Mainstream media alert: Ron Paul news assault starts

It's a shocking political development, to be sure, but news about Ron Paul and what his determined, fervent bands of supporters call the Ron Paul Revolution is beginning to spread like some kind of wildfire before strong primary winds.

First, there was this.

Then, there was this.

And that produced so many hundreds of Comments on this blog that it caused this later item on the Comments. Which produced even more Comments.

And, in turn,that led to this item on the previous item on another blog.

Supporters of the 72-year-old 10-term libertarian representative from Texas think he has a real shot at shocking the political establishment and snatching the Republican presidential nomination away from all those presidential pretenders like Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, and Fred Thompson with higher numbers in what must be obviously fraudulent polls.

But now comes news that news about Paul is creeping onto television, that great Satan that ....

reaches so many potential voters but normally ignores quiet-spoken grandfathers with radically simple political views such as political power belongs to the people and America should return to following the Constitution. That makes no sense in an age of proliferating political promises.

Now, believe it or not, John Stossel of ABC is interviewing the old guy and giving him more exposure, which is all his supporters ever sought because they think his ideas are so powerful they cast a spell. "With politicians from both sides of the political fence touting their new plans to fix America's problems, Paul, R-Tex., believes that the most effective way that a president can lead is by protecting basic freedoms, and relying on the collective power of citizens to sort out the rest," Stossel writes.

Paul tells him as president he'd eliminate the Departments of Education, Energy, Agriculture, Commerce, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Homeland Security and FEMA. Does that get your attention?  

The trouble with discrediting polls and the mainstream media so much over many months is what do Paulites do when their man's poll numbers start climbing and the same ignorant media start paying attention. Are the polls still frauds and the dim mainstream media still manipulated by evil corporate influences?

All just because Paul supporters gave $4.2 million in one day to enable advertising in New Hampshire. And now with their fundraising guru, Trevor Lyman at the helm of a Ron Paul advertising blimp (really!), the Paul rebels are planning an even bigger fundraising day this coming weekend to mark the Boston Tea Party.

The media will have to pay even more attention if Paul's people set a new one-day online fundraising record Dec. 16. Or, heaven forbid, raise more money in the fourth quarter than any other better-known Republican candidate. Wouldn't that rock some boats? The implausible campaign has a website where the total so far is coming up on $11-million even before Sunday.

With all this mounting attention and success what in the world are Ron Paul's supporters going to rail against now? They'll find something. They have to. Can underdogs still succeed when they're no longer under?

--Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[Tess, California]

Who's Andrew Malcolm?

Gotta love Corporate Media, Ron Paul Rocks, and he will win!!!! I am curious to see which mainstream media outlet is going to be the first to join the Ron Paul Supporters. Whoever it is will have my advertising dollars when it comes time to advertise for my company. Ron Paul for the win, lets bring our troops home and give Washington a big wake up call.

[Elaine McLellan]

This article is in sharp contrast to the one in the New York Times 12/10/07 "Poll Finds G.O.P. Field Isn’t Touching Voters," Which doesn't even bother mentioning RP. I think Mr. Nagourney should hear from a few INSPIRED supporters.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/11/us/politics/11poll.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

[John]

The only reason MSM gives Ron Paul a little attention is because they actually fear that he might win, they know that if he starts winning in primamries that all their credibility as credible news networks is done. So they give him a little just in case, and can't be accused of totally ignoring him.

[Blair]

Once elected, Ron Paul will still be leading an underdog cause-restoring the republic. We have a long way to go. There are huge obstacles along the way. But it can be done. rEVOLution.

[bkusz-Florida]

"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win."
by Mahatma Gandhi.

We are almost in the fight stage folks!

Go Ron Paul!

[Paul Francis]

Hi Andrew,

A relatively fair and informative article, thankyou for writing about Ron Paul. His supporters get annoyed at the 'MSM' because he is often misrepresented and attacked for no good reason, and we can only reason it is through ignorance or sabotage- either necessitates a defensive responsive (and the best form of defense is often offense of course).

Im glad that you appear to be reading these comments and I would be pleased if you could respond to this question. Do you believe that certain candidates and ideologies are pushed by certain media outlets? If you truly do not think this happens please feel free to put this. And if you have the time, do you think its possible for a candidate to poll highly without sufficient 'help' from the media (by means of time and the way there views are represented)?

Thanks again, Paul.

