idea what the 'internet was' they were blindsided by the calls they were getting from voters wondering how come all of a sudden the people appeared to be 'tuned in' to what they were up to. So they realized they better find out.
It's a long sordid story to those of us who watched it all play out and how a huge opportunity for the people was eventually undermined by some of the so-called 'liberal' blogs who sold out for access. No different than what happened with radio and TV.
Remember back in the early Bush years when some incredibly intelligent people took to the internet to express their outrage of what was happening? Many of us were attracted to blogs because of the writers who seemed to speak for us. We hoped that they would eventually be invited to the MSM to express their/our views on the state of the nation.
Instead, other 'voices' emerged who claimed to be 'liberals' but who spent their time slamming liberals. Suddenly it seemed that the original 'enemy' on the Right was almost forgotten and the fight turned to Liberals. Talking points were introduced to try to undermine liberals 'purity troll' 'concern troll' 'reality based community' etc and rather than those who actually spoke for us ending up with a wider audience, it was the 'moderates' see Kos eg, former Republican whose blog grew from a boring one page publication with few viewers to one of the biggest 'liberal' (excuse me for laughing) blogs on the internet. How did that happen while the bloggers who had attracted liberals to the internet were actually BANNED from DK if they posted there and demeaned, attacked and undermined?
There were many theories about how someone as boring and conservative as Kos became the media 'spokesperson' always introduced as 'liberal' rather than actual, life long liberals who were often banned when they showed up on that 'liberal blog'? How does a 'poor blogger posting from a tiny apartment move up to a million dollar home in a matter of a few years while those who actually HAD a following never made a dime? And how does a boring blogger that no one read, get promoted by so many other 'liberal blogs' and manage to get top Democratic Senators and Congress people to post on his blog? Enquiring minds have been trying to find out but he's not talking.
Someday someone will write a history of how we lost the internet as a tool. And who orchestrated the takeover and reigning in of all that liberal energy and mire it down in petty meta. I watched it happen as did others. So to your question, 'do they watch the internet', more than that, they influence it, they participate or their staff and operatives do, on the internet. But sadly I don't think they are afraid of it anymore, as they were initially.
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