One Small Step For Man…
Sometimes I feel like the entire Ron Paul grassroots movement was specifically designed to make me laugh my ass off. I know his supporters are sincere in their love of Ron Paul (even if I think they’re fools for supporting the loon), but some of the publicity stunts these guys come up with are almost like a Paddy Chayefsky-esque satire of ineffective activist naivete.
A blimp? A blimp!Imagine.. the mainstream media is mesmerized as the image of the Ron Paul blimp is shown to tens of millions of Americans throughout the day (and throughout the month). Wolf Blizter, stunned and as if in a trance, repeats the words “Amazing, Amazing”.
As GPS co-ordinates stream to the website a map shows the Ron Paul blimp’s location in real time. The local Television stations broadcast its every move. The curious flock together and make a trip to see history in the making. Emails with pictures are sent, then forwarded, then forwarded again. Youtube videos go viral and reach tens of millions of views. Ron Paul becomes the first presidential candidate in history to have his very own blimp. The PR stunt generates millions upon millions of dollars worth in free publicity, and captures the imagination of America.
Please join us in our goal to raise $350,000 to make and fly the first ever Presidential Blimp in history.
What planet are these guys from? In 2007, do people descend into a state of reverent awe whenever they see a large gray cylinder flying in the sky? Call my a cynic, I really doubt that the entire nation would collectively pause with wonder to follow the journey of a rented blimp.
Do they really want to invite the obvious joke here?
Finally, am I the only one that finds it ironic that the supporters of Ron Paul, the ultra-libertarian who votes against every bit of government spending he can, want to throw away more than a quarter million dollars so people can look into the air and say “Oh, hey. Is that the Goodyear blimp?”
UPDATE : It gets better. Not only are they wasting money, but this image posted on the official Ron Paul blimp site takes pride in the fact that they’re “dumping” the cash into a ridiculous stunt to hype their next money bombing :
So they’re comparing donating to Ron Paul’s campaign to dumping a bunch of tea in Boston Harbor? If you think giving your money to Ron Paul and his magical blimp is a good idea, you might be better off just throwing your money into the harbor instead.
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That would be a zepplin. A blimp is full of a noble gas (helium) which probably is appropriate for a politician.
Comment by shirt — November 27, 2007 @ 5:32 pm
It’d also be brilliant to have some big signs along a few major highways. Can you imagine how surprised motorists will be when they see giant billboards advertising Ron Paul’s candidacy? Major news outlets will drop everything to broadcast footage of this revolutionary marketing strategy.
In all seriousness, the airport near me has a MetLife blimp that parks there for a month or so in the summer. And when I see it, I always wonder “What’s Metlife, and how did they get Snoopy’s endorsement?” but I’ve never cared enough to Google it.
Comment by Scott — November 27, 2007 @ 5:37 pm
Not sure who scares me more, Ron Paul or his rabid supporters. My family and I recently went to a local street fair and the RP supports would run up to me and shout “Do you support the constitution?!?!?!” while thrusting RP literature in my face.
Maybe I shouldn’t have been wearing my ‘CCCP’ retro shirt that day….
Comment by Tim — November 27, 2007 @ 7:19 pm
you are a true fish eyed fool my friend to not use logic and see how how all this comes into full circle as ron paul has it going on no doubt!!! of course i respect your opinion bottom line actions speak louder than your words!!!!!! bring that big ass blimp on boyzzzzzz its all good,catch ya on the rebound fool as folks will just be enjoying the viewwwwwwwwww and giving us more cashhhhhhhhhhh
Comment by steve — November 27, 2007 @ 8:26 pm
A bloated airbag filled with gas. Yeah, that’s a great presidential message.
Comment by Uncle Mike — November 27, 2007 @ 10:58 pm
It looks like a winged turd covered with Pepto-Bismol.
Comment by Doobie — November 28, 2007 @ 3:25 am
If I’d realized how much Libertarians liked to spend money on important stuff, I would have been wearing my Ayn Rand jock&bootstraps and run for dogcatcher years ago.
