Previous States: Colorado – Iowa
South Carolina – The South
Primary Date: Saturday, January 21st, 2012
The next stop in the Ron Paul Road Warrior’s “Tour to End the War” brought me to South Carolina. Another early Primary State in the quest to secure the Republican Nomination for President. I initially wanted to spend the winter working a farm in Texas. I’ve never been to the Lone Star State, and being the home of Ron Paul I figured it’d be a good stop. However, my WWOOF inquiries found me no potential internships in Texas. What I did find was a farm in South Carolina and a farm in Florida. As these are both States which have their Primaries in January, I felt that this was perfect.
After a day and a half on the bus, coming out of Iowa, I arrived in Anderson, SC. A local couch surfing host, Austin, picked me up on his way into Clemson where he’d be spending the day working. He dropped my off at a coffee shop called Moe Joe’s, where there happened to be an Open Mic going on. Luckily there was a house guitar and no one signing up to play, so I stepped on to the stage and played a couple of my own songs along in addition to a cover of my friend Dan Martin‘s song “Mind Control.”
Dan Martin – Mind Control (DEMO)
The Seneca Treehouse Project
October 28-31, 2011
http://www.senecatreehouse.org/
After a couple nights hanging out on a boat on the lake, I made my way up to Seneca where I had scheduled a Meet-Up with some local activists. My couch surfing arrangement ended up being on a “Transition Homestead” called the Seneca Treehouse Project. Scott, my host, bought the half acre some time ago, built a house, studio, and of course, a treehouse. There were some gardening projects on the property; including a chicken/duck coop on the neighbors property, and even a blacksmithing hut on the back of the property.
One of his tenants ended up being a huge Ron Paul supporter, in fact, the first words I heard out of Chance’s mouth were, “Ron Paul!” I knew these were my kind of people. The next couple days included seeing their friend’s band, Howie Dewitt, play at a local bar, shooting a bow and arrow, laying the foundation for a greenhouse and attending a couple political meetings.
Oconee County Ron Paul Meet-Up
October 30, 2011
http://www.meetup.com/Clemson-Oconee-Co-RON-PAUL-2012/
I had talked to Eddie while I was in Des Moines. He had started up a Meet-Up group in hopes of finding some local supporters to work with. I made sure I’d be in South Carolina for a few days prior to making it to the farm so that I could get together with him and anyone else that might want to attend. We got together for lunch at the Seneca Family Restaurant. One other supporter showed up. Fred had never gotten involved in any sort of political effort, but was interested in helping get Ron Paul elected. During the meeting I got a call from Mike, the Campaign Coordinator for the State, who gave me one direction, “Canvas, Canvas, Canvas!” That was the game plan. I relayed it to Fred and Eddie.
In addition to Canvasing, I talked about potentially hitting up some GOP Meeting in the area. Fred was down, he even said he’d be open to becoming a delegate, or chairman, or what ever position was available in the party to help guide it to the principles of Freedom, Peace and Liberty. As the meeting was coming to an end Chance showed up to give me a ride back to the Treehouse. Later in the day Scott came by to see if I was interested in attending a Clemson Occupy Meeting at Moe Joe’s.
Occupy Clemson University Planning Meeting
October 30, 2011
Still wearing my Ron Paul shirt from the lunch earlier in the day, I joined Scott and Chance at a meeting to organize an Occupy gathering on campus at Clemson University. One of the professors from the University and a couple of the students were heading up the efforts of organizing and planning. Their goal was to create an area where students can gather and either educate, or be educated, on various subjects. The organizers were very open to ideas, and we talked about what can be accomplished which such an event, and what should be expected.
The professor made the point that in order to build a movement you need to build on successes. In this case, there should be a specific amount of time set up to “Occupy”, so that the entire group can leave without dwindling, and feel as if they succeeded. Trying to do more than they can, and having people loose motivation and energy, would leave them with a feeling of defeat.
As far as what to educate on, Scott endorsed teaching students the effects of the products they buy and the corporations they support. The prevalence of corporate logo clothing and soda cans at Occupy Rallies undermined they message, and counteracted their efforts. Chance wanted to talk about the Federal Reserve. I suggested, as I had seen in happening in other Occupy Rallies, having workshops on Yoga and Meditation. Additionally, I suggested educating people on Permaculture.
One of the organizers mentioned the desire to avoid conflict with conservative students; I pointed out that my experience with Occupy Rallies were that those involved, or on the “left,” were often the ones that were negative toward conservatives, namely to Ron Paul supporters, despite the obvious overlap of their goals and message. I would later figure out, in Spartanburg, how to defuse this on my own and open up dialogue with “Occupiers” even while wearing a Ron Paul T-Shirt.
