Related in a funny sort of way: http://omggopwtf.com/
On Tue, Sep 22, 2009 at 12:20 PM, Martin Baxter <truthseeker...@hotmail.com>wrote: > > > And that's the scary side of the Information Age. Even the Nutjobs and the > Truly Dangerous have the means to voice their First Amendment rights. And, > as long as there's that element that refuses to think for itself, the > Nutjobs and the Truly Dangerous have their audience. I fear that it may come > down to violence before a resolution is sought. > > "If all the world's a stage and all the people merely players, who in > bloody hell hired the director?" -- Charles L Grant > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik > > > > > ------------------------------ > To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com > From: keithbjohn...@comcast.net > Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:01:15 +0000 > Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] OT: Sarah Palin Phenom on Facebook > > > there's always been the fringe, and the not-so-fringe bigots. The more > communications methods we have, the more they're able to disseminate > information and reinforce each other's views > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Mr. Worf" <hellomahog...@gmail.com> > To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 12:12:15 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern > Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] OT: Sarah Palin Phenom on Facebook > > > I think a lot of it has to do with the republicans using the distrust of > the media to their advantage. It is something that has been gaining momentum > since regan was in office. He would make a sly comment or gesture as if it > were an inside joke. Now we have the same thing going on and it is gaining > momentum. I was just listening to the radio and they said in a recent poll > that 15% of republicans actually believe that Obama is the anti-christ. > WTF??? Are they passing out crack at these townhall meetings or what? > > > On Mon, Sep 21, 2009 at 8:50 PM, Keith Johnson > <keithbjohn...@comcast.net>wrote: > > > > I actually have no comment on this--maybe because I'm too busy shuddering > at this abuse of technology. And pondering anew how my fellow Americans can > sometimes be so unrelentingly stupid in who and what they support. > And while I respect the emergence of the importance of social networking, I > don't think we've come so far yet that we should let a person's Tweets or > Facebook postings shape our opinions on national and international events > and policy. > > I mean, Palin lied on Facebook about death panels--or worse, she might have > been stupid enough to *believe* that foolishness--and waited five days to > say something about that stance (and this article unfortunately doesn't say > what she said. Did she recant?) > > And the conservatives were worried about Obama's nefarious programming of > the kiddies. I'm more afraid of the tens of thousands of Followers > reproducing ,and then educating their progeny. Still, perhaps there's hope. > If the likes of Ari Fleischer (who I can't abide) sees through her > questionable veneer of charm, maybe there are a few brain cells yet working > in America. > > Okay, so maybe I did have a comment or two! :) > > ************************************************************************** > http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090919/pl_politico/27344 > Palin emerges as Facebook phenom Since resigning her post as governor of > Alaska, Sarah > Palin<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/politico/pl_politico/storytext/27344/33446100/SIG=11n1ml5qc/*http://topics.politico.com/index.cfm/topic/SarahPalin>has > essentially gone dark, making almost no public appearances and > successfully avoiding the media outlets that are clamoring to talk to her. > But that doesn’t mean Palin has been quiet. > > > > Relying almost exclusively on social media to get her message out, Palin > has managed to carve out her own high-profile place in the national health > care<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/politico/pl_politico/storytext/27344/33446100/SIG=11nf67dqe/*http://topics.politico.com/index.cfm/topic/HealthCare>debate, > on energy policy and on tort > reform. > While Palin isn’t the only major political figure to try alternative means > of communication to bypass the media, her unique ability to remain in the > headlines while avoiding the spotlight suggests she may be the first to pull > it off successfully. > > > > For several days in August, the national health care debate turned to > focus on so-called “death panels,” in large part because of two > widely-publicized Palin Facebook posts accusing Democratic authors of the > House proposal of creating bureaucratic entities to decide end of life > care. > The post was immediately rebuked by Democrats, and even by some > Republicans<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/politico/pl_politico/storytext/27344/33446100/SIG=11on3ft3a/*http://topics.politico.com/index.cfm/topic/Republicans>, > as untrue and irresponsible. But rather than immediately firing back at her > critics when reporters came calling for a response, or issuing a press > release defending her claim, Palin waited five days to post her response on > Facebook. > > > > The post, simply titled “concerning the ‘death panels,’” went up shortly > before midnight on a Wednesday night. By late Thursday morning, a write up > of her statement was on the homepage of dozens of national and local > newspapers. The post also quickly became one of the most mentioned topics > within the political blogosphere. > “I can’t answer what her strategy is, but I can say that it’s working,” > said GOP strategist Mary Matalin. “A large issue of why this works is that > she has been so demonized and made fun of by the mainstream press.” > With more than 850,000 “friends” following her every statement closely on > Facebook<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/politico/pl_politico/storytext/27344/33446100/SIG=11lih08id/*http://topics.politico.com/index.cfm/topic/Facebook>, > Palin trails only President Barack