WIRED MAGAZINE - Ron Paul: How a Fringe Politician Took Over the Web

[maiki]

Trance Dance Master: I don't understand your comparison between William Randolph Hearst-- the real life Citizen Kane -- and Martin Luther. Citizen Kane embodied mainstream media controlling public opinion and politics, which is the opposite of what that (strongly anti-Catholic) article is trying to express about Martin Luther and the internet, that it is counter-cultural.

 

[dseisner]

I'm convinced that the media doesn't know how to evaluate evidence

I mean, if a horse looking creature has black and white stripes, is it horse who got dyed that way? No, it's a fucking zebra. Likewise, if a campaign has massive amounts of people involved in getting the Ron Paul word out EVERY day, then why isn't the candidate just popular? Is it so hard to believe that a large group of people want him to be president? I was looking at the forum yesterday and within one half hour, a single thread had more than 2000 views. Is that the same 50 people viewing the same thread OVER AND OVER again? NO. It's 2000 interested Paul fans who want to know whats going on with the movement. I urge the media to evaluate the facts. I meet people every day who listen and respond to my message and I'm sure other Dr. Paul supporters are doing the same and the message is catching on, everybody involved in this campaign can feel it. We have real traction now because of the power of a positive message. THAT'S why RP is dominating the online polls, not because we go and vote like madmen. Even if that was the case, why wouldn't the other candidate's supporters be doing the same thing? Is it because RP supporters are all just a bunch of Kool-Aid drinking radicals?

PS. I have never voted twice on an online poll. I urge everyone else to establish that same practice. It's also important for us to see what the actual numbers are, not just so everybody else can see how popular he is and join the bandwagon. We're already seeing that it doesn't work because people accuse of us of voting too many times. Plus, we must always strive to have pure intentions and methods. If we taint the process as a means to end, we will not get our desired outcome. For example, would be better off if we had a way to doctor the voting machines for Dr. Paul to win? I don't think so. Remember that when everything else is gone, we can still have our integrity.

 

[MozoVote]

The mainstream analysts, cannot quantify the value of volunteerism. Pat Buchanan and Steve Forbes have mounted campaigns, on similar low tax platforms. But they had to pay for nearly all their their staff. Even Steve Forbes had to realize that no amount of money could buy an election.

That's part of the reason I scoff at the current buzz over Bloomberg. He might get 10% of the vote like Forbes did, or Perot (in the 1996 election when people were tired of him). But he is not a force, and he does not have a *motivated* crowd behind him.

 

[Tsoman]

well, I don't know about you, but...

I have never voted more than once in an online poll!

why can they not accept that the error in the figures is in the scientific polls?

+1

 

[Orat]

All I know is, the morning after the election, there are going to be articles whining about how pesky "get-out-the-vote" projects "tainted" the electorial results in favor of Ron Paul all thanks to an allegedly small number of "poll spammers".

 

[Duckman]

All I know is, the morning after the election, there are going to be articles whining about how pesky "get-out-the-vote" projects "tainted" the electorial results in favor of Ron Paul all thanks to an allegedly small number of "poll spammers".

Maybe the validity of our "spam votes" will be challenged, and the issue will end up in the Supreme Court?

 

[DAZ]

Not only do I not vote more than once, I've only voted in one or two online polls total. With RP's margin of victory so high, I figure my vote doesn't count.....I've been disenfranchised by Ron Paul's popularity!!

On a slightly more serious but no less laughable note, I find it hilarious that other candidates are trying to discover the secret to RP's internet success.

it is clear this candidate has stumbled upon a new brand of internet activism that has the rest of the web scrambling to adapt.

I wonder how they will react when they finally find out how little the official campaign has had to do with this "internet activism" and realize all it takes is to stop feeding us loads of bull. And maybe to stop trying to micromanage our lives as well.

 

[angrydragon]

Yah, here's the secret, stop BS'ing.

 

[Aborell]

Yah, here's the secret, stop BS'ing.

That's like telling a farmer to stop milking his cow.

edit: except that milk is tasty and goes well with breakfast