Conservatives Seek Blog Parity With Democrats

About 200 Republican Capitol Hill staffers, political consultants and bloggers gathered at the Heritage Foundation last week to brainstorm ways to bridge the "digital divide" with Democrats.

Participants at the Modern Media Strategies Workshop, which was co-hosted by Heritage and Google Inc., conceded that Republicans have lagged behind Democrats in their utilization of the Internet as a political tool. The buzz word of the day was "get it."

"Getting it" entailed getting across how the Internet can serve Republican political operators and how those operators can use the Internet to help their would-be voters get political messages.

"Most conservatives are starting to realize that learning to navigate the modern world of the Internet is not only necessary, but also a great return on investment," said David All, a Republican media and internet consultant and founder of TechRepublican.com.

Read the full article here.

Comments

[KurlanNaiskos]

Co-hosted by Google? didn't their corporate motto used to be "Do no evil" or something like that?

[konopelli]

I hope this lil bit of info--Modern Media Strategies Workshop, which was co-hosted by Heritage and Google Inc.--will encourage good, librul/prog folks to eschew, as much as possible, utilizing Google for anything.

[buddhistMonkey]

The Republican political model, which came about because of the fundamental nature of the conservative psyche, is a top-down, authoritarian structure which rewards group-think over individual thought. In 21st century America, that means that when decisions are made from on high (the White House, the RNC, or FOX, for example), it is immediately disseminated to the AM radio talkers and The Drudge Report, who in turn repeat their talking points ad nauseam until their version of the truth is burned into the brains of their followers — self-decribed "ditto-heads."

The problem for them now is that the web is not the best venue for authoritarian drones. I regularly visit two- to three-dozen political blogs a day, along with an equal number of traditional media sources. I'm looking for the complete picture, for varying viewpoints, and for intellectual stimulation. Conservatives tend to find one or two news sources online that reinforce their political world view, and hunker down there with others of like mind, defending their fortress from all who share a different opinion or point of view. Most right-wing blogs don't allow comments, and most that do are quick to ban anyone viewed as a dissenter from their orthodoxy.

Liberals have the opposite problem when it comes to combatting the prevalence of conservative talk radio. The one-way information flow afforded by AM radio is conducive to the authoritarian model, and less important to progressives who tend to value the challenge of free and open debate with a wide range of expressed opinions. That's why, as great a station as it is, I doubt that Air America will ever come to be the dominant voice on the dial. However, given the choice between AM radio, which is yesterday's technology, and the internet, which is tomorrow's technology, I'll choose the latter.

[mommadona]

Reading a Republican Blog/Forum is like walking into an "International Order of the MOOSE Club" or "ELKS Club" at
1:45pm on a Friday afternoon.

You KNOW of what I mean.

[jashu51]

I will not have you malign Mitzi Gaynor! She worked hard as an entertainer and brought joy to a lot of people. I don't remember her ever being politically active or aligned w/the Repubs like John Wayne. Let her enjoy her quiet retirement in CA and leave her out of your insults. I'm sure at 76 years old, her legs are in better shape than yours. Back off the Mitz!

[LeftLeaner]

Thank God for the HuffPost, BLOGGERS PARADISE.

The reason for its success is that it permits ALL types of opinions, unfortunately that includes the REPUG Trolls.

But, who knows, maybe with all of their brainwashing, they will learn something here.

I know it is doubtful as their loyalties to the REPUG party is based soley on emotion and/or greed.

I can't imagine what wuold happen if NET NEUTRALITY was abolished.

Then they would control ALL of the communication outlets to the public.

I pray that will never happen.

[Chocki]

they would rather stick with AM radio. i think they prefer a one-way conduit of information.

[LeftLeaner]

That is an astute observation.

It's called propoganda, which they can keep repeating over and over again until it sticks.

You're right.

[LeftLeaner]

As long as the REPUGS supress Free Speech, their use of Blogs as a political tool will be unsuccessful.

As they reject dissent and screen opinions (which they have to, due to the irrational Repugnant platform) they will continue to be unsuccesful in this medium.

They would have to be OPEN to OPINION (what a novel concept for the REPUGS) to be successful bloggers. As that is impossible for these lying, deceitful hypocrites I don't see it happening

[getoffmedz]

LeftLeaner - you tried to post something on a "Conservative" site.

Good luck.

