Politics 2.0 - The Ron Paul Challenge!

Have you been following the latest political debates and diatribes ?
Well, if you haven't, do not hastily run to your TV set just yet, dear reader, as the real news seem to be coming in force from another powerful media, our most beloved Internet.

There is no doubt the web 2.0 trend has invaded our homes and lives in multiple ways. It has only been a year since Youtube came out, and you won't find anyone around who hasn't heard of it, not even from the deepest caves of Afghanistan. Myspace, thefacebook, digg, reddit and other user generated content websites have unleashed the power of a new web, more powerful, more instant. Distances have never felt so short, and people so close.

In an effort to ride the wave, democrats and republicans alike have setup 'Youtube' official election debates where users were able to ask questions via videos posted on Youtube... Pathetic. Partisanship totally aside, I believe the Youtube-sponsored democratic debate of April totally missed the point of the 2.0 philosophy. CNN selecting which videos be shown? What a joke, what a contradiction!
The web 2.0 philosophy was born with one principal at the center of the scene, the user.
What is the point of having a Youtube sponsored debate if the videos do not represent necessarily the wish of the users, a la Digg.

Isn't the point of politics to give a voice to the people through popular voting?

Popular voting being the principal ingredient feeding the web 2.0 and politics makes of the internet a major tool for political purposes - at least in theory.

In practice, one candidate stands out in the web world, and one only. His name is Ron Paul.
I would love to introduce him to you, but I'm sure if you read me now you know all about him already. He represents an iconic figure for the web, as his success may very well point out the power - or lack thereof - of the web 2.0 as an accurate platform for determining our politics.

Ron Paul, so famous on the web CNBC had to pull its latest poll off its website, argument being that the results (largely in his favor) may have been hacked, or are part of a massive internet campaign for the candidate.

Is Ron Paul going to live up to his virtual fame? Are his online numbers even closely representative of his true worth on the presidential election market?

Let me know what you think...