The Cassandra Page: Hillary; 1984 Apple ad; Big Sister; Obama; Vote Different; Phillip de Vellis

It appears that the creator of the Big Sister 1984 ad was a political consultant that works for a company that works for Barack Obama.

Many commentators have stated that this ad marks some sort of watershed event in campaigning because one individual was able to compete with professional, expensive consultants. This ad has been hailed a breakthrough that will democratize the media and political worlds.

[Here is another video that is a little more specific]:

Those who think that the "Big Sister" video constitutes some sort of revolution ignore the real revolution that has occurred in the new media, talk radio and blogosphere over the past 20 years, particularly since 1998. The MSM/DNC once again ignores history. MSM/DNC ignores Rathergate, which occurred in 2004 and saw the defeat of CBS at the hands of a few blogs. MSM/DNC ignores the role of the new media in bringing down CNN during Easongate and in exposing various fauxto scandals in recent years.

The new media revolution has been described in Hugh Hewitt's book, Blog. An earlier discussion appeared in The Drudge Manifesto. But the same commenters who hail the Big Sister video as a "revolution" have been attacking every new media achievement since Drudge broke the Lewinksy story in January 1998.

The Big Sister video is not a revolution by itself. The video is merely another step in the new media revolution that has been growing since Rush Limbaugh took to the airwaves in 1988.

MSM/DNC intentionally confuses method with content. MSM/DNC is eager to tout any new media event that somehow supports a leftist candidate. MSM/DNC would have us believe that the new media revolution is all about technology. But the new media revolution cannot be separated from the conservative content that has accompanied every true new media accomplishment in recent years. Drudge's revelations about Clinton/Lewinsky revolutionized the news business because a leftist MSM/DNC had suppressed all Clinton scandals. Rathergate was a true revolution because the leftist MSM/DNC had always enjoyed free reign to influence elections through print and television. Rathergate was not merely a case of the MSM/DNC doing the same thing through the internet. CBS could spread every national guard lie it wants through the internet, but the internet would not give those lies any more traction. The internet/blogosphere worked for CBS' opponents because the bloggers' message resonated. The internet worked for Drudge because Drudge's message resonated. Drudge's readers were eager for the unfiltered truth about Clinton. Powerline's and LGF's readers were eager for the truth about CBS. The internet was merely the available outlet for the truth.

The "Big Sister" video worked because it reflected the truth that so many of us have known about Hillary for 15 years. This video, no matter how much technology was involved, would not have worked against a non-Orwellian candidate. I cannot see this ad being effective against a Bob Dole or George Bush (I or II). It worked only because the Democrats are the party of big government, IRS, ATF, etc. The message is effective, not the fact that we watch on Youtube.

The new media revolution has been driven as much by the outpouring of previously suppressed truth as it has been driven by technology. The old media can reassert itself without the benefit of the new technology by simply reflecting the values of middle America and by pursuing the truth without becoming part of the permanent campaign of the Democratic Party.

CBS could substantially increase the viewership of the evening news for Katie Couric's teleprompter by abandoning the MSM/DNC agenda. But the MSM/DNC agenda is more important to CBS [and the other MSM/DNC outlets] than ratings or profitability. The MSM/DNC could have squashed the blogosphere years ago by simply abandoning the leftist agenda. With no leftist media agenda to oppose or counteract, the blogosphere would have had no reason to exist other than for teenage girls to publish their diaries. By surpressing conservative viewpoints, pro-America facts, Islamic terrorism news, etc., MSM/DNC guarantees that those facts and views will find their way into the new media.

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Samantha Burns posts a weekend trackback edition, containing links to some of the best examples of the blogosphere new media revolution.