I know that Ron Paul is a "non-traditional" candidate...

...but his supporters have to learn that sometimes things become "traditional" because they work...

On Saturday afternoon, I joined over 100 people at the open house at the Arizona HQ of the Clinton for President campaign. Don't worry - I still think that Governor Bill Richardson is the best choice for the Democratic nomination. However, I needed to speak to someone from the campaign concerning Tuesday night's LD17 forum, and one of my coworkers is a Clinton supporter and wanted to go. Everything worked out, so we carpooled.

The event itself went as expected - lots of people, lots of rousing speeches, lots of opportunities to volunteer.

But this post isn't actually about the Clinton office opening.

It's about the 20 or so Ron Paul supporters that showed up and stood on each corner of Central an Thomas holding signs and shouting out their support for Paul.

They were polite, but to be blunt, they were also clueless.

I presume that the demonstration was intended to woo voters over to their candidate, so I have to ask - why show up at a *Democratic* event? Congressman Paul is running as a Republican; he's not on the ballot that the event attendees will be filling out in less than a month.

If they want their efforts to have a chance to bear fruit, they should have been at offices of Mitt Romney or John McCain. At least most of the people at those locations *could* vote for Paul.

Of course, a better way for 20 organized supporters to help out would have been a phone bank or neighborhood walk (there's a couple of precincts in north Scottsdale that have thousands of voters and are 80% Republican).

Traditionally, when trying to persuade folks to a particular political position, speaking to them is a more effective method than just holding a sign up in their faces.

And if the purpose of Saturday's was to persuade folks just driving by that intersection (and that the location next to Clinton's office was just a 'coincidence'), then they should remember this -

After a mile or more of navigating the potholes, barrels, detours and other hazards association with light rail construction along Central Avenue, most drivers are frustrated and more than a little angry.

In other words, that's not the best time to put the name "Ron Paul" into someone's head. They may just end up associating Paul with their frustration.

Just something to think about...