Via Little Green Footballs, comes this story
It took less than a month for Jason Francis to realize that he was not among allies at the so-called Fred Thompson Forum, a website purporting to support the candidacy of the Republican presidential contender.
Maybe it was the site’s tagline — “Hope for North America†— that made him doubtful of the forum’s legitimacy. Or, the oddly bombastic tenor of his fellow forum members’ posts. While Francis was posting thoughtful missives about his candidate’s positions, other purported Fred-heads seemed to hold a sinister view of the former senator. A poster named “Chuck Manson,†for example, expressed confidence that a Thompson White House would deploy improvised explosive devices in Iraq. “We’ve got bigger and better (IEDs), and we need to start using ‘em! We will not be defeated! We will rule the Middle East!â€
After voicing some mild suspicions, Jason Francis finally threw his virtual hands up in the air. “I am now convinced that this site is owned and operated by Ron Paul supporters with the express purpose of discrediting any and all presidential candidates, especially Fred Thompson, without reasoned debate or even relatively polite discussion,†he wrote in July. “I have come to this conclusion after finding my posts (not inflammatory or vulgar) removed without a trace and my vote on the Ron Paul vs. Fred Thompson poll reversed.â€
You do have to hand it to the Ronulans, they do know how to use Al Gore’s Internet for their own nefarious purposes. But, then, so do those folks who send out spam emails about erectile disfunction pills and “learn how to get a big penis now!”
I think the bigger story about Ron Paul and the internet is that he set a record among Republican candidates yesterday by raising $4.2 million online in 24 hours.
It’s nice for him, but it was a staged event. Paul will not get the nomination, not even as the “oops, Dean imploded so let’s pick this other guy for the hell of it” candidate.
While he has some great ideas, he refuses to rebuff and denounce the supporters who are Truthers and white supremacists, of which there are quite a few.
Of course he won’t get the nomination but his message has clearly struck a cord with some voters.
Paul is now in 3rd place on the Intrade political futures board. Thompson ?? He is crumbling daily. His inability to channel the spirit of Reagan has befuddled his early supporters.
Although he will not win the nomination he has shown support from a sizeable percentage of people who normally vote Republican. Losing even 6% of the Republican “base” would be fatal.