[Dave]

The media not only ignored Ron Paul, they also went out of their way to suggest, "he can never win", "he is considered a flake", "his supporters are only on the internet", etc, etc. These are lies and are designed to hurt his chances. Amercans understand this. If the media begins to support Ron Paul, it's because the majority of America will stop listening to them if they can't be fair. Millions will turn away from the large "News" stations and tune into internet based real reporters, who serve no master. This may happen anyway. Ron Paul 2008

[Tim_Ohio]

What will we do then? Well let me see. We will:

1) Vote for Dr. Paul.
2) Work to fill Congress & the U.S. Senate with like-minded individuals.
3) Continue reading your fine articles (and not snicker too loudly when you write that you "knew it all along" :-) ).

[Elaine McKillop, Esq]

Your piece on Ron Paul was more balanced then most but there is no doubt that there is an orchestrated effort to marginalize our candidate that will not succeed. We know the kind of support our candidate has and it dwarfs every other candidate. Ron Paul is not only king of the internet, he has been voted the winner in every nationally televised debate, he will raise more money this quarter than any Republican, except if Romney writes himself a check. He has more meet up groups more than all other candidate combined, with over 90,000 active members around the world. His grass roots supporters have financed more billboards across the country than any other candidate, he has more utubes, more campaign songs written, by artist ranging from country to rap, he has sold more yard signs, shirts and slim jims than any other candidate. He has won more straw polls than any other Republican candidate even though Romney with the help of the Republican party thugs have been stuffing the ballot box in Tampa, Iowa and elsewhere. ( A lawsuit exposing this is pending maybe then the media will pick it up. ) Ron Paul handily won the recent Herald debate poll after the debate in Miami by 80% after he told the Cubans that he wanted to end the embargo against Cuba. In a World wide poll asking who should be president, Ron Paul won handily. Ron Paul has energetic supporters everywhere he goes. (Rudy has more Ron Paul supporters protesting him then he has supporters of his own.) Ron Paul has over 400 volunteers in New Hampshire spreading his message. Ron Paul supporters have hired a Blimp. We have paid for a full page add in USA Today, and if you want to know why we support him, its the Constitution stupid, the supreme law of the land. Ron Paul is the messenger of freedom who has embodied the fever and passion of our Founding Fathers in their quest for Liberty. We love this man, not only because he has character and integrity, but as Rolling Stone magazine says, "Ron Paul has huge cojones". We as a nation had lost faith and strayed into tyranny and oppression by a constantly expanding and intrusive government, The good doctor has cured our apathy. Liberty is brewing. We are having a Revolution. On December 16th the cry for liberty will be heard around the world!

[Kent]

Huckabee wasn't doing all that well in the polls until the mainstream media decided they wanted to anoint him. Then it turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy. And please, the ether version of the LA Times is about as far from the MSM as you can get. Put Ron Paul in your real paper. Give Ron Paul an hour on Meet The Press like Guiliani. Or any of the non-cable Sunday Morning Shows. Did you know the Iowa Independent (non-ether version) predicts Ron Paul to come in 3rd in Iowa? I trust their prediction over the polls.

[Dennis]

Who's discrediting polls? , Not Ron Paul (Us)...We're just WINNING POLLS, placing 1st in OVER 50 % of them ah hahahaha
See you all in Iowa where the rEVOLution really kicks in!

[scott]

here is what the polls are doing to dr. paul

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSYiUAaBd1U

tell the truth andrew..

[Chris Doyle]

The only poll that counts is the poll on election day. All all other polls are fluff used to manipulate public opinion. The best thing that could happen is for opinion polls to show Ron Paul as not even in the running and having him win the Primary.

[Bill Moore]

I haven't heard of Ron Paul until this article. I went and checked out this Tea Party and I must say...what a great idea. I signed up at http://teaparty07.com

This guy sounds consistent. I hope he wins.

[Barney]

Let's be honest. If McCain, Hunter, Tancredo or any other GOP candidate was to raise the kind of cash that Dr Paul has, draw the size of crowds that Dr Paul draws, overwhelm the straw polls and the post debate polls like Dr Paul does, they would be coronated by the media.

The only thing they have left to use against Dr Paul are some obscure secretive corporate run "national polls". And the people they are calling are from the pool of die hard Bush fans who bothered to show up in the uncontested 2004 GOP primaries, which had the lowest turnout rate in GOP primary history. Even with the cards stacked as such some of these pollsters don't even include Dr Paul as among the choices.

Keep rigging the system. The People are on to you.