Bio Way Farm – Ware Shoals
November 1 – December 9, 2011
After my stay at the Treehouse it was time to head out to Ware Shoals and start my internship at the farm. Scott and Chance were interested in checking the place out so they offered to drive me out there. The place was huge, 120 acres in fact. There were a couple structures, a number of fields producing food, a greenhouse and a goat pin (that was currently vacant of goats). We got a chance to walk around and check the farm out for a few minutes before Chris and the other interns arrived back from lunch. An intern out from Germany would be leaving the next day, leaving me and Evan, a recent high-school graduate from North Carolina. I would spend the next month and a half helping out around the farm, making my way off the property to do deliveries and to stay involved with the local Ron Paul activist events.
GOP Debate – Spartanburg
November 12, 2011
I saw the event posted up on the Ron Paul Social Network. Not having a ride, I posted up requests on the Network, and on the SC Meet-Up group. Within a half-hour Stu called me up saying he could come by and pick up. There was going to be a Rally in the Morning where Ron Paul would be speaking, then some activities during the day, and hopefully we’d be able to get into the debate.
We left the Saturday morning around 9am to make it out to Spartanburg. The Rally was focused on supporting the Troops, as Veterans Day was the previous day. This would be the first time I would see the good Doctor in person. Prior to the speech I got to meet Nicole, the State Volunteer Organizer, whom I had been communicating with through Meet-Up.
Stu’s father-in-law was with us, and got to stand on stage during the speech. Mike introduced Ron Paul, who then joined the Veterans on stage and gave a solid speech on Foreign Policy. The evening’s Debate would be focused on War and the President’s responsibility as Commander-in-Chief. After the speech there was time for quick photos with Rep. Paul. After getting my picture taken with Ron Paul, I recognized a fellow Californian and Liberty Activist Allison Gibbs. Only knowing her through her writings during the 2008 Campaign I decide to go say, “Hi.” Turns out she is now working for the Campaign out in South Carolina. I continued to meet other supporters and activists as the Rally started dying down. I met back up with Stu and we decided to go grab a clip-board in order to help with the door-to-door canvasing in the area.
Joined by Stu’s Dad and another supporter, Matt, we headed out to Canvas our designated Spartanburg neighborhood. We formed teams and split up. At first the idea of going door-to-door was intimidating. None of us had done it before. We started working out how to approach each house. We would hitting up only registered Republican voters, so hopes were that it wouldn’t be a complete uphill battle. We were met with a, “Not interest!” at the first residence. After that, the next twenty houses only got us one more “No thanks,” the rest were all open, receptive, and some were down-right enthusiastic.
What seemed to be the best approach, was first to say that we are simply “Volunteers” and wanted to make sure they knew when the Republican Primary date was. Next, we’d ask them how they felt about the candidates, what issues were important, and if they were leaning toward anyone in particular. After that we’d mention that we were out in support of Ron Paul, and knowing his platform well, would respond to their issue. Most people were undecided. After sharing some information, not attempting to down talk the other candidates and engaging in genuine conversation, the majority of people were very positive about Ron Paul. If they brought up another candidate that they were leaning toward we’d just ask them, “What do you like about them.” Then respond to their answer with how Ron Paul addresses that aspect or issue.
After a few hours of canvasing (we took it by foot and took our time with a couple of the houses to have a genuine conversation), we met back up with the rest of the supporters from the Rally to do a “Sign Bomb” outside of the Campus where the Debate was to be held. Again, the reactions were positive. Lots of honks. Stu and I made an effort to wave at people, I’d hold up a peace-sign, and make eye contact with the drivers and passengers. This seemed to have a very positive effect, as people would light up and smile, wave back, and even throw up a peace-sign of their own. As we stood their, Occupy Protesters began coming up and down the street. As the evening progressed, I decided to put down my Ron Paul sign and walk over to talk to them.
I walked up to one of the groups and began reading their signs. Someone ended up eventually saying, “Hi” to me and asked what I was doing over there. I told them I wanted to see what they were all about. A lady noticed my Ron Paul shirt and mentioned that they were just talking about how we were the only one’s out there supporting our candidate. None of the other candidates were represented at all. I made a joke about the presence of a few lawn signs for other candidates saying, “Well, they came down put in a lawn sign and went back home.” I then let people talk to me and just listened to what they had to say.
