Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) gets the importance of blogs in getting out the GOP’s message:
Georgia Rep. Jack Kingston says Republicans need to use the Internet better to connect with nontraditional voters and to monitor the concerns of constituents heading into this year’s midterm elections.
“It’s the new talk radio. We can connect with new people who will come out and vote for us,” said Mr. Kingston, vice chairman of the House Republican Conference, who has a blog and writes an occasional “diary” for the popular conservative site redstate.com.
On Monday, Mr. Kingston held an hourlong conference call with conservative bloggers. Unlike most conference calls, which traditionally target a specific issue, Mr. Kingston allowed participants to address topics ranging from Iraq to illegal immigration.
Popular conservative blogger Matt Margolis, who has participated in several of Mr. Kingston’s conference calls, said such interactions provide insight and access to bloggers, and, ultimately, will help legislators get out an unfiltered message.
“Republicans need bloggers to help get their message out, while Democrats have been able to rely on the mainstream media,” said Mr. Margolis.
Yep.
Damn straight.
I found this hilarious pic on a conservative blog:
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1607/2319/320/fortune.jpg
Bringing the Bacon Home
Mega Ditto!!! :–)
See this thread re a post by Instapundit linking to Porkbusters on an issue with Congressman Jerry Lewis, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, re the failure to clear a compromise on earmarking out of his committee.
In this thread Congressman Kingston brings out technical committee issues that are often overlooked or ignored by the MSM in their reports to the American people.
Blogs can fill the void here and allow more direct contact with their representatives.
RBT
*****
PORKBUSTERS – Congressional earmarking of funds
Instapundit has been running with this for awhile and has been linking to the Porkbuster site.
Yesterday Instapundit ran a piece and linked to an article by John Fund in the WSJ about Republican spending problems, Flirting With Disaster.
In this piece was a reference to a compromise on the budget resolution that just fell through. Fund was blaming Congressman Jerry Lewis (R-CA):
[…]
Congressman Jerry Lewis is the chair of the House Appropriation Committee. I happen to live in his district. Ala Instapundits Army of Davids I thought I would make an inquiry. I regularly eat my morning bagel next door to his district office. I’ve developed a relationship with one of his district reps.
I emailed and alerted her to this story. I further said it had been linked to by the grandaddy of all bloggers and this could be bad news for the congressman.
Later in the day I received an email back from her with info supplied by Congressman Lewis’ Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Specht. Here’s the reply:
[…]
So there you have it. Form your own opinions and conclusions.
Again the unique ability of the Blogos and the Army of Davids to bring forth alternative information that may be missed, overlooked, or ignored by the MSM.
Update:
Just received this link from my source at Congressman Lewis’ Office re article at Human Events Online. Here’s another perspective from conference call attended by blogger N.Z. Bear. See original source for audio and MP3 links.
Jerry Lewis: Whipping Boy of Congress
by Robert B. Bluey
Posted Apr 11, 2006
[…]
Ok as O’Reilly says, we’ll let the folks decide, what to believe or not.
Update II:
OUCH! WSJ Editorial Today
The Minority Maker
The clever GOP strategy for defeat in November.
[…]
And now this reply by Congressman Lewis to the WSJ editorial with a volley back from Bluey at Human Events Online:
Jerry Lewis Responds to WSJ’s Criticism
by Robert B. Bluey
Posted Apr 13, 2006
A Republican House leadership staffer just forwarded me the following letter that Appropriations Chairman Jerry Lewis (R.-Calif.) sent to the Wall Street Journal in response to today’s editorial, “The Minority Maker.”
[…]
[RBT] Do you get the feeling you’re watching a tennis match from courtside as each side volleys back and forth attempting to explain their side?
I think Jerry Lewis is sincere but has been operating as a clinician trying to do the right thing within a byzantine framework of rules.
Unfortunately the American people are not well informed on the actual sausage making process and as Bluey’s title to his first article suggests, the appropriations committee is becoming the whipping boy of the whole Congress for talking a good line but not having the political will to openly fix the earmarks issue and take the personal hit when they don’t bring home the bacon.
RBT
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The GOP needs blogs? Well maybe, but first it needs to grow a spine. And soon.
This bothers me:
Sounds to me like Margolis believes a blogger should act as an adjunct to the Party, rather than as an independent agent.
–|PW|–
It’s a big ‘sphere. Room for all of us.
“Unfiltered”? I’ve had a few of my completely acceptable comments deleted from B4B, although I think it was just Mark Noonan who did that and I don’t know if those were on MM posts.
Plus, I was banned from RedState despite having posted almost 75 entries to my diary there since 2004.
Obviously, many blogs should be considered little more than part of the Parteiapparat, even those that have no direct connection.