Postcards from the Bleeding Edge
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Andrew Sullivan endorses Ron Paul
Andrew Sullivan endorses Ron Paul and Barack Obama, for reasons almost identical to my own. I have found it odd that my views on who I'd support for both parties is so inline with his over these past few months. I still do, and I'm still thinking about it.I am reluctant to apply labels to myself, in the past I've described myself as a puzzle of seeming contradictions, with a sense of humor:
- "I'm a a pro-nuclear green - a gun-toting democrat - drug-taking republican - a libertarian that believes that without unionisation no-one would be literate enough to read Atlas Shrugged - a communist that's passionate about protecting private property - a socialist that hates slow trains -
I'm a red blooded reactionary that's tired of overreacting to everything. I want some peace, some quiet - and I want to be left alone, to think, to sort things out, to write some stuff down, learn from it, and eventually - act on it. I want to have the sense of calm and peace and direction that I haven't had since AOL added itself to the internet."
I'll add that I think the best label I can apply to myself today is that I am a
a libertarian leaning green, an abashed technologist that fervently believes that more technology is the answer to many more of our problems, particularly the wars over energy. I'm ambivalent about how to achieve energy independence, for example, the ethanol subsidy is the wrong way, but (for example) federal government requiring federal offices to switch to non-oil based energy supplies (be they nuclear, coal, gas, solar, wind, geothermal, etc) I'd absolutely support as a way of establishing a saner energy market.
I differ with libertarians on a whole slew of issues (notably on the use of force). I looked at mother jone's excellent Venn diagram the other day, and A) found I was mostly in the Ron Paul circle, and B) found that I didn't fit into any of the categories that fit the various libertarian factions, although somewhere between "Paleo" and "Techno" would be a somewhat descriptive spot.
I differ with democrats for thinking everything can be solved with a government program, and on many more fronts, largely related to fiscal conservatism.
I differ with republicans (the investment class) for not wanting to invest in better government. The Federales could definitely use a CTO. And I don't care what my neighbor does in his bedroom.
Most of all, I hate today's political discourse for seemingly having no room for science or technology, which is both the cause of many problems today (had we not learned to crack oil or the atom, what would today be like?), and the solution. My first principle is not based on ideology but on the scientific method, and the second principle, historical examples of what worked and what didn't.
My support of Paul's candidacy is based largely on one fundamental - that so vast and diverse a country as America cannot be governed from Washington, except on a very limited number of fronts, already laid out in the constitution - that there exists, in America, enough space and differing people to house nearly every political construct ever thought of. Through individual people, alone and in groups, all forms of government should be able to be tried by the people: under a federal government that doesn't cost much, doesn't give a damn, and stays the hell out of the way.
Go Ron Paul!
Labels: election 2008, Ron Paul
¶ 10:22 AM 0 comments
Monday, December 17, 2007
6 million dollar men (and women)
I knew as I went to bed last night that someone would use the 6 million dollar man analogy on yesterday's teaparty fundraiser for Ron Paul this morning, although I thought the press would apply it to Trevor Lyman rather than Paul."Ron Paul, constitutionalist, a man barely alive. Gentlemen, we can rebuild him, we have the technology. We have the capability to make the world's first Internet man. Ron Paul will be that man. Better than he was before. Better. Stronger. Faster."
In the meme war, I have seen a marked shift in the language used to describe Paul's campaign in the last 3 weeks, in particular "fervent followers" was used today instead of various other terms in common use. Nice alliteration for the 6 million dollar men and women that contributed yesterday...
At least 3 sources in the MSM I've read or seen today misstated Ron Paul's median donation of 50 dollars as his average donation. I don't know when statistics get taught nowadays, if ever. I remember knowing the difference between mean and median in 6th grade.
Ahh, the MSM. The same medium that believes its own polls are scientific, and that people must choose from what is on the MSM menu.
The Washington Times got it right, but then again they were largely quoting from a press release.
Some of the best writing came from Reason.
For the record:
Total raised online: 6,043,022.96
Total online donors: 59,170
Median donor: 50 bucks
Average donor: 103 bucks
New donors: 24940
The Nation, of all places actually sat up and took notice at the core statistic I'm tracking - "24,940 new donors to the campaign in a single day". That has got to be some kind of record, too, most campaigns are funded via the old boy network, and via PACs and other flags of corporate intent.
Lots and lots and and lots of coverage nationwide....
Labels: election 2008, msm, Ron Paul
¶ 10:51 AM 0 comments
Sunday, December 16, 2007
The weather conspiracy vs Ron Paul
Down here in Columbia, SC, rain poured all night, dawn was windy and chilly, and the blimp couldn't fly...About 250 people made it to the Boston Teaparty rally in Boston. It's sleeting and miserable up there, almost impossible to get around...
Cold and windy in Columbus, the rally here for Ron Paul got moved to a local brewpub called "The flying saucer", a highly ironic tip O' a pint towards Kucinich's affection for the things. I've seen some iced teas going around, but it's been mostly beer. Good bear... beer, I mean.... the waitresses make you finish your beer and then insist on suggesting another (good) one. Up on the big screen, the latest donation totals for the campaign are up, it's not even 5PM yet, and breaking the November 5th record is nigh. The fund raiser just broke 4 million.
The spoof's parody interview with Dick Cheney about Paul The Ron Paul Rebellion will be Crushed just went around for a lot of laughter...
The force is strong with this one, one said.
I had a chance to sit and talk with a multitude of people, including Trevor, and shoot some video. My batteries are running dry... but I think I'll toss another 100 bucks into the kitty soon....
Labels: election 2008, Ron Paul
¶ 2:09 PM 0 comments
At 6:12 AM the Tea Party fundraiser for Ron Paul has accumulated a little over a million dollars which is double what november 5th did in the same timeframe. 
Today's fundraiser got even more publicity than the previous one, and over 35,000 people signed up to participate today, vs 16000+ in the previous. If you were to take that linearly, (and I don't - there are many factors, including donor fatigue and the Christmas holiday to take into account), this would indicate an 8+ million dollar donation day, smashing all known single day records for either the Democratic or Republican parties! The numbers, last time, took off like a rocket at 9AM, so that hour should provide a good indicator for what's going to happen today. Still I think the core statistic for predicting today's final totals will be the number of new donors, which I don't see listed anywhere on ronpaulgraphs, although I'd found them before... still looking....Labels: election 2008, Ron Paul
¶ 3:16 AM 0 comments
