They may say "Oh he's a conservative. However reasonable he sounds he's just saying that to justify his selfish or old-fashioned lifestyle."
Or they might even agree with me but say "If I go around saying that I'll have a real hard time getting laid, so I won't."
etc.
Even here on Free Republic certain groups of conservatives have been kicked to the curb because their beliefs weren't sufficiently in line with the "Freepus Quo". So we have these long drawn out fights which often lead to mass exoduses of disgruntled ex-Freepers.
Those ex-Freepers go on to other "sand piles" where they no longer participate or connect with well-informed Freepers.
My own feeling is that electrons weigh very little. Atoms weigh much more. Actions in the real world make a bigger difference than statements in cyberspace. If you want to have a long term positive impact on your nation, then you need to act in the real world rather than post on bulletin boards.
To the extent that Free Republic helps to organize activities in the real world it is a good influence. To the extent that people gain knowledge and are helped in refining the arguments they will make in real world city council meetings, etc. it is a good influence.
To the extent that Free Republic allows some folks to segregate themselves from the real world and limit their political activity to fiery posts it is a bad influence.
But that isn't the fault of Free Republic, only the fault of the individual who chooses to use this great resource foolishly.
I'm not saying that you are guilty of this, only that any strategy limited to cyberspace is doomed to failure. I have probably been more guilty than most Freepers of "hiding" from the real world on Free Republic. I am just recently getting more active in the real world where I hope to make a more substantial impact.
What I was trying to convey was that the banding of people into self-identified interest groups on the internet, and filtering information through those sources, would help to dilute the monopolistic controls of the airwaves, simple because people would have independent critical review of the propaganda. I did NOT intend to imply that writing things on the internet was going to be an effective way to set up countering memes bubbling up from the grass roots -- indeed I argued (as you noted) that it would be ineffectual.
Instead, we need to use the internet (and possibly the Rick Santellis of the world in the MSM) to communicate and organize the like minded into effective action (as seen with the Tea Parties, if only the GOP-e hadn't sold us out for a mess of Porkulus).
Cheers!