Right Online 2009 Recap

This past weekend, I attended the Right Online 2009 Conference, sponsored by Americans For Prosperity. This year, the city of Pittsburgh played the charming host for this conference. I have to give props to Erik Telford for his dedication in building this conference.

Additional kudos go to AFP for sponsoring a bus from Philly to Pittsburgh. There is nothing like a road trip with 45 of your fellow un American patriots!

Pittsburgh was the perfect venue to underscore the peril faced by hard working, tax paying Americans. This is a city forged by steel and coal industries, the same industries that the Obama and Al Gore environmentalists are working to bankrupt.

If you want to learn more about conservative issues, glean new ways to use social media or network with movers and shakers in the conservative movement; Right Online is the conference to attend. The agenda was packed with outstanding lectures from experts in the conservative grass root movement. For those just stepping into the online world, there were lectures that reviewed the basics of blogging and social media. To quote Melissa Clouthier, winner of the 2009 Al Gore Award for Online Excellence – it’s all about information pollination.

photo by John Hawkins. More photos can be found HERE. Video can be found HERE

As tech oriented as this conference was, I found myself using pen and paper to record my notes. Note to self – power cords are essential items to pack!

Let me share a few lessons I took away from this conference:

1. There is no such thing as privacy on the web. You think your group email is private? I suggest you check out how this administration recently added email addresses without permission. Think before you post online.

2. Net Neutrality – HR 3485 is getting little coverage, but has stunning implications by allowing the government to get involved with online activity. This bill will stifle innovation and eliminate all choice by consumer. This is the elephant in the room that no one is talking about – net neutrality is about the government controlling the internet, not the public. Just like our healthcare scheme.

3. Wikinomics - kudos to Aaron Marks for sharing ‘peer production’ ideas. Essentially this means masses of people collaborating openly towards a common goal. I’ve already bought the book and am developing my own ‘wikinomics’.

4. You are never too old or too young to engage in online media. I met a few participants that seemed overwhelmed by the tech topics that laced every conversation. My one suggestion for improvement of this conference would be to have more defined beginner courses that have a hands on component. Additionally, I’d like to see lectures on effectively communicating your message via a blog post or social media site.

5. I was blown away by the documentary – Not Evil, Just Wrong. I first encountered the creators of this film, Ann McElhinney and Phelim McAleer, at their booth at CPAC. I came away with the impression that this film would be equivalent to the fluffy polar bear campaign environmentalists have used to push their global warming agenda. That particular campaign is big on fluff and low on fact, definitely not my cup of tea. I prefer to dwell on statistical data, ice core sampling, and satellite temperature information. During the conference, I took in screening of this documentary and was astounded to discover the producers had put a human face on implications of misguided environmentalism. Stats alone cannot make such a compelling argument, yet when combined with a human face, it brings the environmental issue and the hypocrisy surrounding it into crystal clear clarity. It is a must see movie to gain wider knowledge of the environmental debate. Hey, why not host a premier of the movie on October 18! Interested? Click HERE for more details. FYI – I am hosting a premier party.

6. It was a pleasure to meet Tabitha Hale, Sarah Pepple, John Hawkins, Aaron Marks, Katie Favazza, Melissa Clouthier, Elizabeth Terrell, Ethan Demme, Steve Eggleson, Colleen O’Boyle

You never can tell who will show up at an event like this. I caught an 11 year old paid GOP hack speaking at a rally sponsored by AFP:

Trailer for ‘Not Evil, Just Wrong‘

Rachel Campos speaking at Right Online:

Erick Erickson’s provocative statement: “We need a Coup of the Political Party”

Senator-To-Be Pat Toomey is in the Lead!

Via Rasmussen:

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Pennsylvania voters shows 48% would vote for Toomey if the election were held today. Just 36% would vote for Specter while four percent (4%) prefer a third option, and 12% are not sure.

Holy Cow!

Can We Call Him Senator Toomey?

Tingle leg Matthews quizzes Pennyslvania’s future Senator Pat Toomey on a bewildering range of issues without pausing for Toomey’s response. Well, what can you expect from a journalist who works for Obama:

Obama refuses to release Cash for Clunker Data

Via Breitbart:

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Sunday the government would release electronic records about the program, and President Barack Obama has pledged greater transparency for his administration. But the Transportation Department, which has collected details about 157,000 rebate requests, won’t release sales data that dealers provided showing how much U.S. car manufacturers are benefiting from the $1 billion initially pumped into the program.

