Pennsylvania's Untold Story: Ron Paul

The mainstream media focus on the Clinton-Obama contest let this tidbit slip under the radar: Ron Paul "got at least 128,111 votes, or 16 percent, in the closed Republican Pennsylvania primary."

I don't know what's the more amazing: that so many Republicans voted or that Ron Paul (R-TX) continues to run a visible campaign. John McCain (R-AZ) could use Paul's online money-raising machine.

As I wrote last week, if the Republican nomination process were more like the Democratic one, it's very doubtful that McCain would have sewn up the nomination early.

Digital communication technologies are changing how the game of politics is played. These technologies reduce the "cost " (time, effort, organizational overhead) required to mobilize supporters, as both Paul and Obama have demonstrated. Thus the two parties no longer have an organizational advantage -- something which may have contributed to the US having only two viable national parties.

Digital communication technologies are disrupting the status quo in other parts of society. Why should the parties be immune? An argument could be made that our two-party system no longer meets the needs of the populace, and we now have tools to render their duopoly status obsolete. What do you think?

^{Related: Ron Paul Raises $4.2 Million On The 5th
All Eyes On Pennsylvania
The Relevance of Ron Paul}