:)

Jane Q.

I love when people from another nation, usually a nation that is incredibly far along the path towards a full blown fascist state, try and lecture us AMericans, rather us CONSERVATIVE Americans, about how intolerant and arrogant we are. It’s as if they in no way share the guilt of the sins of their fathers.

And try as you may there is nothing you can do to make a cess pool of ranting drooling crazies look attractive.

Put in another way. Whatever virtue the GOP may have once had (which is of course debatable too),the GOP has BECOME the manifestation of all the inherently toxic aspects of the collective shadow of the collective USA psychic.

- it gets people thinking like they’re insiders.

- it gets them on a supervised forum where they can’t say insane things (this, btw, is already failing as a goal)

- it gets their e-mails and phone numbers so they can be hit up for cash

- it doesn’t say anything about the party that other people aren’t already saying. It is “grassroots” in the sense no direction is given.

That’s the best case for this site. Here’s the case against it.

1. The web doesn’t work like this: notice how any right-wing blogger or site of note took off. Michelle Malkin allows trackbacks — lesser known bloggers meet each other through her site all the time. People network through LGF. The Powerline guys reach out through print and webcasts and a million other things, as well as break stories. Instapundit gives tons of links to any and everything he finds interesting.

This site fails to engage the web.

2. It fails at educating the base. You know what? I’d like to learn from people like Sen. McCain what life was like in the Senate, and how his perceptions going in differ from his knowledge now. There’s no sense that anyone at this site has any credibility. Where’s the serious content, that tells me not just what the party’s about, but what it’s done? You can’t just disown the past of the party because you lost an election.

3. It encourages the worst sort of populism. People are already on the site frothing at the mouth. No one needs to spell properly, let alone write anything coherent. If this site takes off, it’s more dangerous than if it fails: it would be screaming that the American people are nothing but a wallet to be tapped.

Again, you’re not taking seriously just how much is already out there, and how good much of it is. An entire alternative conservative media exists — the grassroots have been vocal for years, and there are articulate voices among them.

The GOP needs to be inviting by having a distinct voice of its own, not just by being a facilitator. The best thing about that crappy site is the welcome message, where the Chairman concedes the election. There are quite a few people online who are busy frothing at the mouth over that “birth certificate” nonsense, and if you don’t know what that issue is, great. Part of that distinct voice is reasonably engaging other voices, not just letting people shout. The GOP should show its aware of things like Malkin and LGF and Pajamas Media, and that it welcomes readers of those things to weigh in on candidates and be active in party building locally.

Obama’s site isn’t what won him the web. Kos did that years before.

The Facebook group I have no problem with. The argument here is directed at that site.

I’m not arguing with the “effort,” except for the fact that I feel it was so poorly done it’s insulting. The site’s a pretty blatant attempt to grab your e-mail address.

it’s not that the republican party has wrong ideas (ok well…maybe…but i’ll give you the benefit of the doubt for now), it’s that they, in general, cannot appeal to the younger generation. the republican party needs to step up like the democratic party just did. youthful leadership is not always a bad thing in either party. while experience is a plus, the younger generation has become increasingly apathetic about politics due to the sharp divide between generations at this point. the republican party simply doesn’t speak to many young people. their lack of know-how about how this age group uses the internet is one huge aspect. hopefully they’ll realize this before they do lose a whole generation of voters.

i’m all for republicans (though i prefer democrats) as long as they let me keep my basic freedoms. i include the right to choose and the right to marry the one you love. in traditional republican thought of less government and more freedom would ultimately support these ideals. your religion can condemn it but the government should not unless they place some sort of threat to democracy and other people’s freedom.

ok…done rambling.