Your Experiences

[Robert Willington]

What has been the most effective pitch for you to open you wallet and donate money to a political cause?

FIRST - Was it a letter, phone call, radio ad, television ad, email, banner other? What was the medium?

SECOND - What was the pitch?

[Michael Brennan]

I was on Bret Schungler's campaign team, that was a great man, he should be governor not Corzine....
As for what gets me, I only give once I hear them speak in person, phone calls, e-mails, websites do not get my cash.

[Suzanne]

We are trying to tell you...it is the MESSSAGE...not the mode. Ron Paul's message created excitement and you just felt compelled to send him dough. That's why he raised so much money...he speaks truth to power.

[Robert Willington]

Obama raised a half a billion dollars. I can adopt his same message and stand out in front of my house with that message all I want and I won't raise a half a loaf of bread. Let's zoom out a little bit. If Obama took his message and only wrote fundraising letters to females, above 55 years of age - he would not have raised a half a billion dollars.

Message is key - yes, message is the most important aspect of raising money, it's on the top of the pyramid of priorities. Agree 100%.

But how do you apply that message? Where do you go with that message? How do you use available tools to deliver your message? What are the modes? Don't you need both?

For instance, this 2008 election had a lot of firsts:

MillinonDollarMinute(weekend) http://www.anobamaminute.com/ (a mode)

MoneyBomb http://www.ronpaulmoneybomb.com/ (a mode)

HungryForObama http://www.hungryforobama.com/ (a mode)

Back in the 70's, conservatives revolutionized direct mail in politics and used it as an incredibly powerful tool to raise money. Democrats did not do direct mail, Republicans did and it significantly helped our movement: Heritage Foundation, Jessey Helms, Ronald Reagan etc.... Today, there are a LOT more ways to raise money.

These new ways give us, the RTP community, room to be creative. There are innovative ways for Republicans to raise money, right now, to help in upcoming elections - what are they? I look forward to your creative insight on ways we can improve our tactics of raising money.

[asp]

Robert,

With regard to Obama's fundraising success:

Can you say "George Soros ?"

Find someone to support the republicans the same way he did the democrats.

[Robert Willington]

George Soros, backing MoveOn.org, which built an organization with a massive email list that Obama could tap (and not build on his own) was a huge advantage.

[Young Jeffersonian Republican]

It is all about the message. I donated to Ron Paul because of the limited government positions he was willing to take which all the other candidate ignored, and helped him raise a record amount of campaign cash on a single day $6,000,000.00.

The message it what's important to me, and nothing else....

[Robert Willington]

if you were running for U.S. Congress, how would you go about raising money to fund your campaign?

[Young Jeffersonian Republican]

If I were running for Congress I would make my positions clearly in line with those men who really built this country. I would utilize Adam Smith, John Locke, and our Founding Fathers. My slogans would be in line with the principles of this country (freedom, less governmnet in order for you to pay less taxes, thus having you keep more of your money), and not some Nazi sounding slogan like "Country First" which states nothing about your platform (sounds more like a scare/bully tactic). I would be going door to door handing our Constitutions, and preaching the words of greater men than myself such as Locke, Rousseau, and Jefferson in order to reach hearts and minds (which invariably will lead them to reach into their wallets)

It's about the message, and when you preach Capitalism intelligently (not like how the Republicans have been preaching it recently with no foundational intellectual understanding) it sells itself. Same with the principles of liberty, because if you preach it properly it sells itself. "Liberty, when it takes root, is a seed of rapid growth." -George Washington

I would also gather money to pass out Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" in order our people the truth, and to remind them of our philosophic foundations of freedom!

WARNING: The Republican message is WORN OUT AND DOES NOT WORK! We have to stop LYING and saying we stand for limited government/lower taxes AND NEVER DO ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT TO BRING THOSE IDEAS TO FRUITION! I hate hearing R's say that we need to lower taxes! While that is true, it is a COMPLETELY INCOMPLETE argument! If we want to lower taxes, WE MUST CUT SPENDING ALSO! IT is such a basic idea, it dumbfounds me how no one (less Ron Paul) preaches this common sensical approach which WORKS! BIG GOVERNMENT NEVER WORKS, AND WE MUST REPUDIATE BIG SPENDING! WE NEED TO CUT GOVERNMENT IN ORDER TO CUT TAXES IN ORDER TO RETURN THE MONEY TO THE PEOPLE! THEY WILL SPEND IT MORE WISELY THAN OUR GOVERNMENT.

Please read Henry Hazlitt's "Economics in one lesson" if you want to understand how the economy really works, and why we must return to our principles IN ACTION if we are to restore America!

if your wondering why our country is failing, it is because both parties accept and institute big governmnet PROGRAMS (socialistic polices) WHICH CAN'T AND DON'T WORK! FREEDOM WORKS, AND WE MUST ADMIT IT AND BUILD OUR FUTURE UPON IT!

[Chris Breaux]

"If you were running for U.S. Congress, how would you go about raising money to fund your campaign?"

I would use mail/email, TV ads and internet banners with a simple message:

"Vote for Me, and I will LEAVE YOU ALONE."

Link a homepage or give the website with the explanation; fiscal responsibility, small government, lower/no taxes.

[Linda]

For me it was fear of the alternative, and belief that the money would be used effectively.
As fear grew into terror, I donated to McCain's campaign online. I never got a phone call or an email from the CT GOP. Not even a 'go out and vote' call. After my first donation, I got several letters, none of which were motivating on their own merits. And after signing up at McCain's web site, I received many email solicitations. I'm online 8 hours a day, and never saw an ad, a viral campaign, a banner. I remain amazed that McCain did as well as he did in the general.

[Suzanne]

Well. A lot of people became active for Obama. Obama had very wealthy people who were able to sway a lot of their friends to donate. Hollywood, news media, etc...all donated to him. Soros...no doubt, WArren Buffet, a lot of very wealthy people. I honestly don't think a lot of people cared about Obama's message, they were tired of Bush and the Republicans and a lot of people jumped on board for the hysterical..er I mean historiical aspect of it. PLus , he got a lot of those pre paid credit cards from foreigners...they found a way to get around campaign finance laws by doing that...he made millions off of those and that wasnt' even legal, but this guy gets away with everything. I don't know what sort of country we'll have when he gets through with it. Now, there is a resolution to amend the 22 amendment, presidential term limits...and it's waiting to be ratified I guess. If this happens, we all might as well move.

[Roger Stryeski]

Chloe, I'm another one who has more junk than brains. I don't plan to move because I don't want to crate all this stuff. I'll let my kids figure it out as part of their "inheritance".