I think that we are up against an even bigger monster than Obama’s principle opponent. The biggest monster there is to deal with is the MSM. The challenge is how do we steer low information voters around the MSM into places where they can be informed? We really need to start brainstorming on how the netroots can constructively contribute to the need for an alternative people based, reality based source for news, information, and analysis. The internet is an excellent tool for us to talk to each other. We know where to go, what to spend our time listening to, even how to make this whole interaction entertaining. But more importantly, the internet is probably the major difference between easily manipulated-low information voters and people who have enough information to make sound judgments about what candidates are saying and doing.
Low information voters are easily manipulated and distracted into voting against their own interests. Older people especially and a few other demographics are victims of our current MSM in two ways. 1. They believe what they see and hear on TV because they have been socialized to trust the media as an independent source of unbiased information. 2. They are easily influenced by politicians like the Clintons, who are highly skilled at manipulating the media. Many older citizens grew up in an era where news entities were not wholly owned and controlled arms of corporate elites with private agendas. Even as their masters unleash them to say and do anything they want, the pundit class know that their own lifeline (and as individuals their lifestyle) depends on controversy, drama, make believe issues--whatever as long as they keep people watching and corporations financing them. The corruption of our political process is making millionaires out of would be rubes whose unmitigated access to the airways is driven more than anything by how they look in contrast to what they know, or how they think. Even Barack's so-called surrogates are chosen by what kind of impression they make (how well they fit in with the pundit class) rather than actually communicating the campaign's position.
How did "We the People" elect the worst president in American history, not once but twice? Because our system is broken. Our information delivery system is as broken and infiltrated by moneyed interest as is our health care system. Both systems have become so corrupt that we need to reconstruct a whole new system and we need to construct it in real time before low information voters give what is left of our beloved country to either the male or female version of a corporate-owned empty suit.
To me that is our challenge. We have to somehow take the pieces we have which include our networked community, a few untainted legislators, one candidate running for president who is trying desperately to get elected so that he can use the position to make fundamental changes, a large celebrity class who is already on board with this candidate, and a few other financial and intellectual assets. This is in addition to our own collective little dollars that add up to really big dollars when we funnel them in one direction. We really need to start brainstorming around this idea, before it is too late. Two things happened yesterday that make me think we better get moving on something fast. One is that food hoarding in America has already begun. http://consumerist.com/.... And Rev. Wright's sound bite was running back to back again on the cable news.
Okay this is my first diary after months and months of lurking and posting comments, so let’s see what happens...