I led the conversation away from politics. Being I knew we’d all agree on the concepts of sustainable agriculture, technology, individualism, and how to take advantage of purchasing power. I talked about connecting with individuals and the dangers of mob mentality. I quoted the Beatles and said, “You know how that song goes, ‘Imagine all the people.”
“Yeah,” a lady said, singing the line.
“It’s not 99% of the people. It’s 100% of the people,” I noted.
I expressed my misgiving with the temptation of joining a group. That when we associate ourselves, or when we associate others, with labels and group-think, that we stop being individuals. That even the chants I heard at Ron Paul rallies didn’t sit well with me. No chanting does.
As we continued to talk about the problems of the world, I asked one of the people I was talking to, “What do we do about it then?” His first response was a top down solution, so I repeated myself again, “No, what do we do about it?”
“I guess we put someone in there that will stand up against the corporations and we hold that personal accountable.” I responded with my, “Ron Paul for President/Green Party for Congress” concept, stating that they are both on our side, and by putting them both in that both “sides” are represented and that both sides are held accountable to each other. That a balance would be formed.
Another conversation led to hemp, which I couldn’t agree more with. We talked about how important it would be to helping with all the environmental concerns we had. I asked him if he knew who introduced the last Hemp Legalization Bill in Congress. He said, “No.” I pointed to my Ron Paul shirt.
http://www.winorml.org/blog/2011/05/congressman-ron-paul-introduces-industrial-hemp-bill/
After the sign holding we heading to a local Pizza place to watch the Debate. After it was over Ron Paul came by to thank us all for our support and started signing autographs. I went up, told him I was out from California, to which he said, “California? What brought you all the way out here?” I told I’d been touring around, and even spent a month in Iowa. He said that that was great. Next time I run into him I hope to be able to have an actual conversation. For now, that brief interaction will do. Time to get back to work!
Canvasing Laurens and Clinton
November 19, 2011
Stu and I met up with Dr. Mike Vasovski at a fast food restaurant in Laurens. We talked shop for a while, interacted with some people dining at the restaurant, and put together some resources and a plan for where to canvas. Stu and I headed to his neighborhood in Laurens and went door-to-door for a while, then drove over to Clinton for some more door-to-door in generally “conservative” (Republican Voting) areas.
After a couple days of going door-to-door we started to get a hang for it. It helps to have someone from the area doing it because it gives a sense of community to the Voter, but I’m not sure if it is entirely necessary. Just be yourself, and don’t try to convince the Voter, simply try to find out their concerns and needs and give them information about how to have those concerns represented by Ron Paul. It an effort of information giving. You aren’t trying to turn someone dead set against Ron Paul into an activist, or even a supporter. Door to door you are looking for people open to Ron Paul in order to give them information that will allow them to make up their own mind about the subject.
My basic formula is this:
Turn Supporters into Activists,
Turn “Open Voters” into Supporters,
And leave those Closed-Off to Ron Paul a smile and a, “Thank You, Nice Day!”
The most you can hope to do with someone looking to argue or debate, or that is dead-set against your candidate, is to leave them with an experience that may help them open their mind. They are not going to become supporters or activists until they choose to be. Especially this close to the Primary it is important to use your time dealing with people who are at least open to your cause. It will make the experience much better, and you will do the job of canvasing better because you will be in a positive mindset.
How To Canvas
Here is a basic script [with notes] on how to go door-to-door canvasing, not get into debates, and maximize your time and effort:
::Knock on Door/Ring Door Bell::
YOU: Hi, my name is ________. ::offer to shake hand:: I’m volunteering for the Presidential Primary. First of all, the Primary is on _________, and it is an Open Primary/Closed Primary. The deadline to register to vote is _________.”
[always smile, or at least be "up"]
YOU: “I’m curious as to what issue is the number one priority for you when choosing our next President.”
VOTER: _______________. [example: Jobs/Economy]
YOU: Have you been paying attention to the Republican Primary?
VOTER: “Yes.” [ if no ask if they are planning on voting].
YOU: “Are you leaning toward any particular candidate, if so which one?”
VOTER: “______________.” [most people aren't set on any candidate, when they tell you who the candidate they are leaning towards is don't say anything about that candidate.]
YOU: “What do you like about your candidate?”
VOTER:” _______________.” [example: "Has a good economic plan"]
[Now you have two pieces of information regarding the interest of the Voter. Relate the voters priority and the quality of their particular candidate to Ron Paul, or any candidate or issue for that matter.].
