Donate to Swift Boat Vets for the Truth HERE.
Sign Petition against CBS & Dan Rather HERE.
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and My Toons Page [Updated 9-15 / 10:45PM CST] 
Posted on 09/18/2004 12:47:24 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
This is the presidential election that changes all those to come.
The Internet, with its potential to assemble nearly instantaneously a self-selected panel of experts on most any arcane issue -- John Kerry's exploits and Navy operations in Vietnam and Dan Rather's apparent forgeries of George W. Bush's National Guard memos -- is the most important new media element of this and future campaigns.
On any complex story, journalists struggle to find insiders and experts. The Internet connects them. They enter and leave at will.
How else to explain the success of the swift-boat veterans, who combined a book, a few cable television ads and the Internet into a national political movement that rarely surfaced in the mainstream media, except dismissively? How else to explain the document and handwriting experts who began unmasking the suspected CBS forgeries within minutes of the "60 Minutes II" broadcast -- even as the allegations were hitting newspaper front pages?
Conservatives have turned the Internet into their information superhighway.
Conservatives, especially social and religious conservatives, don't believe the mainstream media to be open, friendly or receptive. When they have ventured into the community square, their ideas, values and lifestyles are ridiculed as mean-spirited, racist or intolerant.
Liberal gatekeepers, they believe, decide which of their ideas are worthy of admission to the community square. The result is that public debate about issues such as faith-based initiatives are framed by those who are viscerally or intellectually opposed or, at best, ignorant to aim or context.
That perception that the mainstream media are not a safe place for conservative ideas has had two major ramifications. One is that conservatives have found alternatives in neglected media, such as talk radio, and in emerging technologies, first cable and now the Internet.
Evangelical Christians, who may be the least tolerated or understood voice on the public square, largely retreated to cable and to grass-roots organizing, a precursor to Internet assembly. The Internet is a phenomenal tool for organizing and information-sharing.
The second ramification is that conservative ideas evolve largely out of the public eye, at think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation and among politicians such as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and U.S. Rep. John Linder (R-Ga.).
When the president mentions an idea like Linder's FairTax, or champions medical savings accounts, a feature of Gingrich's positive revolution in how we use and finance health care, it's clear that conservatives have a Big Idea pipeline. It's just as clear, too, that the pipeline largely skirts the traditional news and opinion sources.
Liberals for the last 40 years have found it sufficient to expand the New Deal and the Great Society and to assemble winning constituencies every four years by frightening the old folks on Social Security and blacks on voting, as John Kerry and Democrats are shamelessly doing once again. But for us, the politicians of the welfare state, you'll be hurt, robbed or exploited, and everybody one tax bracket above you is "rich" and getting something you're not, they argue.
It's a strategy that's been tanking toward empty for years, but it's been successful enough that Democrats have seen no urgency about developing new ideas. Even welfare reform, which Bill Clinton signed, was a conservative idea forced on him.
Liberals have never thought the mainstream media hostile to their views and, consequently, have been lulled into intellectual complacency. Jesse Jackson has but to call a news conference and his ideas are out there.
Two sharply different views about America's presence and obligations in the world and about the kind of nation our children are to inherit are now before voters. The choice could not be more starkly drawn.
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Jim Wooten is associate editorial page editor. His column appears Fridays, Sundays and Tuesdays.
Thank you red in brea.
Welcome to FR.
LOL
-snip-Evangelical Christians, who may be the least tolerated or understood voice on the public square, largely retreated to cable and to grass-roots organizing, a precursor to Internet assembly.-snip-
So, how are the Evangelical Christians doing out there? Are the congregations registered and roaring ta vote? Lets not see 4 MILLION of you sit out of this one like the last time. Just repeat after me "President Kerry just signed the Gay Marriage Act today..."
Jim Wooten personally knows whereof he speaks.
It does make you wonder. Does anyone use the screen name "Dubya"?
If you or anyone on freerepublic want to get together for a meal when you visit, freemail me. Lunch at Independence Mall is VERY special.
Thank you for the nice invite.
I'll remember to call.
Bump!
Lately, I just realized how close we really are. You can not imagine what is like to be one with the leader of the Free World. For me, it's been a long long process to understand and learn how to control this. The power is just so overwealming.
The democrats have these theories of how Karl Rove is Bush's brain I have a newsflash:Pajama People are Bush's Brain . 'C/Karl Rove' is anything but evil. Their story is absolutly correct.
Open Source Journalists.
The question now is whether the MSM expires with a whimper or a bang.
Donate to Swift Boat Vets for the Truth HERE.
Sign Petition against CBS & Dan Rather HERE.
My Campaign Button Page
and My Toons Page [Updated 9-15 / 10:45PM CST]
The essence of the DemonRat party in a nutshell.
Conservative ideas, as stated in our Constitution(not the newspaper,)are ordained by God.
Indeed and We as trusted servants are the messenger. Post early and often!
Think OJ trial.. Only this time it won't be a pass.
Until now, the MSM was the Gatekeeper. No more. Not only has the gate been thrown open...the wall is down. (humming 'Ode to Joy')
Hat's off to all of you!
"Pajamahadeen has an Islamic ring to it. I prefer Pajamistas."
The dems rail against 'Brown Shirts', so now will it be "Night Shirts'?
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