[not-a-domestic-terrorist]

"Now, believe it or not, John Stossel of ABC is interviewing the old guy and giving him more exposure, which is all his supporters ever sought because they think his ideas are so powerful they cast a spell."

This is not traditional "exposure". I hate to break it to you sir, but the fact that John Stossel decided to interview Ron Paul, and ABC in their infinite grace decided to air the segments exclusively on the Internet (and only on the Internet) doesn't mean that the MSM is any less biased in their coverage of the candidates or any less controlled by the respective owners and advertisers. Hyping Ron Paul on the Internet is "managed" exposure and you know it. If it's good enough for ABC's website, why not for TV? Didn't you read the circular explanation for why the ABC interview would be web-only: "Despite relatively low poll numbers, Paul has had a big influence on the presidential campaign. That's in part because he's raised a ton of money, and in part because of the passionate following he has on the Web. It's one reason we're posting my interview with Paul only on the Internet, where the debate about Paul is very active. In fact, he's the most Googled presidential candidate."

Please. Not everyone has Internet access. Stop the average Baby Boomer on the street and ask them how much they know about the Internet. Go to ABC's website and search "digital divide". Andrew, don't you find it ironic that the same network that reports on the "digital divide" in this country is also the same network that decided that Stossel's interview with Ron Paul wasn't fit for TV? Just because the MSM (which includes this blog) decides to throw people a couple of bones on the Internet doesn't mean that the MSM is any less controlled or biased–as if linking to a few blog entries and a web-only video series would convince people of the objective fairness of the MSM in reporting on America's candidate Ron Paul - absolutely hilarious!

[A G]

We still have a long way to go but thanks for the vote of confidence, now if we can just get him an equal amount of coverage as the official media approved candidates.

[James in Albuquerque]

No stopping until January 2008...

[Albert Meyer]

Ron Paul is a one-in-a-lifetime candidate. You better believe it! Watch him win the the White House in 2008. Americans are rediscovering liberty. There are just too many of us out there. We are "We the People." Following the Ron Paul campaign is exhilarating.

[RonWho???]

Ron is irrelevant in the race for the presidential office. Just look at his numbers.

[David]

The more I observe in and around this this movement leads me to think we are about to witness something very profound. I keep coming back to the web for the most dynamic source of news and information I can tune into, and it feels like a collective momentum is brewing. Quite energizing to blend with as there is an honest kernel of truth at it's core. I look forward to seeing what elements it's resonance attracts, as it rolls over existing paradigms of belief.

[Charles Held]

Yes, a few of the online versions of MSM outlets are throwing Dr. Paul scraplets of coverage. But, consider:

- ABC does not presently plan on actually airing the Stossel interview.

- Katie Couric's series on Presidential Candidates EXCLUDES Ron Paul.

- The Washington Post's "Front Runners" series EXCLUDES Ron Paul.

- The Des Moines Register's series of candidate analyses EXCLUDES Ron Paul.

- Meet The Press's series of candidate interviews has so far EXCLUDED Ron Paul.

- Incidents where local Republican officials have either cancelled straw polls rather than allow a vote for "fear" that Ron Paul would win (San Francisco, Denver) or physically threatened Ron Paul supporters (Florida) have been ignored by MSM.

- At the YouTube debate, where likely most of the questions were submitted by Ron Paul supporters, the MSM "panel" selected TWO questions for Ron Paul: an irrelevant one regarding the 3rd-party scenario that Dr. Paul has already dismissed, and a planted one seeking to discredit Dr. Paul as an adherent to "conspiracy theories" (note that Dr. Paul's questions were the ONLY TWO where no other candidate was asked to comment - an obvious attempt to isolate him).

Maybe the MSM is ignoring Ron Paul because they prefer scandals like Rudy Giuliani's taxpayer-funded infidelities or Mike Huckabee's numerous Willie Horton moments. But there is no denying that they continue to ignore him (see above), intentionally and definitely with malice aforethought

[Dan]

I love how more and more people like Mr. Malcolm feel the need to attack him and his supporters now. That's not because he's gaining speed and, heaven forbid, going to win the election or anything...right?

[A n]

Nice job of not addressing any quantifiable matter, like oh say # of minutes in 'debates.'
Makes you seem real credible.
; )

[Jennifer]

We know you love us and we love you too. :)

And I love Ron Paul!

I have to admit that I gave money for the blimp. Who doesn't love a blimp?!