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Friday, August 10, 2007techRepublican: Building A Conservative Web Operation(crossposted at TechRepublican.com) James Durbin makes a valid point, one that most bloggers have been making for some time. The problem? That's not how the Dems got started, nor is a massive wave of subsidization going to fix the online presence of the party of entrepreneurship. Since the mythological epic of the blogosphere takes for gospel that George Soros is the puppetmaster behind MoveOn.org and every successful project online, it stands to reason that wealthy Republicans should step forward and fund a host of projects -- worthy or otherwise. If you gave me NZ Bear, Patrick Ruffini, Wizbang and Polipundit (not to slight the others), I could build you a community that dwarfed anything the left has imagined. Why haven't we done it? Money.If it were this simple, why hasn't it been done? Certainly there have been efforts at the state-level creating group blogs, taking advantage of Drupal and Joomla, and so forth. Why hasn't it worked? It's not a question of money, but a problem of shellshock and a question of psychology. Republican bloggers (and the vultures opportunistically circling who have nary a clue about how the culture operates) have somehow trained themselves to believe the best way to "win" the internet is to imitate the Dems. That's right. We governed Democrat-lite, why not run the web Democrat-lite? How? Why, with a Republican ActBlue, a Republican MoveOn, a Republican YouTube debate, a Republican MyDD, a Republican fill-in-the-blank. It reads like a bad Fark.com headline: Step 1: Copy. Step 2: Paste. Step 3: Profit. This leads into my second point, a question of psychology. I am convinced Democrats treat the internet much differently than Republicans do, for many of the same reason why Democrats are so abysmal at talk radio while Republicans dominate the airwaves. It's not for lack of trying, but something about talk radio appeals to the Republican voter in a way it does not appeal to the Democrat. Same goes for think tanks (show me the liberal think tank with the clout of Heritage or Cato?), same goes for columnists. You could even draw the comparison between the legion of Republican bloggers vs. the monolithic approaches of DailyKos or MyDD. The fact of the matter is that Republicans look for ways to sharpen ideas, while Democrats look for ways to become activists. Case Study #1: Talk Radio. Democrats couldn't translate their ideas into action via talk radio, so listeners became bored and left in droves. Case study #2: The YouTube Debates. Talking snowmen? Great! But the debate was all style and little substance... did anyone learn anything about the Democratic candidates? Did anyone feel more empowered that a talking snowman asked questions? Frankly, I have a hard time believing that this "bread and circuses" approach to debating is passing for discourse... and there are many who feel the same way. The YouTube debate is gimmicky, and entirely devoid of substance. Worse, it allows for precisely the same sort of questions the media was hammered for in the '88 elections... is it that far of a stretch to imagine a modern-day Dukakis being asked the rape question by a YouTube talking snowman? What should the Republican blogosphere look like in two years? (1) Every Republican worth their salt in online communications needs to READ Alexander Schuessler's "A Logic of Expressive Choice." If you haven't read this and do not understand the concept of expressive choice vs. rational choice theory, then you will NEVER get the web. (2) Issue based organizations allowing users to define the movement. Critical. (3) Developing the infrastructure to turn expression into activism. THIS IS THE MOST CRITICAL POINT OF THE EFFORT, AND ONE WHERE WE HOLD A SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGE OVER THE DEMOCRATS. While Dems may look for ways to become active, no Democratic campaign or PR effort has ever defeated a mobilized conservative base. (4) Quit imitating the Democrats, start innovating for Republicans. (5) And the toughest pill to swallow... no one is going to invest in the Republican blogosphere until it can be demonstrated that the investment will produce shifts in the electorate. Will it take $500K to start a Drupal site? Heck no. Does it take $500K to build a forum? Absolutely not. Should it take $500K for a Republican developer to sit down with a Republican designer and a Republican blogger and say "hey, what can we do to make an impact?" That's how DailyKos, MyDD, ActBlue, and a host of other "progressive" sites got started guys... and there many of us who are shocked that those with the ability refuse to act out of any motivation other than profit. It will not take $500K to get Republicans moving online. It will take a couple guys, a couple more beers, some talent, a bit of spare time, a fire in your belly and some gravel in your gut. Those are the only people I would give money to anyhow. Tuesday, August 07, 2007Ben Stein: How Speculators Exploit Market FearsBen Stein takes the speculators to task, heaping unmitigated scorn upon this kind of "entertainment" (because it certainly shouldn't be confused with analysis): From the article: Here's a fact: The speculators and hedge fund managers who run today's stock market need market volatility in order to make money.Great stuff, and worth reading in its entirety. Remember that old question, "Why am I being asked to believe this?" There's a reason... and sometimes its not always true, selfless, or honorable... as this instance shows. Sunday, August 05, 2007Mitt's MormonismSaw this on the Politico and actually took a few moments to watch the video. The situation is this: Governor Mitt Romney** is being videotaped while on the air at WHO, an Iowa talk radio station. In this interview, they go off the air and Romney is given a rather pointed recommendaton not to run away from his faith. Fast forward to about 12:30 min remianing into the video: Now I have a family friend who dated my mother for about 10 years or so... a Mormon who taught me as an adolescent a heck of a lot about family, faith, and being a man. Needless to say, I'm dually sympathetic. Not just because I am watching someone pointedly challenge Romney for his faith, but because as a Catholic, I was taught very early about the tremendous significance of President Jack Kennedy being elected in 1960. Kennedy's election meant that Catholics were no longer "other" in America, but had mainstreamed into the American narrative. We had a voice, were "American" enough to lead. Our values were no longer seen in the light of the later half of the 1800's, where NINA laws and anti-Catholicism was (and to some, remains) an acceptable prejudice. Specifically in this video, Romney is being asked whether or not he will legislate as he believes... and off the air, is asked why he is "hermunetically sealing" (or dividing) his faith from his politics. Romney (to his credit) handles the question very well, and in a similar fashion that Kennedy handled it when asked in 1960 whether he would legislate his faith. Kennedy's answer was simple: the moment he felt a conflict, he would resign. Of course, Kennedy never had to grapple with questions we would consider "social issues". But once again, we are presented with the concept that certain faiths, certain beliefs, and certain ideas are incompatible with the American narrative. In 1960, it was Catholicism. In 2008, it is Mormonism. I have long argued that no one should be asked to check their faith at the door to public service. Likewise, government does have a responsibility to approve moral laws, reject immoral laws, and have the proper judgment to discern between the two. Does this individual have the "proper judgment" to legislate? That last part -- proper judgement -- is the only question we have to ask of Mitt Romney, or any other political candidate for any public office. When this kind of inquisitive needling of political candidates emerges, I cringe. We did this to Kennedy in 1960. We do it today to anyone who professes faith (or more accurately, is specific about what they believe) as part of their character. America's strength has always been its ability to absorb cultures, opinions, and faiths. It has never been a smooth or formal process. Yet time marches on, and American culture continues to mature. We should become aware when the rough patches occur, and be equally suspect when political candidates are stereotyped and broadbrushed into demagogues. That's what happened here, and its never an isolated incident. ** FOOTNOTE: Of course, this is not an endorsement of Romney's candidacy, or any of the Republican nominees for president in '08. It's a social commentary. You like social commentaries. Therefore, this social commnetary is eminently likeable and completely non-objectionable. Much thanks in advance!
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JEFFERSONIAD POLL: Whom do you support for Virginia Attorney General?1) John Brownlee2) Ken Cuccinelli AboutShaunKenney.com is one of Virginia's oldest political blogs, focusing on the role of religion and politics in public life. Shaun Kenney, 30, lives in Fluvanna County, Virginia.ContactThe Jeffersoniad
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