Elephant in the Room: When Will the GOP Join the Blogosphere?

Arianna Huffington was right when she declared the Internet is the true winner of the election last week, but in the spirit of unity and bipartisanship that's sweeping the nation after Obama's victory the next logical question is: When will the new media market evolve to become the more balanced forum of news and analysis that Americans clearly crave? Or let's be more frank: When will the Republicans stop jabbering on talk radio and join the blogosphere to diversify the talking points and conversation?

Criticisms that the left-wing online media machine was leading a disheveled, revenue-challenged MSM in a pro-Obama agenda have some validity, but one could also attribute the (arguable) slant to the fact that conservatives just completely missed this opportunity. Despite promising efforts to harness the energy issue by the "Don't Go" movement early in the Fall, when House Republicans led by Eric Cantor and John Shaddegg embraced their first Twitter hashtag. #dontgo, the Republican presence during the heart of this election season was meager at best -- save the successful (if unconstitutional) "Yes on 8" campaign against Gay marriage in California. The conservative movement was determined to punish John McCain personally, and the McCain campaign message did not match the promise of his highly interactive website.

Liberals may be understandably ecstatic about the influence the blogosphere has had on the election results, but truly thoughtful and responsible citizens should have reservations about the absence of conservative dialogue. It's too easy these days to consume self-reinforcing information, whether it's O'Reilly or Olbermann, Drudge or Daily Kos. If we're going to overcome the existing culture of ideologues to achieve the "change" we seek, it's essential that we educate ourselves beyond our own beliefs.

Republicans and conservatives alike must be willing to define "listening" as the golden rule of 21st Century politics. The party has become beholden to consultants in the hunt for the title of "The Next Karl Rove" rather than putting forward original ideas, policies, and solutions. Micro-targeting has evolved past the successes of 2000 and 2004. The Obama campaign, along with the Left-leaning blogosphere, harnessed the hunger of average voters for real communication. To be relevant, to raise the phoenix from the ashes -- the Republican establishment must eliminate the influence of staffers, consultants, and Rush Limbaugh in favor of new, dynamic voices. Leaders like Eric Cantor and Paul Ryan must join forces with new media and social network conservatives to define the next generation of politicos -- and be competitive with Rahm Emanuel's ground game in 2010 and 2012 from his new perch as Obama's Chief of Staff.

One of the great opportunities in President-elect Obama's Change.gov endeavor is the hope that the internet's connectivity will result in otherwise-insulated citizens of different affiliations finally finding themselves working together on issues because of their participation in online communities. We hope the online lessons from his campaign in terms of community organizing, raising funds, and unifying the efforts of people with shared ideas will be something that leaders of both parties embrace.

The boundaries on maps no longer define access to information. Change.gov invites Americans to tell their story. To interact with their government. Regardless of political persuasion, it is a welcome reminder that unlike anywhere else on earth, We the People matter most.

Comments

[leroybrownisbadh]

I consider myself mostly "conservative", but actually more on the libertarian side of things (I'm "ok" w gay marriage, abortion on demand, etc). Despite the evil comments to the contrary, I am very well versed in web 2.0 stuff.

Additionally, I only occasionally visit political websites (conservative or otherwise).

To the people on this blog who say Why don't conservatives have a dialog:

1) Sounds like you don't need or want them anyways (They'd better get out of our way!)
2) Its hard to talk to someone who is screaming "Bush/Chen­ey/Hallibu­rton/AbuGr­aib!!!!!!!­"
3) The libs I've known have pretended to (condescendingly) listen, only to patronize with a "well here's the rational viewpoint......"

All I really want is freedom for me and my family. Libs screaming "war crimes!" are too deaf to resist attempts to take away freedoms (such as freedom to own a gun) (Yes, that is a freedom (at least for now)).

Leroybrownisbad

PS If my previous experience is any indication, all of the points I made above will be overshadowed by screaming responses of "say no to guns!"

[separatingwheatfromchaff]

"Additionally, I only occasionally visit political websites (conservative or otherwise)"

I'd say you're fibbing a little about these visits you don't make.Oh, and that thing about guns,you better hide all the extra you and your cohorts stocked up on,because the bogeyman is coming for them.I feel so much better knowing Republicans were trashed last week,it puts a spring in my step and a song in my heart.Have a nice eight years.

[HST]

hey leroybutch or whatever your name is. How is the air up there on your high horse?


Excuse and enable much?


PS If my experience is any indication conservative websites still don't allow no dissent. The only thing worse than a conservative is a closet conservative who call themself a "libertarian"-LOL

[MaeS]

I hate to say this, but I am a liberal who has been posting on Ann Coulter's chat site for over a year. I get nearly constant crap, but they let me dish it out occasionally without banning me. Anyone who is willing to at least try to be polite and can handle getting called names on a routine basis is free to post there.

