The communication culture is in full bloom. People are in constant communication using every imaginable technology: e-mail, Internet, blogs, cell phones, SMS, Internet telephony, instant messaging, forums and chat rooms. In the political area, forums and chat rooms are the breeding grounds much like New England taverns were in hatching the American Revolution. Once the domain of “geeks,” citizen communication is now commonplace; regular folks increasingly reject the manipulative mainstream media (MSM) and turn to grassroots networks, a natural outgrowth of the new technologies, because they are more powerful and democratic than the old party machines.
Search engines are the “people’s encyclopedias” whereby they fetch unbiased information on their own. On the heels of search engines, innovators developed “Internet search trends,” exciting new tools that track every Internet search, effectively conducting continuous polling of hundreds of millions of people without any bias. Because trends determine actual national interest, it’s a much more accurate and timely than MSM small-sample polling. Let me illustrate:
In December 2007 the official polls claimed that Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani were leading the pack. But in fact the more neutral trends showed that by December the public had already lost interest in Hillary and Giuliani and instead showed Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney ahead of Giuliani and Barack Obama ahead of Hillary. The MSM didn’t pick up on this until mid-January 2008. Then late January, while the MSM slept, Trends showed GOP John McCain emerging out of nowhere as a frontrunner.
The MSM just don’t get it. On November 5, 2007, a “money bomb” was organized that raised over $5M in one day on behalf of the Ron Paul. Obama tried to copy the money bomb but raised only $4,650. Huckabee also tried a Money Bomb but it fell flat. Why did it work for Dr. Paul but not for Obama or Huckabee? The reason is that it was entirely a grassroots effort without the Ron Paul camp’s knowledge. The media and old time politicians saw it controlled from the top down. How could individuals freely working together without central planning or organization pull it off?
Despite MSM’s meager 11 percent, trend charts showed Dr. Paul had five times as much support as all the other candidates combined and Internet polls showed that he won every TV debate. Old thinking politicians, bogged down with “machine” politics, believe that non-voters just don’t care and won’t show up. More likely, non-voters don’t care for what they were offered. Furthermore, old-thinking voters who depend entirely on print and TV news are out of touch, effectively disenfranchised since the hallmark of self-government is an informed electorate. But young voters offer hope.
College students have always been politically active whereas historically they stay away from voting booths in droves, but not this time. They are flocking to grassroots nets in record numbers because of newfound hope of end-running the political machines that have run America for 200 years. It’s a safe bet that 18 to 30 year olds will elect the next president of the United States.
Realistically, the Ron Paul campaign is over, but that doesn’t matter. The revolution he started will live on, because his message of liberty has universal appeal. People across Europe have organized Ron Paul clubs in support of his message. One day the Revolution’s escalating momentum will likely spark a march on Washington demanding the restoration of the republic. The MSM will predictably be shocked.
Columns
March 31, 2008
STUMPTALK: Why you can’t trust the mainstream media
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GARY'S WORLD: Thank our veterans this weekend
A tremendous opportunity presents itself in our community this weekend — an opportunity to honor those who served in the Vietnam War. Personally, after attending last year's first Welcome Home celebration, I wouldn't want to miss this. It was an emotional event for both Vietnam veterans and ordinary citizens. It was a great way to commemorate Vietnam Veterans Day in Tennessee, March 29.
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RANDOM THOUGHTS: "Antiques Roadshow" comes to Tennessee
If you are one of the 10 million who watch each episode of the “Antiques Roadshow” mark your calendar. The three upcoming Mondays, March 30, April 6 and April 13, were all taped in Chattanooga last July.
- LION AND THE LAMB: An open letter to Sharon Baier I was happy to read your well-written article, printed in last week's Chronicle. It makes a strong case, in the story of Al and Jennifer, that "To make money, you have to spend money." That misguided couple thought that they ought to cut down on their purchase of supplies, to save money. They did so, week after week, until they lost their business.
- WE THE PEOPLE: Veterans storm the Hill When young men and women risk their lives and sacrifice both physical and mental health for their country, a grateful country should at least provide them with shelter, food, and health care. But there is a lot of hypocrisy between what some windbag says on Veterans Day and what the country actually does for veterans.
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THEREFORE I AM: Kids stress out parents? Well, duh!
This just in: According to an expert, children can add stress and strain to a marriage. In other news, further expert studies have indicated that the sky is in fact blue, Paris Hilton is a tad spoiled, peanut butter and chocolate taste great together, and the Middle East has issues. Thank goodness we have experts to tell us these things.
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INSIDE THE FIRST AMENDMENT: With shekels come shackles
When President Obama launched his faith-based initiative at the National Prayer Breakfast on Feb. 5, he promised not only to sustain the Bush administration’s signature domestic program — but to expand it.
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THEREFORE I AM: Jim Croce and I will keep you safe and sound
My philosophy of life is simple: When in doubt, follow the advice of a dead folk-rock star. I always found Jim Croce to be particularly handy in this capacity. Don’t tug on Superman’s cape. Don’t spit into the wind. Don’t pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger, and regardless of how badly you may want to, do not, under any circumstances, mess around with Jim.
- STUMPTALK: Stimulating a war on prosperity and freedom Near Bush’s sunset, Treasury Secretary Paulson and Fed chairman Bernanke terrified the nation with “the sky’s falling and America is doomed” unless the government steps in with new regulations, institutional takeovers and massive lending.
- WE THE PEOPLE: Thoughts on bringing a recession to heel Responding to the recent full-throated baying of conservative “economic watchdogs,” I slogged into the swamp of their icon Adam Smith’s murky tome, “The Wealth of Nations,” to see if they had finally treed anything of value.
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LION AND THE LAMB: Reality
Dim blue of early morning shines into the living room
while you flip through television channels. - More Columns Headlines
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