Posted on 05/01/2015 10:19:59 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Does it make sense to fly a blimp for Ted Cruz?
At least one, probably several.
Can enough money be raised?
No doubt.
What else will it take?
To do the Ted Cruz Blimp successfully and efficiently we’ll have many teams working together. We put the Ron Paul Blimp teams together in about six weeks in 2007 and, even though we did quite well, we also made a lot of mistakes.
Because we have more time now to do better advance planning, we can be even more efficient and more successful with the Ted Cruz Blimp.
Teams
Before we raise any money or get any pledges, we’re putting our teams in place. Team members can focus on areas that align with their strengths and interests.
Ted Cruz Air Force
We won’t be just flying a blimp. We’ll have a whole air force.
Strategy Team
A project like this is highly strategic. To be the most efficient, we’ll have a great team of strategic minds to develop our best strategic options.
Intelligence Team. In order to have good strategy, we’ll have good intelligence. Since the most significant bang for our buck comes from publicity, having good intelligence will help us get the best publicity for where the Ted Cruz Blimp and its supporting activities appears.
Some important pieces of intelligence will be to know where Ted Cruz and other candidates will be appearing. By appearing as often as we can at the same times and places where Ted Cruz is, we get a lot more publicity. By tending to avoid places where other candidates are appearing, we give them less publicity. (There will be some exceptions to this, such as at debate venues.) Intelligence will also help us appear near other events where the press will be, such as sporting events.
Legal Team
It’d be impossible to do a project like this without knowing the legal issues. A strong legal team will keep us operating efficiently by legally bypassing as much red tape as possible.
This project is primarily an expression of the Freedom of Speech, particularly political speech. By being proactive in asserting that right, we not only get to express that speech in creative ways, we get publicity for doing it. This may include going to court to assert those rights. Fortunately, with the Ron Paul Blimp, we were able to get most of the rights we wanted, by negotiation, without ever going to court. We hope to do this again.
There were three important things we never got to do with the Ron Paul Blimp that we hope to do this time. We want to be able to fly over places like stadiums, Disneyland, and Washington DC. The fact that we’re making political speech should allow us to do those under the First Amendment. Where security is a concern, we can even pay the DHS or the military to inspect and fly our aircraft. We’ll get great publicity on these things however they turn out.
Civil Disobedience Teams. There are some places where laws prohibit the flying of things like tethered blimps with political messages. In some of those places there will be Ted Cruz Blimp supporters willing to challenge such laws on First Amendment grounds. The Legal and Publicity Teams will support those challenges that we believe are winnable.
Fundraising Team
Ron Paul was so unknown back in 2007 that the key message on one whole side of the blimp was “Who is Ron Paul?” Considering how little Ron Paul was known back then, our fundraising was amazing.
Ted Cruz is much better known than Ron Paul was in 2007. Fundraising for a blimp for him will be much easier. However, before we take a dime or even ask for a pledge, we’ll have our teams in place.
Publicity Team
For every dollar we spent on the Ron Paul Blimp and its related activities we got about ten dollars worth of publicity. With the Ted Cruz Blimp and its related support activities, we should be able to match that. The secret will be good teams of people getting plenty of valuable publicity. There will be at least five subteams of the publicity team.
Mainstream Media Team. There are still many people who get their news from mainstream media, and being the lead story on the evening news or on the front page of the newspaper still has value. With a strong Mainstream Media Team in place we’ll get lots of valuable coverage by the mainstream media.
Alternative Media Team. The Alternative Media Team will cover media outlets that are considered outside the mainstream, such as talk radio, Internet news, and blogs, but not social media. Ted Cruz is already a top tier candidate at many of these media outlets. Getting publicity for the Ted Cruz Blimp in these outlets. Some may even become media sponsors.
YouTube Media Team. YouTube is in a class of its own. Much of what we’ll be doing will have broad video appeal. Without depending on any other media to get things out, we can just post videos on YouTube. The YouTube team will highlight the best of our videos.