Comment by Kevin Hayden — November 28, 2007 @ 3:55 am
Spending money for a blimp may seem “insane” to some. perhaps the supporters of Dr. Ron Paul should spend that money to buy off the t.v. networks, to insure constant coverage in a positive manner. Maybe they could spend some money to hire Dr. Paul a clever writer to write little insults he could throw at the other candidates, then they could respond in kind to feed what now can pass for news.
It is easy to decide that Dr,Paul and his supporters are simply “insane” . compared to the other candidates. who may be “sane”, standing on a platform devoted to more of the same, making Dr.Paul the outcast. It may boil down to that, some people want to tell others what to do, other people want someone to tell them what to do, and some people just want to be left alone , those are the “insane” outcast of which you speak. Don’t you wish you could round them up and MAKE them “sane” like you?
Comment by jesse mitchell — November 28, 2007 @ 7:17 am
Am I understanding this article and the subsequent comments correctly? We are to bash Paul supporters for promoting Ron Paul with standard AND not-so-standard advertising mediums? (road signs and blimps respectively)
I don’t get it.
But perhaps this is the kind of cheap hit piece nonsense we are to expect from a political camp that supports putting people in jail for not purchasing health insurance (Hillary) or getting their mandatory psych evaluation at the nearest medical gulag (Edwards).
You all Iraq war supporters also?
Comment by wayne bollman — November 28, 2007 @ 11:11 am
Lo! Greg. You were surely a fool to denounce Ron Paul’s candidacy, as well you were a fool to be skeptical of mankind’s ability to fly amongst the birds. But gaze ye, upon the modern miracle of helium, and know the error of your ways!
Comment by Raznor — November 28, 2007 @ 1:17 pm
Am I understanding this article and the subsequent comments correctly?
No.
Comment by greg — November 28, 2007 @ 1:26 pm
[…] latest stunt by Ron Paul’s cultish followers comes to us from Greg Saunders at The Talent Show (and This Modern World). In the form of a blimp: What planet are these guys from? In 2007, do […]
Pingback by The Invisible Library » Blog Archive » Brilliant! — November 28, 2007 @ 4:44 pm
The image that I see is hundreds of Munchkins waving at the Wizard as he takes off–or, if we roll the film backward, as he lands. Of course I would vote for Dr. Marvel before voting for Dr. Paul–he looks like he actually knows something about what he’s talking about, even if he isn’t that good at navigating a balloon. Don’t know if the RP supporters are as colorful as Munchkins, but that’s the image that will stick with me for the meantime.
Comment by Henry — November 28, 2007 @ 5:27 pm
Was this blimp thing officially sanctioned by the campaign, Greg?
If not, what are you saying? “Some of Ron Paul’s supporters are loons?” Yeah, that’s true.
But the candidate that these loons support is the only one, short of Dennis Kucinich, is the only person saying that we should pull our troops out of Iraq NOW, rather than 5000 lives and 2 trillion dollars from now. One would think that you would want this guy in the race, but this post sure doesn’t make it seem that way. Better to compare his campaign to the Hindenberg.
Let’s put this in context, Greg. George Bush and the Republican party are bankrupting this country — and you’re making fun of the one Republican candidate who is saying so.
These people are passionate about their candidate — and many of them are getting engaged in the political process for the first time. And I don’t hear any of them rejoicing about how many terrorists we’ve waterboarded or how they believe every word of the Bible, unlike the “non-loon” supporters of the other candidates.
Comment by Jason — November 29, 2007 @ 8:28 am
Ron Paul has some truly bad ideas about what’s good for America, but c’mon, a blimp is genius. If you don’t find a gigantic thing hovering in the air fascinating, then you’re a gnarled, heartless husk of a human being.
