Message for Ron Paul Meetup Organizers

Dear Meetup Organizers of Ron Paul meetups,


My name is Benjamin Apple. I'm a UI Engineer at Meetup.com, and
a former Paul campaign volunteer. This January my brother and I
drove from NYC to Concord, New Hampshire to canvass, make phone
calls, wave signs, and meet fellow Paul supporters. Like you, I
told most of my friends and relatives about Dr. Paul and the
policies upon which he based his run for the nomination. As it
became clear that the media blackout was drastically inhibiting
what would otherwise be an extremely contagious campaign, I
began to wonder what would happen to the Freedom Movement if
and when Dr. Paul lost the race for the nomination.
Many Paul supporters, including myself, had never been inspired
to actively campaign for a candidate before they discovered
Ron. Now that Dr. Paul's shot at the nomination has passed by,
I understand that a large number of Paul supporters are
disappointed, disillusioned, and wondering what comes next. I
would encourage all Paul supporters to take inspiration from
Dr. Paul's most recent video address, in which he said, "I
don't mind playing a key role in the revolution, but it has to
be more than a Ron Paul revolution. I have always claimed this
whole effort was much bigger than one individual." Group
organizers in particular will continue to be an integral part
of the Freedom Movement's efforts to bring the issues
championed by Dr. Paul to the fore in American politics.
When Howard Dean's 2004 presidential campaign ended, many of
the Dean groups used their candidate's core ideals as the basis
for a new organization called Democracy for America. Years
later, DFA is a vibrant and active entity. Whether former Paul
campaign activists collectively decide to take a similar or
different route, I look forward to seeing thousands of Dr.
Paul's supporters continuing to give voice to the values which
brought us together in the first place.
I encourage you to make use of the Ron Paul meetup alliance
(http://www.meetupalliance.com/RonPaul2008) if you aren't doing
so already. Communication will be key as the members of the
Love Revolution plan these next steps. If you have ideas as to
how Meetup or Meetup Alliance can better meet the
needs of activist groups, please get in touch with us at
support@meetup.com or support@meetupalliance.com.


Best wishes,

Benjamin Apple