Bradley in DC
08-24-2007, 12:13 AM
http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070823/OPINION03/708230350/1014/OPINION
Web may help put Rep. Paul in the running for president
So what is newsworthy these days? What becomes news and what does not?
Why did we hear what Lindsay Lohan has been up to but not about which presidential candidate had the most donations from members of the Army, Navy and Air Force, along with the veterans? We are in wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and in a general war on "terror." I would have thought which presidential candidates are getting support from the men and women making the sacrifices would have been more newsworthy than Lohan.
With high negative ratings for both Congress and the president in recent polls, why did I hear about who got the rights for O. J.'s book instead of the winner of three of this weekend's four straw polls?
The answer to the above "non-newsworthy" items is Rep. Ron Paul. A movement to elect Paul, a man considered the exception to the bunch in Washington, is growing. It started with Paul dominating the Internet over all Republican candidates and now surpassing all the Democrats on the Internet. Based on Web traffic, YouTube subscribers, meet-up groups, Myspace friends and search rankings, only Barack Obama is in the same league.
That online support is showing up as people on the ground with him placing fifth (9%) in Iowa last weekend. This weekend, he placed third (19%) in Illinois, first (37%), first (73%) and first (81%) respectively in North Carolina, New Hampshire and Alabama straw polls.
MARK BYRNE
Chairman
Libertarian Party
St Clair and Sanilac counties
Port Huron, Aug. 20
Web may help put Rep. Paul in the running for president
So what is newsworthy these days? What becomes news and what does not?
Why did we hear what Lindsay Lohan has been up to but not about which presidential candidate had the most donations from members of the Army, Navy and Air Force, along with the veterans? We are in wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and in a general war on "terror." I would have thought which presidential candidates are getting support from the men and women making the sacrifices would have been more newsworthy than Lohan.
With high negative ratings for both Congress and the president in recent polls, why did I hear about who got the rights for O. J.'s book instead of the winner of three of this weekend's four straw polls?
The answer to the above "non-newsworthy" items is Rep. Ron Paul. A movement to elect Paul, a man considered the exception to the bunch in Washington, is growing. It started with Paul dominating the Internet over all Republican candidates and now surpassing all the Democrats on the Internet. Based on Web traffic, YouTube subscribers, meet-up groups, Myspace friends and search rankings, only Barack Obama is in the same league.
That online support is showing up as people on the ground with him placing fifth (9%) in Iowa last weekend. This weekend, he placed third (19%) in Illinois, first (37%), first (73%) and first (81%) respectively in North Carolina, New Hampshire and Alabama straw polls.
MARK BYRNE
Chairman
Libertarian Party
St Clair and Sanilac counties
Port Huron, Aug. 20