Comment by Cary Allen — November 29, 2007 @ 10:45 am
In addition to wanting to withdraw from Iraq immediately (and withdrawal from other places as well) isn’t Paul also the only GOP candidate who wants to end the bogus drug war, decriminalize pot, etc? Isn’t he also the only one that voted against the patriot act and is most opposed to government surveilance of US citizens and various other police state tactics that are beginning to manifest in the US?
I too am confused by a left wing camp grabbing at something so trivial and politicaly irrelevant (a blimp rental) just to bash the one GOP candidate who miraculously supports a shocking amount of what the left chronically pines for.
What gives? Is it the abortion issue? The welfare issue? You all in love with the IRS or something? Whatever it is it seems like your hate would be better directed at someone like that racist nazi Ghouliani who has been compared to Bush on steroids - particularly since he’s the one most likely to get the republican nomination anyway. Just a suggestion.
Comment by wayne bollman — November 29, 2007 @ 6:03 pm
Does anybody remember when Democratic political prankster Dick Tuck kicked off a campaign for US Senate by launching a hot air balloon? I believe this was featured as a bit of humorous footage when Walter Cronkite anchored the CBS Evening News during the 1960s.
Comment by Carl Parks — November 30, 2007 @ 8:22 pm
‘What gives? Is it the abortion issue? The welfare issue? You all in love with the IRS or something?’
Well, for me its his absolutist approach to politics. That scares me… a lot. Much in the same way W. Bush continues to disappoint. I believe taking an absolutist approach to politics and policy (domestic and foreign) always and does lead to failures more often than not. I am perfectly fine with a political leader/policy maker having a philosophical approach (liberal, conservative, libertarian, etc..) to his/her approach, but at the same time wiling to compromise or modify those ideals depending on the situation. To me, that is not ‘flip flopping’ or any nonsense like that, but intelligent pragmatism.
Ron Paul seems to lack those qualities, applying a black and white approach to all policy decisions.
Comment by Tim — November 30, 2007 @ 9:26 pm
Raznor you made me laugh out loud!
My thoughts were:
a) I dont think a blimp will really impress people…its 2007. A good commercial message would be far more surprising.
b) I associate blimps with promos…not the President. Might as well rent a banner plane or skywriter
c) I can have my own blimp for 350,000?
Comment by Rod M — December 2, 2007 @ 7:06 pm
Where the RoPays probably lifted their EVOL thing from:
http://www.last.fm/music/Evol+Intent
Comment by me — December 7, 2007 @ 6:22 am
this guy is all wet.
oh, the humidity…the humidity!
Comment by skippy — December 7, 2007 @ 7:10 pm
Well like it or not,news is out today that the Ron Paul airship will fly.This should make for more jokes, but people allways use such tactics when new ideas and movements can no longer be ignored.So like it or not, it seems the support for Ron Paul contains the one item missing from the support for the other contenders,that item being honest,constructive ,grassroots involvement.The time and effort taken here to dismiss the Ron Paul airship as one big funny joke,only highlights destain for the common people,and a childish fear of the great unwashed masses,who happen not,to share any ivory tower.Welcome to America,where the political thoughts of the common people,terrify those who foolishly believe in their state ordained right,to rule.
Comment by pogo — December 11, 2007 @ 7:23 am
The whole Ron Paul thing seems like a sad case of people who want change projecting their ideas onto a mostly blank space of a man. It’s one thing to desire change, but what do most of Paul’s supporters actually know about him and his actual positions? And what is his track record for actually navigating the complicated terrain of government and getting things done? Whoever becomes president is going to have to actually deal with the other two branches of government to make anything happen. What, if anything, do we know about Ron Paul’s ability to get ANYTHING done? What has he done?
Two other questions- what’s all this about “Dr.” Paul? What’s he a doctor of? And what is his position on abortion?
Comment by mike kaplan — December 20, 2007 @ 2:55 pm
OK, I just answered one of my own questions- he was actually a medical doctor. Can’t find his position on abortion though.
Comment by mike kaplan — December 20, 2007 @ 3:01 pm