Most of the right wingers who have been banned from most lefty sites. There was even an experiment done on how long it would take the wing nuts to get banned on specific sites. A few posts only, without invective or frothing.

As for which side is the better behaved, well, both sides think THEY are, but it looks about even to me. Most posters are sometimes snippy with the other team, but sometimes polite. A few posters are just total jerks or tinfoil hatters.

Of course the left is (usually) right, and the right is (usually) wrong IMO, but as Jon Stewart put it the other day (paraphrasing), "reality has a left leaning bias."

I will say that since the election, things have been a little extra rabid in the right wing blogosphere. More anger and more racism for sure.

[BarackDaVote]

LMAO.....The GOP is yesterday's party!

[Marastan]

Because it is always their (republican) way or the highway...they are never open to new ideas or genuine thoughts or tolerence of any kind. This party has a very long long way to go if they want to connect with the American People. LONG WAY. They should start with themselves not the media or anyone else.

[mydogshakespeare]

"Conservative dialog"?? Have you ever TRIED to post on a right-wing blog? First thoughtful opposition post gets roundly booed and ad hominemed; second post gets your account blocked. Most "conservative" blog sites don't allow posting anyway.

[S1m0n]

Just as talk radio, the major driver of political engagement through the Bush era, was one which dovetailed perfectly with the respect-fo­r-authorit­y attitude republican circles, the two way nature and egalitarian nature of tthe blogosphere plays toward the strengths and attitudes of the left.

[noamjunior]

Cons dominate AM radio and Libs Dominate the internet
becasue you cant fact check AM radio in your car

[HST]

You see the blogsphere is a series of tubes...

The GOP don't do diversity and they sure as he// don't do discussion, so the internet's not for them.

[darthdarcy]

The Blogosphere is the People, and The GOP have never been a party of the people, only the servants of the corrupt corporate thugs destroying America....

[MaximMaximus]

The GOP is stuck in the Cold War era and the Industrial Age. Never mind both ended well over 20 years ago. So it should not come as a surprise to us all that the GOP hasn't figured out what the blogospere stands for, what it is capable to do (need a clue? Try this: Yes...We Can!) and what it represents (need another clue? Try this: The free will of the people). Cheers!

[stmu]

Here's an example of an "all cattle, no hat" blog by good ol' Joe the Plumber:

http://www.secureourdream.com/index.html

This exemplifies how the GOP is so far behind.

[WADIIAH]

Is this a joke?

[oneblackvote]

The picture represents the Republican Party. Old and out of ideas.

[harriscrl3]

I almost feel sorry for republicans. If they dont get their act together by January 20th Obama is going to run rings around them. He wont need 60 dems. The republicans are bankrupt of ideas and leadership. I know some folks say dont underestimate them but I'm starting to think that for Obama its going to be like taking candy from a baby.

Carol

[Myshkin57]

Why the old people in front of the computer screen on the link to this article? C'mon. There's no need to pretend like all old people are computer illiterate.

[planetjeffy]

My mother is 78 and is all over her computer I got her 3 years ago. It is not age but laziness that keeps people (like Bush and McCain) from using the internet. Then again if you don't care about facts, why look stuff up on the web.

[pfrogger]

I think I speak for the vast majority on this site when I say that we would love to have a salient and logical discussion with everybody - no exclusions, no bias, no hate.
That includes conservatives, libertarians, and even the "gay" teletube. We do not wish to exclude anyone in a thoughtful and thought-provoking conversation about issues that affect all of us - on the contrary, we want to include all and especially those who may have different views than us. We seek diversity. We seek differences. We seek an enlightened discourse.
(I'll only speak for myself from here on) In my effort to include everyone, I do NOT want the discourse to descend into some nonsensical rambling of "I said, you said". Personally, I've seen the right-wing bloggers and their website content: Malkin, Drudge, etc. Some of it's salient and thought provoking, but sadly the vast majority is fluff. No facts - just this "I feel", or scare tactic-like reporting. Why are the loudest and popular conservatives those that spew such derisive rhetoric? Why is it so hateful? Why do they paint me, a liberal, as Godless, God hating, immoral, going-to-hell, "socialist", "communist", baby-killer, etc. They talk as if I'm insignificant and my ideas mean nothing. I know not all Repubs/Con­servatives are like that, because I have friends who also happen to be Repubs/Con­servatives­, but those in charge of Repubs/Con­servatives parties do. How can I have a thoughtful discourse with that?

[vjthedj]

The GOP can't blog. There is too much truth to encounter and for them to handle. With all the tools such as YouTube, Documents, Email, Literature search. They won't survive. They'll have to defend one on one with nobody to tell them what to say. The GOP as always functioned in unison. Alone, they don't know how to defend what their radio-talk show leaders tell them to believe.