[LeftLeaner]

Yes, ABC News, and guess what, after my SECOND comment "I was Banned".
I can assure you, I did not write anything vulgar, sociopathic, etc.
I just made a comment about AIPAC controlling our foreign policy, and I was immediately afterwards banned.

[ronspri]

leftleaner, spot on. They will find parity on the web at about the same time as we find parity on the radio. In other words it's going to be a long time. Their people have been trained to get their info from talk radio. Being extreme creatures of tradition and habit that will be hard for them to brake. As you ably note their closed and tightly restricted comments section will do them more harm than good. Plus you have to enjoy reading to use the internet in this fashion. Again, it's gonna be a long time before the wingnuts decide to read.

[getoffmedz]

Ron Paul must read Huffington Post. These suggestions were made here by numerous Commentors well over a year ago.

We need to leave Iraq and the hysterical al Qaeda rhetoric behind.

[gvincent]

It just a shame conservatives can't spell.

Full GOP Debate coverage at http://www.crookedinc.com

[mamacat]

Just watched the youtube videos, thanks to the previous bloggers. Heady stuff!!

This whole thing about Democrats being liberal and Republicans being conservatives is a bunch of horse manure!! Ron Paul is the only conservative of all the Republican candidates, and his stances are not based so much on principles dictated by some back-room strategists, but on what to him is common sense. He calls it traditional conservative values, but I think it is just his interpretation of common sense, and a heck of a lot of what he says sounds like common sense to me too.

There used to be a tremendous amount of overlap between Republicans and Democrats. At a specific period in time they would differ on some issues, but I don't remember the kind of nonsense in the past that is going on today.

Something else that Ron Paul said that is worth thinking about. He said that the neo-cons are ex-democrats. I was just talking to the only died-in-the-wool Republican I know who is completely in lock step with whatever nonsense the neo-con leadership comes up with, and he informed me that he used to be a Democrat. I really don't know how that is relevant, but it is certainly something to think about. The neo-cons don't resemble any Republicans I know.

[getoffmedz]

mamacat - "The neo-cons don't resemble any Republicans I know." You couldn't have stated it any better.

[lorelynn]

The left wouldn't have their lunacy and kicked them out fairly quickly. They came to life as political beings in college during the Vietnam war and later tried to infiltrate the Democratic party. Carter was having nothing to do with that. After Reagan won, he them in and gave them a powerful position within his administration.

If you don't like the neocons, blame Reagan - he's the one brought them indoors, gave them legitimacy and a national stage to broadcast from.

These people are sociopaths and they will attach themselves to whatever degree they are allowed to attach themselves to whomever is in power.

[dryfactoidobotanoid]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhIdliowq8g
post-debate with Ron Paul

good stuff!

[dryfactoidobotanoid]

conservatives are the comic relief that let's the mainstream blogger get through the day without drinking.

[dryfactoidobotanoid]

except for Ron Paul!

Paul / Clark 2008

free market Constitutionalism + pragmatism = a future even William F. Buckley or Foreign Affairs would endorse

[takemeaway]

I just wateched the snipet of the debate with Ron Paul.

I like Ron, since I'm from Texas, I've been able to vote for him.

What really got me while watching the video was how many republicans actually cheered Ron. I would never have thought they'd be allowed to do so on public television.

I mean where WERE the RNC handlers? Have we passed an important threshold? Could it be that some republicans are growing BRAINS?

They'll never let him win, but I sure wish more of them would starting listening to Ron Paul. I wish some of the democrats would start listening to Ron Paul.

He's a brave, intelligent, personally successful man, there's no way the republicans would nominate him for president.

They prefer bad actors (heh,heh), and slimy pseudo-Texans, and flip-flopping pseudo-mormons, and wife-swapping ex-NY mayors.

[dryfactoidobotanoid]

if you skipped the GOP debate (like I did), I suggest this is the only clip you need to watch (b/c it's heavy on the Ron Paul woot!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY6UuH-C_Sc
Ron Paul Takes No Prisoners in Republican Debate on 9/5/2007

[CompetitiveEater]

Goes to show that more of the people are progressive, equal rights minded, and wanting of a democracy where their voice can be heard. Contrast that with the mindset of the republicans, where they want to tell you what to do, and lord over you like a king. No wonder more non-republicans are blogging. They're real-er people.

[getoffmedz]

Great. That's all we need? More trolls.