YOU: “Well, I’m actually out here promoting Ron Paul. He has laid out a specific straight forward balanced budget proposal, starting with cutting 1 trillion dollars from the Federal Budget in the first year and having the budget balanced by year three.”
[continue the conversation, responding to the Voter's questions about Ron Paul's platform. Don't get into talking down about other candidates, or get off subject at all. Time is precious.]
From iroots.org:
6 rules to guide you when selling your candidate:
- Don’t make your issue their issue.
- Don’t get into debates.
- Don’t go down rabbit holes.
- Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know.”
- Don’t trash-talk other candidates.
- When you make a sale, stop selling
Anderson GOP Meeting
November 21, 2011
http://www.meetup.com/Clemson-Oconee-Co-RON-PAUL-2012/events/39418702/
Stu and I headed out to Anderson to go to the County GOP Meeting being held there. A Ron Paul supporter was giving a stump speech for Ron Paul. The crowd was very positive to Ron Paul. There were representatives for the Perry, Gingrich and Santorum campaigns who spoke as well. Stu handed out some brochures and I talked to a member of the local TEA Party who had his doubts of Ron Paul’s elect-ability and his dedication to hunt down legitimate terrorists. I told him about Ron Paul’s standing in the Polls, and how he introduced Letters of Marque and Reprisal for Bin Laden after the 9/11 Attack, a technique used to target Pirates for capture. A Pirate is essentially a Terrorist, in the definition of a non-National Person or Entity causing a disturbance to National Security.
Greenville Country GOP Executive Meeting
December 5, 2011
I came to Greenville to show support for Ron Paul at the county GOP executive meeting. From the presence of stickers and buttons, support for Ron Paul and Gingrich seemed about even. A number of issues were covered at the meeting, including a presentation about lobbying one of the State’s U.S. Representatives to introduce articles of impeachment for Eric Holder over the “Fast and Furious” operation that put guns in the hands of Mexican Drug Cartels.
Clemson University for Ron Paul Meet-Up
December 4, 2011
http://www.meetup.com/Clemson-Oconee-Co-RON-PAUL-2012/events/43146092/
I was joined in Clemson by Blake Magnus, who just finished up his campaign for Town Council in Central, and with a Clemson U. Ron Paul supporter Wilson. Wilson had been working with another student, Justin Priest, on forming a Youth for Ron Paul group on campus. We talked about how to canvas, how to organize events through meet-up, and how to focus during the next two months.
Greenville Green Party Outreach
December 6, 2011
http://www.meetup.com/volusiagreens/events/43478692/
My first attempt at a Green Party oriented meet-up was what one could expect from a first attempt. I borrowed my WWOOF host’s truck to head up to Greenville to a coffee shop I’d scheduled a few “Outreach” Meetings at. I had contacted the “Conscious Living – Greenville” group, the “Greenville Natural Health Practitioners” the Greenville Buddhists, the Native Plant Society and a local Green Party activist.
The drive up there was a bit hairy, I hadn’t driven a stick for a while, it was dark and raining (the trucks windshield whippers were in need of being replaced), and I was driving on roads I had never driven on before. When I finally made it to Greenville I was way to tense to drink coffee, so I grabbed a beer. No one showed up. The Internet at the Coffee shop was down, so instead of working on something while I was there, I ended up talking to an older gentleman near by. I gave him some Ron Paul information, as he made it known he was a church-going Republican.
Occupy Columbia
November 9, 2011
As I got dropped off in Columbia, I noticed tents set up in the park surrounding the State Capitol. Lo-and-behold, the Columbia State House Grounds was Occupied. I walked up, with a couple bags attached to my back, and said, “Hi,” to the occupiers as they emerged from their tents in the morning. They asked if I was there to stay with them. It had never occurred to me to stay at an Occupy Encampment. The last week I had spent searching for a couch to crash on through couchsurfing.org. My host ended up being a super genius computer science graduate and Ron Paul supporter, but the fact that I could have crashed in the park in a tent as well was an amazing realization to me at the time. The Occupy campers invited me to stay and hang out, “Food should be coming soon,” the told me. Food! This was getting better by the minute! The next few days I spent a good hour or two at a time down with Occupy Columbia. The conversations were always very productive and civil, there was a huge diversity of people and opinions, and yet, a common bound to not let disagreements thwart our progress and growth as a movement.
Perhaps it was the small size of Occupy Columbia that made it more accessible than those I stumbled across in Iowa. The group had been active in communicating and working with the Police and the State Officials. In turn, the Police treated the campers with a lot of respect (at least from what I saw, apparently they had been arrested a week or two prior, but since then have found a healthy equilibrium with those they were protesting against).