Big Name Woo Team. The Big Name Woo Team will do just what its name says, woo big names to be part of the Ted Cruz Blimp events. The more big names we get to appear at takeoffs, landings, and rallies, and ride with the Ted Cruz Air Force, the more publicity we get.
Social Media Team. The Social Media Team will connect where people with similar interests connect with one another, such as Facebook, Twitter, Meetup, Pinterest, and others.
Graphic Arts Team. The Graphic Arts Team will design graphics for the aircraft, ground events, and media.
Logistics Team
Moving blimps and all the ground support around the country is no easy task. Fortunately, there are Ted Cruz supporters almost everywhere who can help with logistics.
Aerial Logistics Team. Ideally, we’d be able to fly traditional blimps at every rally. That won’t be possible. Distance, weather, ground support, and cost will all be limiting factors. However, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. In some places where we can’t get a traditional blimp, other squads from the Ted Cruz Air Force will be able to appear. The Aerial Logistics Team will plan the best utilization of our aerial resources to get us the most publicity possible for the least cost.
Many of the primaries will be held during cold winter weather. Blimps don’t like cold weather. We tried to get the Ron Paul Blimp to New Hampshire in time for the 2008 primary, but we had mechanical difficulties. We’ll need some creative minds to keep the Ted Cruz Blimps flying for the northern states, particularly for Iowa and New Hampshire, where we plan to operate from August until February.
Ground Logistics Team. Every part of the Ted Cruz Air Force will have ground support for smooth takeoffs and landings. Most takeoffs and landings and the layover time on the ground will be rally and publicity events.
Many of the primaries will be during winter. Blimps loaded with snow and ice don’t fly well and are almost impossible to deice. So, we’ll need hangers to protect them during storms. These will probably be portable and inflatable. We’ll need creative minds to make this work.
Purchasing Team. For some of the logistics, some things will need to be purchased. Working in coordination with the Treasury Team, the Purchasing Team will make sure that what we need is there when we need it.
Volunteer Coordination Team. Every place a Ted Cruz Blimp or some other squad of the Ted Cruz Air Force appears will be an ideal setting for rallies. The Volunteer Coordination Team will coordinate with local volunteers to make the rallies great publicity events.
Security Team. Not everybody will want us to do what we’ll be doing. Some may want to cause trouble. Some may want to stop us. Some may want to take our stuff or the stuff of others. We can’t let any of this happen. Security teams will work to protect our projects and the participants.
Administration Team
A project such as this requires some administration. However, the administration can be done far more efficiently than a candidate’s political campaign. The Ron Paul Blimp was done with negligible administration expenses.
Treasury Team. In order for sponsors to have faith in the project, we’ll have a strong and respected treasury team in place.
Technology Team. The Ted Cruz Blimp teams will use some of the latest technology to efficiently get out its messages. Technologies will utilize audio, video, graphics, mobile devices, and the Internet.
Communication Team. Communication will be state of the art. We’ll have excellent communication within teams, between teams, and with the outside world.
Recruiting Team. The recruiting team will help channel volunteers to teams where their talents can be best utilized. When needed, they’ll recruit new team members.
Early States Teams
The primary system puts some states in the spotlight earlier than others. By having key team members in place in key states, we can get more publicity for the Ted Cruz Blimp and its related activities. In order of timing (estimated and subject to change), those states are:
Iowa Team. Ideally, we’ll have a conventional blimp based in Iowa from August 1st through February 1st.
Iowa has four key events, starting with a straw poll on August 8th in Boone. Ideally, we’ll begin flying and having rallies in Iowa by August 1st, with a huge focus on Boone beginning August 6th.
The Iowa State Fair runs from August 13th through the 23rd in Des Moines. In January there will be a debate. The Caucus is February 1st.
Ohio Team. The first Republican Presidential Debate will be in Cleveland on Monday August 15th. Some resources can be moved from Iowa to Ohio and back.