The Associated Press has sought release of the data since last week. But the public and Senate Republicans demanding more information will have to wait for details because federal officials running the program don’t have time to turn over data delivered by car dealers, said Rae Tyson,National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. spokesman for the

LaHood said in an interview Sunday he would make the electronic records available. “I can’t think of any reason why we wouldn’t do it,” he said.

DOT officials already have received electronic details from car dealers of each trade-in transaction. The agency regularly analyzes the data internally, producing helpful talking points for LaHood, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs and other officials to use when urging more funding.

LaHood, the program’s chief salesman, has pitched the rebates as good for America, good for car buyers, good for the environment, good for the economy. But it’s difficult to determine whether the administration is overselling the claim without seeing what’s being sold, what’s being traded in and where the cars are being sold.

Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D-13), who bills herself as a fiscal paragon, was quick to spend another 2 billion of tax payer dollars to bailout this mess. A quick yes vote when the details regarding the first expenditure are kept hidden from the public is a hallmark of fiscal irresponsibilty. Has the Congresswoman mislead her constituents? What has Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz done for you lately – besides spend your tax dollars?

Curt Schroder Announces Candidacy for Congress

HOPE IS MAKING A COMEBACK IN PENNSYLVANIA!

Look what arrived in my inbox today:

SCHRODER ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR CONGRESS

State Representative Curt Schroder running to serve the 6th Congressional District

Downington, PA –State Representative Curt Schroder today announced that he is seeking the Republican nomination for the 6th Congressional District that includes portions of Chester, Berks, Lehigh, and Montgomery counties.

“I have decided to enter this race to ensure that the values that built our country remain for our children, that we encourage the policies of entrepreneurism, limited government and to preserve the economic future of our nation,” said Curt Schroder.

Schroder added, “America’s greatness comes from free enterprise and hard working families, not government bailouts and bureaucracy. I will bring my passion for public service and Pennsylvania values to Washington to better our community and nation.”

Through my work with PACC and American Sheepdogs I’ve had the extraordinary pleasure of working with this remarkable individual. Now, more than anytime in history, Pennsylvania is in need of principled leadership that puts needs of average citizens above partisan politics. Pennsylvania needs a change for the better, Pennsylvania needs Curt Schroder.

It is my pleasure to endorse Curt Schroder as the most qualified candidate for the 6th Congressional District. I am so proud of Curt for taking on this difficult, but worthy battle. I know the area and its players – smear merchants galore. However, it is in this environment that the Sheepdogs and PACC have flourished. Hope is making a comeback in Pennsylvania – one street corner at a time. I am happy to share this journey back to good with the MidnightBlue readers.

The following video was shot on July 4th Independence Hall Teaparty. I was happy to be able share this video with the Tea Party participants at the Dallas Tea Party and Breitbart TV.

It Is Not About Race

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/video.

In response to the racist allegations, John Duesler, an Obama organizer and president of Valley Swim Club presented this statement:

The Valley Club is deeply troubled by the recent allegations of racism, which are completely untrue.

We had originally agreed to invite the camps to use our facility, knowing full well that the children from the camps were from multi-ethnic backgrounds. Unfortunately, we quickly learned that we underestimated the capacity of our facilities and realized that we could not accommodate the number of children from these camps. All funds were returned to the camps and we will re-evaluate the issue at a later date to determine whether it can be feasible in the future.

Our Valley Club deplores discrimination in any form, as is evidenced by our multi-ethnic and diverse membership. Whatever comments may or may not have been made by an individual member is an opinion not shared by The Valley Club Board.

Donald Douglas of American Power makes this observation:

No word yet from yesterday outraged leftists (see, pandagon.net, Jack & Jill Politics, Gawker, Unreported, and Alas, a blog). No doubt, the netroots racial investigators went mum once they found out Duesler was a Democrat!

This whole incident is tinged with racial bigotry. I would not accuse Duesler or writers for the Daily Beast of bigotry, but their actions certainly are.

