Free Republic losing its impact

Alamance Independent ^ | Unknown | Matt Maggio

[BraveMan]

What a long way Free Republic has come! From its birth in 1996 as what began as just a place where hardcore conservatives to post the latest news and analyze it, Free Republic two years later had a significant role in the neutralization of the Clintons - as it became the organizing point for enormous protests ridiculing Bill Clinton over Monicagate everywhere he went in the U.S. early in Monicagate throughout 1998. Some top liberals even blame Freepers for Al Gore's defeat.

Very early in Monicagate, Freepers brought Free Republic out of just being a sort of giant cybercafe for dissidents to talk things over - and made it into a very-effective organizing point for giant protests against liberals and liberalism, like the one in Houston at a Clinton fundraiser that not only like most greeted Clinton with hundreds of dissidents ridiculing him for his adultery and perjury, but even found a fire engine to hang a giant sign on that read "Bill Clinton Is A Four-Alarm Fraud." Freepers in Florida hung a giant sign on a cabin cruiser to float in a strategic position just offshore a fundraiser of his there. And here in North Carolina, about 30 Freepers picketed an Al Gore fundraiser in Raleigh's Volvo district in May 1999 - some dressed as Buddhist monks. The Clintons/Gore Regime just couldn't escape the conservatives from hell.

Other liberals were no luckier. The "Rosiecott" that ended Corporate America's willingness to indulge leftist politics was in large part organized on Free Republic. Freeper-organized boycotts were to Rosie O'Donnell's career what a later gay boycott was to advice-talk radio host Dr. Laura's.

But - just six years after its founding, just four years after the height of its power - Free Republic today is largely a total waste of time. As a reader commented, it isn't accomplishing anything anymore - with the giant protests against liberals formerly organized on it by Freepers over; as he agreed last week, the sole positive things it now does are to provide rapid dissemination of news, even from small-town dailies, to dissidents everywhere - and to guide dissidents to the various dissident newspapers that really are hardcore.

Some social issues are almost unmentionable on Free Republic today. More than one Freeper has griped that posted articles on immigration often just disappear. Other Freepers have been just blacklisted from Free Republic - for offending the sensibilities of founder Jim Robinson or the small clique under him that largely actually runs Free Republic now.

Today, Free Republic is every bit as handicapped as founder Jim Robinson - but by another problem. To all too many Freepers now, anyone calling themselves a Republican is God's brother - and cannot be criticized, no matter how Clintonesque their views on many social issues may be. And to all too many Freepers now, Pres. Bush really is God - uncriticizable, no matter what.

To make Free Republic great again, a number of things have to happen. First, all involved - from ordinary Freepers to "JimBob" himself - have to accept that having an (R) next to one's name doesn't make a politician beyond criticism. Second, all involved must also accept that Pres. Bush isn't God. And then, all Freepers must commit to doing again what made Free Republic great - hounding any politician at odds with Red Nation's masses on social issues; if that means picketing Pres. Bush everywhere he goes if he hints at amnesty for illegal aliens or tacit support of racial quotas, that's what it takes.

Free Republic didn't become great by being a Chinese-style "Democracy Wall" for dissidents to post articles from "mainstream" newspapers to and then discuss them. It can only became great again the same way it originally got great.

[BraveMan]

Posted with permission from the site owner.

[ErnBatavia]

Accuracy counts....JimBob lives in Little Rock or Snuff Holler......JimRob lives in Fresno and runs this great show.

[AppyPappy]

WAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!

Must be a Buchananite

[SamAdams76]

"JimBob"?

Evidently the author doesn't know Free Republic all that well otherwise there could be no way that error could be made.

Anyway, this reminds me of what they say about Rush Limbaugh everytime the Republicans move into power. "What is he going to talk about now?" they always say. Yet he's still around after all these years and even more influential than ever.

Granted there haven't been a lot of grass-root protests since the 2000 elections. The way the country pulled together after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the successful presidency of GW Bush and the big GOP wins last November don't give us an awful lot to complain about these days. But we are still here and our numbers are growing.

[Cultural Jihad]

... Published in Occupied Confederate Territory

... kinda says it all.

[fooman]

Free republic stays around because we must be ever vigilent.


We still have get out the vote projects and encourage each other to give to Terrill.


FR is not as censored as Lucianne. Perhaps those of us who want things to be more wild and willy should start a yahoo forum for freepers on steriods.

Jim R has encouraged alternate forums as a backup and for more wild discussion.

Frankly, Jim put up with much more than I would have during the formative years.

[raised by wolves]

the sole positive things it now does are to provide rapid dissemination of news, even from small-town dailies, to dissidents everywhere - and to guide dissidents to the various dissident newspapers that really are hardcore.

I don't feel like a dissident. I feel like an American who's political party is in control of the country.

[sugarbabe]

Start your own web site!

[MTCJK]

I've been here for five years and keep checking in many times a day--you can make FR what you want it to be--its a reflection of collective "wisdom"

[Randjuke]

First, all involved - from ordinary Freepers to "JimBob" himself - have to accept that having an (R) next to one's name doesn't make a politician beyond criticism. Second, all involved must also accept that Pres. Bush isn't God.

Does this guy even bother to read FR? There's plenty of criticism to go around and GWB et al are not spared. Plus he needs to fix the links on his wimpy website.

[AppyPappy]

You'll notice on the Alamance site that there is a lot of immigrant Mexican bashing. That seems to be a fixation with the "hate Bush" crowd.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

So, what was "Matt's" screen name he got banned under?

[Mark]

"Freepers" sound cool.

"Alamancer" sort of sounds gay.

[Clara Lou]

I feel so bad that FR doesn't meet Matt's personal standards. /sarcasm
Maybe he could start his own site down there in "occupied territory." Nutball.

[Cicero]

Well, I thought FreeRepublic might lose its energy after billy jeff left office, but I was wrong. And FR still has considerable influence, IMHO. It's one of the reasons why Democrat lies no longer work as well as they used to. In the election of 2002, the Dems pulled out every stop, including Bush pushing an old lady in a wheelchair downhill as he destroyed social security, and it just doesn't work any longer. I wonder why?

As for being knee-jerk Republicans, we still have plenty of people who don't like Republicans much around here, and plenty more who are willing to back George Bush as long as he does the right thing. It's hardly a case of W right or wrong. If he betrays the base, he loses it. Simple as that. But so far, Bush has been the anti-clinton--an honest man who says what he means and does what he says.

[Balata]

...if that means picketing Pres. Bush everywhere he goes...

Ah, penis envy. Ain't it great. Someone else wants to direct and determine what FR does. It ain't gonna happen.

[elbucko]

This article has ten-foot pole marks.

[fooman]

Don't beleive the FUD Jim, we love and YOU and Rush and Sean Gingrinch and Roger are the four or five greatest americans in the last five years in my book.

[Willie Green]

An exerpt from this editorial indicates that it is a racist website.

I will avoid mixed marriage or mixed dating - and, if I have
kids, strongly encourage them to avoid it as well - because
I will realize that mixed marriage both produces mutant kids
and is the death of my race, whichever race that is.

I for one, STRONGLY urge prohibiting posts from this website.

[goldstategop]

I don't recall ever having been blacklisted by Jim Rob for disagreeing with him. OK, so we don't have flame wars in here and that's a good thing. Now if the author thinks Free Republican is run by a small clique of Bush bots he should check the environment over at Democratic Underground - say one word critical of Bill and Hillary Clinton over there and you're banned from posting for life. Methinks the reports of Free Republic's demise have been and are greatly exagerrated.