'Right'ing Web Politics: Change Begins With Us
By Senator Jim DeMint Posted in Republicans — Comments (4) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Every day, the number of people who get their news online increases and as the world moves online, it stands to reason that the American political process will follow. Well, it’s happening…and fast.
This has naturally led to the question of who is more powerful: “leftroots” or “rightroots”?
Mainstream media pundits have long assumed that liberals have more influence in Web politics than conservatives, pointing to the 2006 midterm elections as proof. However, I believe 2006 was a perfect storm for liberal Internet activists for two reasons.
First, the Republican majority in Congress became a weak version of what we should have been all along -- what I like to call “Democrat-lite” -- and conservative voters and “rightroots” activists became disheartened. Second, Democrats had a cause to rally around -- namely, defeating Republicans who had become too complacent in power, and in some extreme cases, even corrupt. These two factors gave liberals the golden opportunity they needed -- and they seized it.
The good news is that “rightroots” activists now have a chance to step up and challenge the dominance of MoveOn.org and other left-wing fringe groups in Web politics. How, you ask? By reversing those trends that gave the “leftroots” their advantage in 2006. We must hold our fellow Republicans accountable and demand that they act like Republicans and then rally behind our own cause.
Read on . . .
The “leftroots” movement will surely stall, because its agents advocate values that are out of touch with the American people.
On the other hand, the ideas celebrated by “rightroots” activists are not just conservative ideas -- they are American ideas -- ideas that empower families and individuals. Ideas that I believe the majority of our fellow citizens are eager to embrace.
Just a few short months ago we saw the strength of the American people when they rose up to demand the Senate not pass an amnesty immigration bill. The online “rightroots” community was a powerful conduit for the voice of the American people.
Today we are facing another equally important battle and a cause that should become a rallying cry for voters everywhere: the fight to eliminate earmarks.
This process that allows politicians to secretly direct billions in taxpayer dollars to their favorite projects without real oversight is wasteful, corrupting and bad for America. Earmarking also greases the skids for passing bloated federal spending bills, because members are afraid to vote against a bill that includes a project in their home state.
Instead of focusing on serious issues like fixing Social Security and Medicare, overhauling our tax system, and helping every American afford health insurance, Beltway politicians are scrambling to secure pork for pet projects.
That’s why I started the “100,000 Strong for Earmark Reform” petition.
My goal is to build a network of grassroots support from outside the Beltway so that we can change the way business is done inside the Beltway. You can sign the petition at my new Web site: www.jimdemint.com. I hope you and your family and friends will do so.
Working together, we can “right” the imbalance of Web politics and give voice to the aspirations and vision that will motivate American voters to reclaim their government. Change begins with us.
Senator, you (and your colleague Coburn) have a big fan base here at RedState. Mainly because you guys seem to be the last and greatest hope for a breed in Washington that will actually govern with the people's best interest in mind, with a firm adherence to conservative principles, against fierce opposition even from within the GOP. So any words you drop here are golden. Spend them wisely.
A petition drive to oppose pork, that's not a grand enough vision, my friend. The pork stuff, that's small-time compared to the bloated and unsustainable Entitlement things (SS, Medicare, etc). The pork we need to address for certain, and perhaps it's just the opening front in a large war. Hope so.
If you are throwing your support behind the Reagan 21 movement -- details slowly emerging, but apparently a return (with a vengeance) to hard-nosed, uncompromising conservative governance with a vehicle for the grassroots to get involved -- then I am very much ready for that.
As we say in Hold'em: All In, Baby!
Stare decisis is fo' suckas -- Feddie
I was proud to sign this petition!...We need more Senators like Sen. DeMint!...