dysanfel wrote:
The internet has not yet proven itself to translate at the ballot box. Ask Howard Dean and Ron Paul about that. This could change, but I do not see the internet becoming a powerful force for Obama or McCain this election cycle.
Howard Dean I did not pay attention to, but Ron Paul I did. In Ron Paul's case, there was a lot of internet interest and a lot of grassroots effort too. This does not translate to the ballot box for a few reasons.
1- There is significant vote fraud
2- Ron Paul was systematically ignored/marginalized in the (so called) media
3- The election process is fairly well rigged to make it very hard for unexpected candidates to gain ground and make an impact.
This shows the utter failure of the current system to actually represent the people in any meaningful way.
For example, take a bunch of people, and show them the actual positions of the current set of presidential candidates, without revealing which position belongs to which candidate, explain them well and ask them which they would favor and the majority of people on a majority of issues would support Nader. #2 would likely be Ron Paul if he were still running.
Taxation, without representation... We've come full circle...