I feel like 8% isn't too bad considering the high turnout, and the fact that a lot of people just voted for McCain to beat Romney. I was hoping to do better, but I didn't think we'd get more than 15% and I thought it'd be close to 10%.
I haven't seen the final numbers yet, but Paul had over 15,000 votes with something like 75-80% reporting. I believe FSP members share some of the credit for some of those votes. I think the first Liberty Forum helped Ron Paul decide to run in the first place.
The fact is we do need more people in NH soon, and I believe that we need to talk and interact with the public if we are going to change their minds. Ignoring the average voter and tryng to make progress with the typical politician isn't going to cut it.
We need more people running for office, educating the public on the issues, and maybe even some well thought out CD.
Let's not forget that those 15-20k NH voters cast a vote for a noninterventionist, who wants to abolish the IRS, The Dept of Education, return to the gold standard, and end the war on drugs. Regardless of what some Ancaps will say, Ron Paul is a pretty hardcore Libertarian as far as the mainstream is concerned. I believe that means we have 15-20 thousand potential allies here already.
The best way to get them active is to have more Free Staters coming every month.
Which brings us back on topic. When are you moving?