Rendell To Cut PA Budget targeting Veterans

Another good example of the ‘change’ brought by the Dems in Pennsylvania:

“It is a shame that in this environment that we are taking veterans’ benefits from them and using them as a political football in a budget battle,” Rep. Rob Kauffman, R-Chambersburg, said. Barbin, who gave an impassioned plea for the bill and its requirement for a study by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs in consultation with those who would be affected before various types of veterans’ facilities could be closed. Barbin said such cuts should not be viewed from a partisan perspective, saying that the state should keep its promises to its veterans. “This isn’t a Republican issue or a Democratic issue; it’s an American issue,” he said, urging his audience to get definitive answers from their state representatives and state senators about their stand on the cuts.

Can Pennsylvanian’s afford this ‘change’? Recall in 2005, Rendell made this statement when resisting Bush Administration budget adjustments:

“During this time of war, it is absolutely the wrong time for our federal government to step back from any of its commitment to our veterans,” Rendell said. “To do so would be penny-wise but pound-foolish.”

When questioned in D.C. about stimulus results in Pennsylvania, Rendell responded by saying ‘thousands’ of jobs have been created – while redirecting stimulus dollars to pad our welfare rolls. Thanks to Rendell, it was more comfortable for people to remain on welfare in Pennsylvania than to become a productive, responsible tax paying – job creating citizens. Does that sound like a good thing for tax payers in Pennsylvania?

Voter Intimidation & The Politicizaton of Justice

When a clear case of voter intimidation is presented and the defendants happen to be a supporters of the Obama administration – poof – the DOJ dismissed the case.

Rep Joe Pitts (R-PA) observes in an article written for NetRightNation Blog:

The facts surrounding the case are not in question. A video of the two men is available on YouTube, where more than a million people have viewed it. Bartle Bull, a civil rights activist who worked with Robert F. Kennedy in an effort to secure voting rights for black voters in Mississippi during the 1960s, was present at the polling place that day and has been quoted as saying it was “the most blatant form of voter discrimination I have encountered in my life.”

…

Yet now, political appointees at the Justice Department have stepped in and ordered the suit dropped. Apparently this Justice Department has no problem with voter intimidation or politicization of justice.

…

With this move, the Justice Department has made clear it does not take voting rights seriously. It has indicated that threats and racist insults are acceptable behavior at our nation’s polling places.

Welcome to the Age of Obama.

Someone You Should Know

Via Conservative Reform Network:

West Chester School District has four impressive school board candidates and I have seen Sean Carpenter operate with fairness and skill at the Pennsylvania Conservative Council

If you live in the West Chester School District, these four candidates represent a new era of responsibility and competence to the WC school board. This is change you can believe in!

Specter Goes Dem

Specter declares himself ‘Democrat‘!

About time, my boy! A Rino that marred the brand of the GOP has now left the room. 2010 is looking good for real change in the political landscape of Pennsylvania as voters respond to crass political maneuvering.

The brighter side of Philly’s blogosphere weighs in on this announcement:

Blonde Sagacity: Coward

The Bitter American: Quisling

First In! : Good Riddance

Bluftooni: Specter Fallout

Chairman Steele weighs in:

“Let’s be honest — Sen. Specter didn’t leave the GOP based on principles of any kind,” said Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele. “He left to further his personal political interests because he knew that he was going to lose a Republican primary due to his left-wing voting record.

Lowman Henry sizes up the switch:

No, the Specter switch was not a move of ideological conscience; it was a crass political calculation. Specter conceded as much during a news conference announcing his party switch when he condescendingly proclaimed that he would now allow Republican primary voters to decide the fate of his 28-year senate career. Rather than accept the fact he could not win re-election as a Republican, Specter has tossed the dice and gambled that his political future will be longer as a Democrat.

It is a risky move. First, the Democratic Party is notorious fractious and Arlen Specter will not be welcomed with open arms by all. He will likely enjoy the support of his one-time employee in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, Governor Ed Rendell. And national Democrats, much like their Republican counterparts had done for years, will likely support the incumbent over other challengers. But one group in particular could be problematic, and that is organized labor. As he struggled to regain his political footing within the GOP after the stimulus vote Specter flip-flopped on the Employee Free Choice Act or Card Check, infuriating the labor movement. Specter says he won’t switch positions again, but it is hard to see how he can be successful within the ranks of the Democratic Party unless he does.
Lowman S. Henry is Chairman & CEO of the Lincoln Institute