Here’s a plan that’ll get a lot of publicity:
Saturday, August 13: Leave the Iowa State Fair right after opening. Overnight in the Chicago area.
Sunday, August 14: Leave Chicago. Overnight in the Toledo area.
Monday, August 15: Leave Toledo. Spend the afternoon, evening, and overnight in the Cleveland area.
Tuesday, August 16: Stay in the Cleveland area.
Wednesday, August 17: Leave Cleveland to arrive back in Des Moines for the closing weekend of the fair.
Logistics teams will coordinate more details.
Illinois Team. When squads of the Ted Cruz Air Force travel from Iowa to Ohio and back they’ll go through Illinois. There will be rallies along the route. The primary is March 15th. Current plans are for the Iowa based blimp to travel to this.
Indiana Team. When squads of the Ted Cruz Air Force travel from Iowa to Ohio and back they’ll go through Indiana. There will be rallies along the route.
California Team. Ideally, we’ll have a traditional blimp based in California beginning September 1st. There will be a debate on September 16th at the Regan Library in Simi Valley. The primary is June 7th.
Colorado Team. There will be a debate in October. Current plans are for the Iowa based blimp to travel to this. The primary is March 1st.
Wisconsin Team. There will be a debate in November. Current plans are for the Iowa based blimp to travel to this.
Nevada Team. There will be a debate in December. The caucus is February 20th. Current plans are for the California based blimp to travel for both events.
New Hampshire Team. Ideally, we’ll have a conventional blimp based in New Hampshire starting in the Fall. There will be a debate in late January or early February. The primary is February 9th.
Florida Team. Ideally, we’ll have a conventional blimp based in the Southeast starting in the Fall. There will be a debate in February. The primary is March 15th. Current plans are for the Southeast based blimp to attend both events.
South Carolina Team. There will be a debate in February. The primary’s February 27th. Current plans are for the Southeast based blimp to attend both events.
Join this team.
Super Tuesday States Teams. Super Tuesday’s March 1st, with primaries in AL, CO, GA, MA, MN, MS, NC, TX, VT, and VA. Current plans are for the Iowa based blimp to come to Texas for the month of February. If funding permits, we’ll have a blimp in Texas earlier than that.
Other Large Delegate State Teams
Other states have large numbers of delegates. Having teams in place in those states will help get more publicity for the Ted Cruz Blimp. These states include: Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
Join one of these teams.
Other Dense Eastern State Teams
There are several other states which, while they don’t have large numbers of delegates, have two things going for them. They’re not very big, so it doesn’t take much to cover them, and they’re along the east coast and close to other states where we’ll be traveling. Those states include, CT, DE, MD, RI, and WV. We’d love to fly over DC, too.
Other State Teams
At some point, we’ll form teams in the remaining states. We may not be able to have a conventional blimp fly in every state, but we should be able to have some parts of the Ted Cruz Air Force appear.
Special Interest Group Liaison Teams
Certain groups with special interests are natural groups to connect with the Ted Cruz Blimp project. We will have teams dedicated to connecting with those groups.
Tea Party Liaison Team. Of all groups, none is more naturally aligned with the Ted Cruz Blimp project than Tea Party supporters. Many of them will support the Ted Cruz Blimp.
Libertarian Liaison Team. While Ted Cruz isn’t an official libertarian, he’s a strong favorite of many libertarians. Many of them will support the Ted Cruz Blimp.
Christian Liaison Team. Many Christians support Ted Cruz. Many of them will support the Ted Cruz Blimp.
Join this team.
Jewish Liaison Team. For many decades, many Jewish people have tended to support Democrats. Recently, more and more Jewish people have realized that Democrats are not their friends. Some of them will support the Ted Cruz Blimp.
Second Amendment Liaison Team. Ted Cruz is 100% solid on the Second Amendment. Many Second Amendment supporters will support the Ted Cruz Blimp.
