reply to post by Benevolent Heretic
Hrmm...looks like I'm late to the party.
*frown* Some have already addressed my thoughts on this well. "Cui bono?" is definitely a good thought to keep in mind here, but properly answering
that for determination appears likely to get convoluted both main ways it could go.
I would LIKE to think that Paul supporters savvy enough to do so would also be smart enough to realize the likely odds of blowback involved, as this
is one of Paul's big lessons. If some (idiotic, IMHO) Paul supporters are actually doing this, it's no good and is indefensible as far as I'm
concerned - even if the net outcome falls in Paul's favor.
That said, I do have one small problem regarding the Kelly Clarkson album sales - there WAS definitely an increase in sales as a result of her Paul
endorsement - the album bomb we organized did have a direct and noticeable effect, swiftly driving her sales WAAAY up the charts. However, the valid
question to ask is how long that effect lasted, and can the *overall* sales be attributed to the Paul-supporter bump? I personally doubt it, but I
have no question that two-day or so sales increased astronomically as a result (seriously, a +1100% sales increase and jumping from like #41 on the
movers & shakers list to #1 in the space of a day, etc., is just a result of regular promotion, when at least thousands of people - likely tens -
coordinated to buy en-masse over a short period?). And, I'm not aware - may have just missed - that Paul or the campaign claimed anything about it.
I know the media itself did report on it, so unless I missed something, I'd put that on them instead of Paul or his supporters.
I also have an issue with people being turned off Paul by his supporters. While I can *understand* the effect and have warned about it previously,
it's not a valid response. Distasteful and ill-behaved supporters themselves should be addressed or avoided appropriately, but rejecting a candidate
for reasons outside the candidate themselves is a ludicrous decision - if someone is otherwise in your opinion the best option, let everything else be
damned.
Regardless - I myself have often agreed that some supporters are our own worst enemy, as is well illustrated here if there is nothing deeper and
ATS-ish to this Twitter, etc., hacking claim (and while I'd like to plainly say otherwise, I'll say it's entirely likely to be getting reported
accurately...sadly. Even if it's not, I don't see any sufficient way for it to be proven otherwise, beyond claims no one can substantiate). Time and
again I have scolded some of my fellow supporters here and more frequently at the DailyPaul for general bad manners and other actions that will only
drive people away from being likely to support Paul, regardless of how silly that response is like I already said. These kinds of actions do us no
favors, and as made clear otherwise, we already have too much to work against to be adding fuel to any fires.
In short: brothers and sisters - I am disappoint. I would like to once again emphasize a point I try to drive home at the Daily Paul - we should act
in a way Paul himself would support and approve of, and generally more like him directly. Being rude, obnoxious, generally stupid, and all the rest
of this will likely do more harm than good, and is unnecessary in my opinion since Paul's record and message should stand and shine well enough on
their own when presented sincerely and accurately with all fullness to avoid being misconstrued.
To Paul opponents - if you validly oppose Paul for policy differences, well and good - we can discuss that as needed. But to oppose Paul simply as a
result of his supporters is nothing less than ignorant, regardless if I understand it from a psychological standpoint or not. If that's how you make
decisions regarding politics, it's to your own shame.
Take care, all.
EDIT:
And I'll admit the profusion of Paul threads gets fairly ridiculous and a bit on my nerves at times. Just like other popular topics on ATS, I don't
believe as many little things about it really need to get their own threads - personal opinion. Add the excessive gushing over Paul to my list of
peeves as well. While I think he's keen and the best bet, in addition to generally being awesome on a personal level, I've seen and heard things that
personally bother me.
Do I still support Paul? Absolutely and completely, for many reasons (some political, some personal) - but gah...come on, people. I love you all,
but sheesh.
edit on 1/14/2012 by Praetorius because: (no reason given)