I don’t plan on voting in the upcoming primary election, nor the 2008 presidential election, nor any election between now and the day I die. I’m an economist, and I just can’t convince myself that the benefits of voting outweigh the costs. So why am I writing this post supporting Ron Paul? There’s loads of other things that I could be doing right now, but because Paul has such a huge internet following I thought this post had some potential to get a bit of traffic for my site. That’s self-interest for you. So if you’re going to vote, If it’s worth it to you, I’d recommend voting for Ron Paul.

Last night I attended a Ron Paul meet up group simply because I had nothing better to do, and I thought it would be interesting. Don’t get me wrong, as an Austrian economist, and an avid libertarian I would be tickled pink if Paul eliminated the fed and the IRS or any number of his policy stances came to fruition. I’d love to go on in my life, and look back at today as an important time in historical change and think “wow I never saw it coming.”
The meet up group was an interesting experience, everyone was very nice. At first I thought it was ironic how much the group lived up to what I consider the Ron Paul stereotype. The first half hour of conversation was totally dominated by a few technology geeks talking about server space and web design. It seemed redundant to me. Paul already has a bunch of support online, he gets accused of being over represented, people think these tech guys rig the net to boost his reputation. That being said, I have a few humble suggestions to political activists interested in helping the Ron Paul campaign.
1. Know your state and know a little bit about Public Choice economics.
Public Choice economists recognize that elections suffer from cycling and voting paradoxes. Imagine a giant bracket system, like a sports tournament would use. There are several stages where different opponents square off against each other and then progress onto the next round. The presidential election process in America is similar. The possibility of Ron Paul becoming the president of this country is a matter of him maneuvering his way through that complicated tree of outcomes. Different states require different types voting registration to participate in the primary elections. They are also comprised of different proportions of political party members. Knowing how your state works can help your group get the most bang for their activist buck. What counties are most important? Does your state or county have a disproportionate amount of certain types of voters (armed services workers, elderly people, academics, government employees, etc)? What parts of the Ron Paul campaign most appeal to voters in your state, and how can you reach out to them on these important points?
2. Know your comparative advantage.
There are a lot of very talented web-designers out there, but that does not mean that they all should spend their time designing sites for the Paul campaign. How much additional influence is that flashy website going to have? Compare that amount of influence to how much time and effort it takes to set it up and monitor it. Ron Paul’s online support is strong and getting stronger by the day, so why waste your man hours designing a whole new website. If you insist on your local community having a special site it should have commentary on Ron Paul’s policy platforms that are particularly relevant to your state and local community. Are people writing into local newspapers? Can you cross post their writings? Are local activist efforts getting news attention? Simply showing members of the local community that their friends and neighbors support Paul could be influential in and of itself. All you need is a place to organize and collect the relevant material, a blogspot site will do. Don’t over do it.
3. Recognize diminishing marginal returns.
Ever heard of too many cooks in the kitchen. This is similar to the website concern. That next site may take you hours and days to put up but only really influence a few people. Is your state or local community a lost cause one way or another? Like the website, ask yourself if that third or forth rally in the same old location is really going to make an influence on undecided voters. Is it worth the time and effort that you’re putting into it?
4. Keep using the internet especially YouTube.
Rather than having people speak into a camera and say “I like Ron Paul, blah blah blah.” Go do something. Hang a banner, make a sign, get creative. Film it, post it, share it.
5. Don’t be lemmings.
Rather than going around the room and saying why you like Ron Paul, why not actually discuss his policy positions? Take me for instance, I don’t agree with Ron Paul’s immigration stance, but I would still consider voting for him, and I certainly think he’s the best available candidate. I also think that someone who was concerned about immigration policy would be better off voting for Ron Paul over any other candidate despite his closed border position. I doubt everyone at any given meet up group is sold on a hundred percent of Ron Paul’s policy positions, there have to be dissenters who can explain their reasons and discuss them intelligently. Then refer to suggestion 4. By sharing these opinions you will effectively raise knowledge and awareness of Paul’s position and the debates surrounding them.
6. Exploit the knowledgeable people around you.
Let’s face it not every Ron Paul supporter is going to be a brilliant theorist on topics of policy, economy and freedom. Sometimes novice theorists can do more damage than good and their explanations and arguments might be confusing and end up clouding the Paul campaigns intended message. But some of Paul’s supporters have been around since the 1980’s. Ron Paul alos has a ton of writings easily accessible and available for anyone to educate themselves. Find someone who knows something about one issue and give them the floor on it. See suggestion 4 and repeat.