Internet, equality, publishers, and California governorship

There's a common conception, that:

"On the Internet, anyone can be a publisher"

People tend to think of this as implying much equality. That somehow every net-writer is the equivalent of the New York Times (or Slashdot). But that's only a formal, procedural, equality, not a substantive equality. I've long thought the above phrase is akin to:

"In America, anyone can run for President"

Anyone sure can. That is, there's no law stopping you. But for all save a very few people, it would be, in practice, an exercise in futility.

Now, the circus in California from the recall election, has provided me with a marvelous way to make my point here.

There's an organization Run-For-Governor.org which is making a serious effort to have 1,000 (one thousand) people "run for the office of the Governor of the State of California." This is a deliberate tactic to "Help extend the absurdity of this recall election to its logical extreme."

On the Internet, anyone can be a candidate for California Governor?

You, too, can be a candidate for California Governor?!

But this will make you the equal of the political establishment in only the most abstract sense.

Seth Finkelstein's Infothought blog (Wikipedia, Google, censorware, and an inside view of net-politics) - Syndicate site (subscribe, RSS)