But there is good news: we don’t need national media for political decision-making anymore. About a year ago, I wrote an article, “8 Rules for Conservative Rebels.”** Rules six and seven were about using new media. The Libertarian candidates, former governors Gary Johnson and Bill Weld, have provided some excellent examples of what I had in mind.

Both their policy explainer and fundraising videos are simple and conversational with a touch of humor. I’m sure hours of prep went into the scripts, but the technical production values were low. They also didn’t need millions to put them on prime-time TV that growing numbers of people, especially the young, don’t watch anymore.

It is hard to say how many hits they have because so many places are picking up the video. For #AreYouIn, one YouTube account has 125,000. There are about a dozen accounts with hits in the 25,000 range, and then there are the tweets with thousands of shares that are embedded in Reason and other magazine articles. Oh, and the Facebook count: 7.3 million views on Thursday night, before the Thousand Points of Darkness speech.***

Regardless of the merits or chances of the Libertarian Party—I know many conservatives have reservations—this is the kind of media we will need for our years in exile. While the GOP still thinks it is viable, it is the Dead Elephants Society, a giant, deadweight obstacle we have to walk around. Even if the GOP were an asset, we would still need a way around the established media. Technology has provided for both needs.