to give my fellow Ron Paul-supporting delegates and alternates (bound and unbound) some advice on what to do once you get to Tampa.

On Sunday, August 19, Ron Paul’s campaign held a conference call for delegates, alternates, and others to cover the details of the Convention, notably convention etiquette and certain platform-related issues that should please liberty-minded Republicans.

I was pleased to hear the focus on Convention etiquette, and I wanted to share the guidance from the campaign and my own thoughts for those Paul-supporting Convention attendees who may not have been on the call and to mainstream Republicans who are wary of our presence.

Most importantly, Paul campaign representatives encouraged delegates to act in a manner that would best embody the liberty movement and represent Congressman Paul.

All eyes are on us, and it’s important that we act in a manner that enhances our movement. We have an opportunity to impress upon the Republican Party our ideas of limited, constitutional government. Let’s not squander that by causing unnecessary conflict.

The second thing the Paul campaign conveyed was the need to be vocal and informed, but respectful. If you’re comfortable talking about mainstream issues of liberty, seek out opportunities to take that message to the media and to other delegates and attendees.

As I’ve come to realize in the last couple weeks, the media is looking for Paul supporters to interview. It is important that we’re able to bring our issues and ideas to the forefront without turning people off from our message.

As Congressman Paul says, the issues of liberty unite many diverse groups. Always seek out opportunities to bring people together.

There will be plenty of opportunities for us to share the message of liberty with other delegates, attendees, and the media.

If we’re abrasive and disrespectful, you can sure bet that will be the headline in the media. Always act in a way that is respectful to other Convention attendees. And be mindful that there will be hundreds of cameras around, filming every interaction.

You should assume that you are always being recorded when speaking to someone else. In the age of “undercover” and “gotcha” journalism, anyone with an audio recorder and a URL can make your comments a top news story.

As Morton Blackwell says, “Remember, it’s a long ballgame.” We’ve come a long way since Paul’s 2008 presidential campaign.

The GOP is taking seriously some of the big ideas of our movement: a comprehensive audit of the Federal Reserve, issues of Internet freedom, and even opposition to indefinite detention of U.S. citizens.

Let’s encourage the GOP to fully embrace these ideas and adopt more of our ideas moving forward.

Lastly, remember that this movement doesn’t end with Ron Paul; it continues with us. Your diligence in your community has given rise to the liberty movement within the Republican Party.

It’s up to each and every one of us to continue our movement after the Convention. There’s a lot of work to do, and this is our big shot to make our voice heard within the Republican Party, to “plant our flag.”

I look forward to seeing you in Tampa.

Matthew Hurtt is a Ron Paul-supporting, Mitt Romney-bound At-Large Delegate from Virginia to the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa. Follow him on Twitter: @matthewhurtt

PREMIUM ARTICLE: Subscribe To Keep Reading

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign Up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
BENEFITS READERS PASS PATRIOTS FOUNDERS
Daily and Breaking Newsletters
Daily Caller Shows
Ad Free Experience
Exclusive Articles
Custom Newsletters
Editor Daily Rundown
Behind The Scenes Coverage
Award Winning Documentaries
Patriot War Room
Patriot Live Chat
Exclusive Events
Gold Membership Card
Tucker Mug

What does Founders Club include?

Tucker Mug and Membership Card
Founders

Readers,

Instead of sucking up to the political and corporate powers that dominate America, The Daily Caller is fighting for you — our readers. We humbly ask you to consider joining us in this fight.

Now that millions of readers are rejecting the increasingly biased and even corrupt corporate media and joining us daily, there are powerful forces lined up to stop us: the old guard of the news media hopes to marginalize us; the big corporate ad agencies want to deprive us of revenue and put us out of business; senators threaten to have our reporters arrested for asking simple questions; the big tech platforms want to limit our ability to communicate with you; and the political party establishments feel threatened by our independence.

We don't complain -- we can't stand complainers -- but we do call it how we see it. We have a fight on our hands, and it's intense. We need your help to smash through the big tech, big media and big government blockade.

We're the insurgent outsiders for a reason: our deep-dive investigations hold the powerful to account. Our original videos undermine their narratives on a daily basis. Even our insistence on having fun infuriates them -- because we won’t bend the knee to political correctness.

One reason we stand apart is because we are not afraid to say we love America. We love her with every fiber of our being, and we think she's worth saving from today’s craziness.

Help us save her.

A second reason we stand out is the sheer number of honest responsible reporters we have helped train. We have trained so many solid reporters that they now hold prominent positions at publications across the political spectrum. Hear a rare reasonable voice at a place like CNN? There’s a good chance they were trained at Daily Caller. Same goes for the numerous Daily Caller alumni dominating the news coverage at outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, Daily Wire and many others.

Simply put, America needs solid reporters fighting to tell the truth or we will never have honest elections or a fair system. We are working tirelessly to make that happen and we are making a difference.

Since 2010, The Daily Caller has grown immensely. We're in the halls of Congress. We're in the Oval Office. And we're in up to 20 million homes every single month. That's 20 million Americans like you who are impossible to ignore.

We can overcome the forces lined up against all of us. This is an important mission but we can’t do it unless you — the everyday Americans forgotten by the establishment — have our back.

Please consider becoming a Daily Caller Patriot today, and help us keep doing work that holds politicians, corporations and other leaders accountable. Help us thumb our noses at political correctness. Help us train a new generation of news reporters who will actually tell the truth. And help us remind Americans everywhere that there are millions of us who remain clear-eyed about our country's greatness.

In return for membership, Daily Caller Patriots will be able to read The Daily Caller without any of the ads that we have long used to support our mission. We know the ads drive you crazy. They drive us crazy too. But we need revenue to keep the fight going. If you join us, we will cut out the ads for you and put every Lincoln-headed cent we earn into amplifying our voice, training even more solid reporters, and giving you the ad-free experience and lightning fast website you deserve.

Patriots will also be eligible for Patriots Only content, newsletters, chats and live events with our reporters and editors. It's simple: welcome us into your lives, and we'll welcome you into ours.

We can save America together.

Become a Daily Caller Patriot today.

Signature

Neil Patel