The Relevancy of Ron Paul vs. the Coming Irrelevancy of the Status-Quo

by Susan Westfall

Recently by Susan Westfall: On Weasels and the Removal Thereof Through Unified Action

On the heels of the Ames Straw Poll results, we find the media doing almost exactly that which Neil Cavuto proposed as a hypothetical situation during his interview with Dr. Paul from the Straw Poll grounds. Namely – what if you do well, and no one reports it? As expected by everyone with even a partial brain, Ron Paul did fantastically well in the Straw Poll. His message of individual liberty, sound money and free trade with all – minus the financial and military entanglements that have helped bring us to the brink of ruin – is resounding so strongly with people everywhere that the two candidates best thought by many to represent the popular freedom message, were able to capture over 9000 votes between them. That they did so in the very heartland of America is an implacable declaration of what people are looking for in their next president. Granted, Ms. Bachman can’t really pass muster as a liberty candidate in most of her actions and votes, but she initially sounds good trying and the media were ecstatic, touting her first place victory from the highest media mountaintops. Ron Paul finished by capturing such a close second place win that 153 more votes would have put him in the lead. Even crickets would have been astounded at the total silence that accompanied Dr. Paul’s achievement. None of the grassroots were too surprised, however. We’ve been watching the media play the same disgusting marginalization games since 2007. We predicted it would happen too, but didn’t waste breath on the idea that it might be “hypothetical”. Regardless, I salute Mr. Cavuto for actually pointing out the possibility that not only might the emperor be waltzing about buck-naked on the morrow, but he’d likely be stinking drunk as well. It’s about time. The media has been complicit in the slow erosion of liberty and the disintegration of our Republic for far, far too long.

Let’s begin with a Youtube video that made the rounds at a brisk pace last Sunday titled “Being Ron Paul: The Media Fix is In.” It pretty much says it all and covers a variety of MSM contributions about the Straw Poll results. The ire and disgust at the pathetic and blatantly obvious removal or marginalization of Ron Paul’s close finish with Michelle Bachman is evident in the poster’s voice. That same sentiment was massively evidenced in the comments and responses to MSM articles and personal blog posts across the Internet world. The manner in which Matt Strawn reported the Straw Poll results live on CNN clearly announced the coming marginalization storm. Can anyone recall or point out another time in the recent history of Ames Straw Polls (or at any time in its history) when only the first place winner’s name was announced, followed immediately by the announcer exiting stage right briskly and wordlessly? “Stunned” probably does not even begin to describe the reactions of millions of viewers to that event. Even the panel of commentators was thrown off stride. Their reactions called to my mind a panel scene from the 2008 elections, when CNN was reporting the South Carolina primary. I remember quite clearly Anderson Cooper’s glazed look, when the reported numbers suddenly seemed to take a dramatically different track from where they had been previously going, magnified and reflected by the robotic expressions and stammered comments of the panel.

But I digress. Back to the video. At 3:11 a.m. Monday morning the view count was still stuck at 301 views – the exact same number it was on at 4 p.m. Sunday, when I viewed it the first time. Having seen links to it all over Twitter and Facebook on more occasions than I can count, I would expect it to have at least gone up some from when I first viewed it. Youtube has long been accused by many of suppressing view counts, which was of course poo-pooed as “conspiracy theory”. Based on the improbable immobility of the view count on just this one video, it doesn’t appear to be just theory in this case. Why? The “Gummy Bear” video can shoot up a million views in one day, but apparently something with real substance in its content must be held down lest the citizenry get over-excited seeing the view count rise. An ineffectual technique at best, idiocy at the very least. Here’s another excellent Youtube demonstrating media-weasel strong arm tactics. Now that your blood pressure is a least catching up (if not equal) to the slow pound mine has been building to for quite some time, here’s a link to Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show in which he echoes the incredulity of millions regarding the invisibility of Ron Paul. In the week since the Iowa Straw Poll there have been quite a number of stories in the media about Dr. Paul. A few of them honestly reporting his “top-tier” candidacy, as well as his fast growing influence and popularity. Many more continue to ignore, marginalize and weasel away. By far the majority address the media’s own failure to report election news either realistically or honestly. An excellent example readily admits the collusion of all in the media phenomenon of “choosing” the candidates.

Now I don’t have any exact numbers, but indications are excellent that the rest of America feels much as I do at this point in time. And I am bloody well tired of the media telling me what I should think, believe, understand or discuss. I am MORE than tired of them “choosing” pre-packaged, pre-approved and appropriately groomed candidates for my voting edification (and by groomed I don’t mean attired, although I’m downright sick of the emphasis placed on that as well). I do NOT want to vote for the preferred cut-out-party doll of the day, week, or month. I don’t give one whit what the “experts” paraded out each day by the media have to say about who is the front-runner or who is electable, nor do I believe a word they say. What makes them more expert than I or any other American? Their wonderfully prescient warnings regarding Fannie-Mae and Freddie-Mac? Their correctness regarding unconstitutional cakewalk wars? Their fantastic ability to predict the economic statistics they write? Thanks, but NO THANKS! I will do my own vetting and reach my own conclusions regarding any candidate that runs for office, high or low. The Internet offers each and every American the ability to easily check any candidate’s past voting record, their support for or against pertinent legislation, and a myriad of other insights into their character, beliefs and daily actions.

Given the choice that the Internet offers us all today, how long will we as a people continue to accept the endless lies pumped at us day in and day out by media hacks who neither represent the news honestly, nor have the guts to stand up and stop the idiocy themselves? That we should assign blame to the talking heads only and stop there however, is as ridiculous as their present efforts to pretend by omission that Ron Paul is not a top-tier contender in the GOP nominee election process. Those working in the media are at the very least guilty of misrepresenting the truth and at the worst complicit in coverups of God knows what criminal activities for those powerful entities that hand them their approved talking points and candidate lists on a daily basis. For decades, at least since the 60s, the media has been disgustingly subservient to “other interests” starting with the Federal Reserve and permeating through all the industrial complexes (military, medical, pharmaceutical, agricultural, etc.) as well as all their corporatist cronies. They haven’t just been “wagging the dog”, they’ve been wagging us to maintain the desired status-quo of wealth-transfer, empire-building, and war-for-plunder. Enough, I say.

Admitted or not, the American people are “mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.” The tipping point has been reached and the people are done with games. Ron Paul and the ideas he speaks of, as well as the solutions he offers will not be swept under the rug again. Just because the revolution isn’t being televised does not mean it won’t and isn’t occurring. It’s not only occurring, but will overcome. Liberty and the restoration of the Republic will move forward to victory in the hands of the real grassroots, the American people – and they don’t need a complicit media or approval from the “powers that be” to achieve it. As Ron Paul has often said, “An idea whose time has come will not be stopped by any government or any army [media or otherwise].”

Reprinted with permission from The Weasel Radar.

August 23, 2011

Susan Westfall [send her mail] is a mother, a libertarian, and an educator.

Copyright © 2011 Susan Westfall