Posted on 03/07/2007 6:57:43 PM PST by Bob J
I have diligently watched the rise in size and influence of conservative websites, including Free Republic, over the last 7-8 years. I have been shocked and concerned over the drop in traffic at the most popular ones over the last year or so. There was good growth up until 2006 but since then there has been a steady downtrend that would crash any other market.
Anyone have any ideas as to what is happening? I'm out of explanations. The deficiencies in alexa.com are noted, but even if the numbers aren't accurate you're still comparing off numbers to off numbers so the decline is consistent.
The charts are based on percent as per daily reach.
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I agree with you - and it took 139 posts before this was mentioned.
FR does not have the immediacy that it used to have as a source for each day's main news, but it also has to compete with an ever-increasing number of websites competing for hits.
I also think that some of the most readable posters of the past may have now initiated their own blogsites, and so are not sharing as much of their excellent commentary on FR as they once did.
Thirdly, we all must be feeling some depression at the current situation of politics in America.
I personally do not want to read or hear the words Rudy Mitt Hillary Newt or Obama for another year.
I'd argue the Rs took the majority based on the 'contract with America', which was all about political issues. Didn't mention abortion or gays at all.
In 06, when we were screaming for lower spending, ethics reform, etc, the social Rs gave us illegal internet gambling and the defense of marriage act. And they lost that majority we gave them.
The deal was that coalition focuses on political issues, and we agree to not do anything on the social issues we disagree on.
We voted for pro-life conservatives on the understanding that there was no plans for him to make a federal law against abortion.
Now that there's a possibility of a pro-choice conservative, the socials are threatening to bolt unless they get their way on social issues. Which makes us feel very stupid for backing the Socials like GW, who is not really a political conservative at all.
Ya'll took. Now it's time to give. And ya'll are threatening to walk, instead.
Looks like it peaked during the election, then dropped off. I expected that.
*****Probably the widening gulf of inconsistency between the stated philosophy and the real-life actions of the Republican Party got to be too much for many people.****
This is absolutely correct - I see it all around me in my conservative friends.
We had power for 12 years - 6 with all three houses - and what do we have to show for it?
More RHINOS than ever.
ok - we got two Supreme Court Justices (and even that was in the midst of allowing democrats the "right" to filibuster nominations and allowing many conservative nominations to die).
and nothing else.
On Illegals, he's no better or worse than GW. If GW wasn't unacceptable, then saying Rudy is is disingenuous, at best.
On guns, it's clear he believes in local control, and will not push any federal laws against guns.
On defense, he's proven he's got the cohones. Going up against the mob alone proves it. But he's been near the death and destruction of a big attack. He doesn't need military experience, he should not micromanage the war. He needs good management skills to pick and delegate the running of military matters to good people -- and again, he's got a *stellar* record as a govt manager.
Please keep in mind that the Second Amendment is not a "social issue" but a Constitutional one.
The right to not have one's life terminated prematurely without having committed a crime or having been convicted thereof by a jury of one's peers, thus receiving due process of law, is another, arguably Constitutional issue, albeit one rendered fuzzy in some minds by disingenious arguments about when, exactly, life begins.
Actually, there are plenty of threads for those who are so inclined to promote or dismiss Rudy, at least one an hour--or so it seems, so let's not hijack this one.
Well said and spot on...as are all your posts in this thread.
LBT
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I greatly value FR as a resource, but often find myself spending time on other conservative blogs, zines, and forums. I use FR more than any of the others listed.
YOU'RE the ones that Katie Couric was thinking of when she shockingly stated that the KKK was rising again, taking on issues such as illegal aliens and gay marriage.
Don't you see your racist, xenophobic screeds are read by thousands of casual lurkers who are told there are lots of wackos on FreeRepublic.
To hear evangelical christians claim "homosexuals are not born that way", to hear your solution to the illegal alien matter is to round them up and deport them...without regard to what it would do to countless local and state economies.
I am a STRICT fiscal Conservative. I am a staunch Republican.
Stop lying and slandering me because of my humanistic approach to the flood of 20+ MILLION illegal residents and workers that have come into our country.
And Rudy will have to make clear that he'll push no federal gun control, or else he'll not stand a chance in the primary.
Abortion, you're just going to have to understand that there are reasonable, intelligent people who believe in the conservative use of federal power who disagree with making a federal law against abortion. Our coalition was built on the understanding that neither side would make any changes to abortion laws, with the exception of over-turning Roe v. Wade. We both want this thrown back to the states, and not a federal issue.
I'm more talking about the attempts of the socials here to take control of this coalition and force the rest of us out. I don't specfically mean to stump for Rudy. My first choice is Newt, who is pro-life. I'd settle for Rudy as a backup, cuz he fits the coalition's needs.
Except now the socials are trying to change the agreement.
I'm finally getting something right?
Does that mean my prediction that the Cowboys will win the superbowl has a chance?
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Typical leftist tactic, scream racism. I've told you before, find one post of mine that can even loosely be described as a 'racist, xenophobic screed' and I'll disappear. You couldn't do it before and you can't do it now.
You accuse me of lying about you but you know damn well that all I do is use your very own words. You are a self-described liberal ("hopelessly" so - to quote your profile). Wanting lower taxes doesn't make you a conservative.
Hiring illegals to run your business and scoffing at the American victims of illegal criminals (both of which I have documented through your own posts) does make you something...but I like to follow the rules so I'll let others here decide what that something is.
I'm less interested in FR than I used to be. Why? Because there are too many single-issue jackasses who cannot be bothered to think.
I request that people judge posters by what they post, not what they claim. If they post negative blather, just attribute it to a disruptive voice and try to get the blatherer to see the error of his ways.
Did you intend for that post to be ironic?
This, my friend, is exactly the what I'm talking about. You're attempting to hijack the term 'conservative'. His home page makes it clear he's a political conservative. But on social issues, he disagrees with you. Therefore you verbally wish to kick him out of the 'conservative' camp.
You're breaking the terms of the coalition. We work together on political issues to get lower taxes, smaller govt, etc. We avoid the social issues we disagree on.
If you and your side succeeds in pushing out all the socially 'live and let live' people who believe in a conservative use of federal power, you will never win an election again, I believe.
Hillery smiles when the circular firing squad of Giuliani/Hunter is active on FR. It means she is winning.
Agreed. That's why it's essential that we select a candidate that we can all live with.
I don't know if I agree with that.
It depends on what happens when the dust settles.
I think it's good for us to debate hard amongst ourselves. As long as when it's all said and done we come back together.
I'm not convinced that most of the socials will really bolt, when it's all said and done.
Agreed!
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