Less than half of those living in the early colonies labeled themselves patriots and fought for independence. In fact, some historical estimates place the number of white males who fought as patriots at under 45%, upwards to just above 50%. Public opinion coming from the average citizen isn't what changes things, never has been.
We do indeed live in an incredible time, however, where the internet gives birth to vast means of communication, in turn creating a much easier to access and larger in general network of like minded individuals who, in dozens of countries around the globe, are protesting the status quo. This gives more creedence to the idea that large numbers do indeed make things happen, but its still not an absolute truth.
What is most obviously true in regards to historical repetition is that the resilience and dedication of the few always outweigh the apathy and ignorance of the many. There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of libertarians, anarchists, dems, and repubs who loathe the blatant disregard for constitutional principle throughout today's joke of a political system. To sum them up as a "few wonks on TV" is either pessimistic, uninformed, or just plain rude. I would assume it is an uniformed statement, as the vast majority of those what I would define as the "correct" political state of mind never get the time of day on these TV stations (fun fact - 5 corporations own over 95% of all North American media outlets and the sources therein).
I mean no offense, and I hope I didn't come off as jerk-ish or "high horse-ish".