Pro Life Liaison Team. Ted Cruz is 100% solid on pro life issues. Many pro life supporters will support the Ted Cruz Blimp.
Union Member Liaison Team. For many decades, many union members have tended to support Democrats. Recently, more and more working people have realized that Democrats are not their friends. Some of them will support the Ted Cruz Blimp.
Join this team.
Aviation Liaison Team. Because of what we’ll be doing with the Ted Cruz Blimp and the Ted Cruz Air Force, many people with an interest in aviation will support what we’re doing.
Other Teams
There may be teams we haven’t thought of yet. Perhaps there’s a team you’d like to create. Let us know.
Helpful Qualifications
If you want to help, we appreciate it. Here are some things that’ll be helpful:
Dedication. It certainly helps if you’re dedicated to the election of Ted Cruz.
Funding. If you can cover your own expenses or find your own sponsors, that’s ideal. For some things, aviation fuel, for example, there will be funding.
No Need for Pay. While there will be some paid positions, priority for paid positions will be given to proven volunteers.
Time Available. For simple things like coming to a local rally in your area, there won’t be much of a time commitment required. For leadership positions, however, we’ll need people with quite a bit of time available. Retired, semi-retired, and self-employed people are ideally suited for the kinds of schedules these roles will demand.
Prior Political Activism. If you have prior experience with political activism, that’ll be a help, but not essential.
Other Volunteer Experience. Working with volunteers is entirely different than working with paid staff. If you have such experience, all the better, but it’s not essential.
Ability to Bring in Other Team Members. By being able to bring in others, your efforts can be multiplied.
Logistics and/or Military Experience. For leadership roles in logistics teams, a military or other logistical background will be especially helpful.
Plays Well with Others. We need to work together as a team, and put our differences aside. The better you can do this, the more effective we all will be.
Deal Killer. We’re not part of the official Ted Cruz Campaign and are forbidden by law from coordinating our advertising with the campaign. If you’re a paid member of the Ted Cruz campaign staff, please keep your focus there and don’t volunteer with us.
Why should I volunteer for the Ted Cruz Blimp Team instead of the Ted Cruz campaign?
First of all, you can do both. However, if you could only do one, you might find that your efforts pay off better here, and you might have more fun.
Join the Ted Cruz Blimp Team.
I may give him my vote. But if he can raise enough money for a blimp or blimps more power to him.
How about mini balloon Ted Cruz blimps as campaign trinkets ?
Or Ted Cruz little Teddy Bear campaign bears ?
That’s frigg’n funny
Is this legit? The “blimp” team? Whole lot of mentioning of a Ron Paul blimp and a lot of “we” being used in the article when there really isn’t any indicator of who the “we” is.
If certainly like to get involved in helping Team Cruz, but perhaps I’m missing something here, lol
Hillary will counter with a giant inflatable strapon.
LOL
Ted Cruz Ping! Setting aside for a moment that it's a weird concept, it might give Hillary ideas.
Eeeeek!
Personally, the money would be better spent by divvying it out to county coordinators to pay for the gas money to put up signs and distribute informational meetings.
I have always advocated for the GOP candidate (or a conservative) to fly a sky-writing plane in a visible location from DC and sky-write: “Surrender America! Signed, the Democrats”
I agree.
Now that’s Funny Right There! I don’t care who ya are!
Wow! This is Super Cool!
I think it is legit. I have seen articles about the Cruz Air Force. I know we need yard sign and other conventional campaign materials, but if I see a blimp with a Candidates name, that is going to make a lasting impression. It might make voters want to check him out.
Thanks 2DV - an Air Force is a proven idea and a blimp can loiter for hours over places where folks are likely to see it. If there is a sign-up for this count me in.
You better figure out who you are going to support and get to it else wise you will be stuck with either Jeb (the dumb brother) or his mini’me Marco. Sitting on the sidelines and biding your time is NO way for a conservative to act. If you want change then get to the action.
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