I’m not married to my position here. I honestly think the odds are you are correct. However, we are in a serious transition period. I’ve seen things go viral with virtually no financial backing. I also believe that money is not the god of elections. I like to say that no amount of money would get Hitler or Stalin elected president of Israel.
I think we are going to test the power of the internet next year.
And in the “FWIW” category, I honestly don’t think it matters all that much who is our president in 2012. It’s too late for the winner to make much of a difference. I believed that in 2008 as well. I think I was right.
Presidential elections are built on complex systems. The notion that something going "viral" is going to get someone elected president is just not in the cards. Someone getting elected with "virtually no financial backing" is not going to happen. I understand the concepts but if what you say is true Ron Paul would have been elected in the last election cycle.