Is Facebook Killing the GOP?
December 16th, 2012
Republican candidate for Senate Steve Welch think so, and writes a piece in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer saying flat out:
Facebook is not only responsible for creating unwarranted expectations, it is killing the Republican Party. Facebook pushes combative tones, extreme views, and single-issue agendas to the forefront, while even-tempered discussions about comprehensive reforms are buried and rarely seen at all.
Welch is wrong, and the argument is absurd.
While Facebook is the face of the internet to many people, it is just one piece of a giant online jigsaw puzzle that includes innumerable blogs, sites, discussion forums, Twitter and so much more.
And that’s only the web-based portion of things: Let’s not forget about what’s happening in cable news and talk radio, not to mention the dynamics of the various factions inside the GOP.
Blaming Facebook for the crumbling GOP is like blaming a single town’s road repair crew for the crumbling national infrastructure. Facebook may be a convenient scapegoat, but someone who blames Facebook for the crumbling GOP needs to step back and look at the larger picture.