Obama as the most popular politician on > the site. And when Palin ended her Twitter feed after resigning as > governor, close to 140,000 people were following her—again, second only to > Obama. > > > > “It’s the most passive form of communication there is, it’s only effective > if people are dying to go to your Facebook page,” noted Marjorie > Dannenfelser, the president of the Susan B. Anthony List, an organization > designed to advance pro-life women in politics, and co-founder of Team > Sarah, a network of Palin supporters. “She’s got this quality that Howard > Dean had in terms of the completely organic liberal movement he tapped > into.” > > > > Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, a media strategist who > does not count himself as a Palin supporter, said the former Alaska > governor’s style and appeal lends itself to the online medium. > “Facebook is perfectly suited for someone as polarizing as Sarah Palin,” > he said. “It’s the ideal way for her to keep in touch, to rev up her base > and go around the mainstream media.” > > > While Palin has used her Facebook page to weigh in with lengthy posts on > health care, energy policy and tort reform, it has also enabled her to > highlight causes with a more personal dimension, such as a favorite charity, > the celebration of Constitution Day and the commemoration of the eighth > anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. > > > > “She’s trying to cut across the grain because everyone has been saying what > a dope she is and she’s going into depth on these issues,” said Matalin. > “This is a good strategy because it works and because it’s long form. In an > ad or any visual form, you could never take the kind of deep dive on a lot > of these issues.” > Her establishment of one of the most powerful social media brands in > politics has coincided with her effort to all but drop off the mainstream > media grid. > > > Since her television news blitz shortly before resigning as governor, a > chaotic period in which she was even interviewed wearing waders while > fishing, Palin has not appeared on cable or network television. She has > issued very few statements to the media and her press contacts have become > markedly less responsive to press requests. While Palin will be delivering a > September 23 speech to investors in China, the event is closed to the > press. > > > > Palin’s camp did not respond to numerous requests from POLITICO seeking > comment on this story. > To some degree, Palin’s strategy may be driven by necessity. The former > governor has operated with a skeleton crew since leaving the governor’s > office, with a team consisting of only a handful of staffers employed by her > political action committee located in Virginia. > > > > Even so, the practice of shutting out major print, television and news > outlets is a sure route to obscurity—and Palin in the past has given every > indication that she has an interest in continuing her career as a public > figure. > But even as she’s all but vanished from the public view, Palin has managed > to amplify her voice and expand her reach online. The ranks of her Facebook > friends have swelled by several hundred thousand since the announcement of > her resignation, after remaining somewhat static at around 500,000 through > the spring and summer. > > > > Fleischer said Palin has been able to pick up so much online momentum > because “she is so exciting.” > “She represents a gigantic movement in this country that is distrustful of > Washington and finds her appealing for all the same reasons that the > mainstream media finds her unappealing,” Fleischer said. “This is where > social networks are most effective. It lets you focus on your core > constituents and fan bases, and few politicians can actually claim they have > a fan base.” > > > > Still, Fleischer warned that Palin’s ability to drive hundreds of thousands > of individuals to her Facebook page will not get her past the media > filter. > “Facebook is one way to go around the mainstream media, but when you add it > all together the mainstream media still exists,” he said. > > > > The former governor’s online megaphone is taken seriously enough by her > opponents that the labor-affiliated group Americans United for Change > started running ads on Facebook to counter Palin’s messages. > “Send Palin a message,” reads the black and white ad, which features only > text and a small picture of the former governor. “Health insurance reform is > too important for outright lies. Send Sarah Palin a message; tell her to > stop lying about ‘death panels.’” > > > > For those who have worked with Palin, the end-run around traditional media > channels is not surprising. > “She loves the unfiltered medium because she can make her statement and not > be questioned directly about any nuances,” one former Palin staffer told > POLITICO. “It speaks to the power of Facebook and social networking in > general. Here’s a case where Facebook postings are being picked up by [the > Associated Press] and the national media. As politicians—we’re taking note > of these media based on how well they’re working for her.” > Another longtime Alaska insider and close observer of Palin called the > strategy “brilliant,” but said it was sad to watch her relationship with the > press deteriorate to such a point. > > > > The Alaska source noted that prior to getting picked as Sen. John McCain’s > (R-Ariz.) running mate, Palin once brought cookies to reporters stuck > hanging around the state capitol on a Saturday for a special legislative > session. > “There was so much difficulty in her getting her message out without it > being deliberately, in my opinion, twisted by members of the media,” the > insider said. “Now, even if a story gets twisted, they all know they can go > right to Facebook and see what she said.” > > > > > > > -- > Bringing diversity to perversity for 9 years! > Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ > > > > ------------------------------ > Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft. Get it > now.<http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/171222986/direct/01/> > >