Columbia Green Party Meeting
December 10, 2011
I met with Scott West, a Green Party activist in Columbia, down by the State House. He’d spent some time around the Occupy Camp, as did a couple other Green Party activists. I showed him the Ron Paul Super Brochure, and we talked about some ideas on how to replicate the resource for Green Party purposes, how to build the SC Greens, and general “best practices” of political campaigns.
After having gotten to talk to a few of the SC Greens on the phone, getting to have a in-person conversation was incredibly productive. Sometimes you can have a massive effect by just showing up. There has traditionally been a lack of “nuts and bolts” campaigning with the Green Party. While there are exceptions (Anita Stewart in Florida, who I will hopefully get a hold of while down there, is the poster child for how campaigning basics can overcome financial shortcoming, winning her Water and Soil Board seat with $300, door-to-door canvasing, and aggressive community outreach efforts).
http://www.anitastewartsoilandwater.com/
Impromptu Ron Paul Supporter Get-Together
December 12, 2011
My Couch Surfing host Jimmy hit me up to let me know he was meeting with a few of his friend for drinks, all of his friends happen to be Ron Paul supporters. We met up for beers at Flying Saucer and met up later for $1 slices of pizza at the Whig. I gave them the basic direction for getting involved. Join a Meet-Up, go to a meeting, and start doing something (specifically canvasing).
Voter Registration Planning Meet-Up – Columbia
December 12, 2011
When I got to the coffee shop, a few minutes late, to host this meet-up, I signed on to the event and saw that all the relevant information involving Voter Registration was posted by one of the members. As it was, no one showed up to the meeting, so I assume those that were planning on doing so assumed the information was presented on the event page.
http://www.meetup.com/SCforRonPaul2012/events/40084662/
Voter Registration Deadline for South Carolina is December 21st, 2011
Occupy Columbia Critical Mass Planning Meeting
December 13, 2011
The last thing I did before heading to Jimmy’s Girlfriends for dinner and catching my midnight bus to Florida was stop by in order to attend a planning meeting at Occupy Columbia for a “Critical Mass” planned on Saturday, January 14th (The Saturday Before the Primary) at the State House. The Saturday will be preceded by a week of education and activism. The Occupiers are including as many groups as possible, as the majority of the meeting was used to discuss the logistics of getting sometimes conflicting groups to work together.
That issue seems to be the underlying theme of my Tour, and the “Revolution” in general. How do we work together? How do we treat other people? How do we treat ourselves? With Love? Respect? This is the Revolution, it is Personal, Individual, Shared and Social. It will reveal itself in everything once you know what to look for. First you must find it in yourself, then the world will show you where it is around you. Be calm, be quiet, be sound. Do your best. Treat yourself with Love and others the Same. Be an individual and treat others as such.
Reality is fantastic.
I am continuing to donate half of the Chip-In contributions for this site to the various Ron Paul Projects; mostly the Super Brochure Mailings and The Various Money Bombs.
Thumbnail: By JamieS93 (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Jack Wagner is the Editor of The Free Independent-Sun. Born in Sonoma, California and currently residing in San Francisco, Jack set up The Free Independent-Sun on July 4th, 2009, after sleeping in and not making his usual trip up north for his hometown festivities. He figured he'd do something revolutionary to make up for it. In the Summer of 2010 Jack registered Seraf Media with the City and County of San Francisco as a Sole-Proprietorship. He is dedicated to articulating the finer points of the Revolution in order to bring about a Global Renaissance and Abundant World Economy. He also isn't afraid to get his hands dirty transplanting succulents. 
What’s up Jack!? Great article, thanks for the friendly comments! I got a call from Mike “Pro Liberte” Wallace today and I’m looking forward to doing some canvassing around here. Thanks for all your hard work on Ron Paul’s campaign, you’ve gotta be a neo-minuteman if one exists. Peace brotha!
Chance, that is great. “Neo-minuteman” works for me! Keep in touch and feel free to hit me up if you ever make it out to California. Once I get back I’m going to open my couch (assuming I get a couch when I get back) for activists to come out and “intern” with me to help win California (Primary is on June 5th).
GREAT WORK JACK! This is wonderful. Thank you for what you are doing to peacefully educate communities about prosperity and a beautiful future for our country!
Nice write up. You’re doing an awesome job. Wish I was young again and had the freedom to do what you’re doing. Alas, I’m a wage slave and can only donate to the money bombs.
Hang in there.