redstate

As President Obama vacationed in North Carolina this past weekend, concerned Americans decided to dedicate their time to freedom. The Post-Party Summits, hosted by American Majority, Smart Girl Politics and RedState, kicked off the first Summit in Pittsburgh, PA on April 23rd. American Majority President Ned Ryun explained the idea behind the Post-Party Summits in a recent interview:

“The Post-Parties are about moving from protesting to implementing, and that’s what was so exciting about Pittsburgh: these people came to learn, realizing that the next iteration of the tea party movement is organizing into a potent political force. And I believe that is the answer to bringing about the change needed in this country: the tea party and 9.12 movements organizing into privatized political infrastructure to advance the great principles of free enterprise, individual freedom, and limited government.”

On Friday evening during the opening dinner, Erick Erickson of RedState gave a rousing speech regarding the next step for concerned Americans. The audience went wild when Erickson stated “The silent majority can no longer be silent.”

The Summit training courses were designed to equip citizens with the tools to effectively participate in the electoral process. Classes include, Creative Leadership,Micro-targeting Precincts, Building Effective Coalitions, Running for Office, Media Coaching: TV and Radio, and a host of other classes designed to train Americans to become more involved in the community. Ryun described it as being:

“A community organizer for Freedom”

American Majority, RedState and Smart Girl Politics plan to train in Denver, CO., Jacksonville, FL., Indianapolis, IN., Boston, MA., Kansas City, MO. and Charlotte, NC. Pittsburgh's summit attracted over 250 participants and the attention of the far left Daily Kos.

As a instructor, this reporter witnessed reactions that ranged from the amazed to the energized at the Summit. Participants expressed an eagerness to get involved and seemed determined to take the information back to their friends and family. American Majority and several of the instructors provided materials and many took home extra for their friends or groups. Feedback from the Summit is evidence of how important the information was to the attendees.

“This was fantastic. I feel like I just robbed you by only paying $50 for this.”

“The whole workshop was BEYOND my expectations! I never expected the degree of excellence. The information was needed….I look forward to follow-ups to learn even more!”

“This is great! No one should feel alone anymore. Hello world, the vocal majority is taking its rightful place!”

“The social networking, wiki and blog workshops (were most helpful). They opened my eyes to the online world and how much we need to participate.”

“I just came home from the Pittsburgh Post-Party Summit and to think I didn't even know about your organization four days ago, wow! I am so glad that I followed my instincts and went. It was so informative and now I feel I have a support system in this revolution to get back our country. Thank you for all your efforts.....”

Despite the negative media attention that attempts to paint these new activists as angry or dangerous, what the Post-Party Summit really represented was your neighbor next door, your aunt, your mom, everyday Americans who have decided to organizing is not a matter or left or right, it's a matter of freedom.

If you only read one thing this Christmas break, make sure it's Erick Erickson's post on rebuilding the party with technology. At the heart of it is an admonition not to confuse blogging with "technology." As Erick writes:

That a person can run a blog, has a Twitter account, edits and posts video to YouTube, has 1000 friends on Facebook, or can install a Joomla/Drupal/WordPress/MovableType/etc. site and customize the CSS does not make that person a technologist.

This is SO true. I've been in more than a few settings where a politician will want to talk to bloggers first about technology, not unlike how people approach Erick for his advice on tech. Yet all the bloggers would want to talk about when it came time for Q&A was politics not technology. Bloggers tend to be more tech savvy than the average, but what really drives them is politics and policy. Blogging is ultimately about good content not technology, just as a strong party has to be about a good message supported by today's technology.

What Erick is talking about is recruiting the people who build the tools, not just the people who use them, however avidly. When Ev Williams started Blogger and then Twitter, he wasn't thinking about how these tools could be used to revolutionize politics. He was just out to build a cool tool -- and opening up politics was just one of many applications of the technology.

The GOP needs geeks and engineers to build the tools. 115,000 people have just been laid off in the technology sector. There needs to be a concerted effort to identify those who are politically libertarian and conservative and get them to work building tools for the movement. I don't have any illusions that the majority of this group are on our side, but if we are better organized it won't matter. Even if we only have a pool of 10,000 to pick from, that's about 100 times better than what we have today.

But as much as we need people who are focused on the pure tech -- and this means more than just skinning the latest Web 2.0 fetish -- we still need better political operatives who will understand a good idea when it comes to them and won't cut the technology off at the pass. This doesn't mean they personally have to do technology, but they need to appreciate all the ways the Internet upends the traditional playbook.

RedState.com has posted a couple pieces on opposing the government bailout of the auto industry. The first by Representative Michele Bachmann opposes not just the auto bailout, but the concept that Washington should be spending tax payer money to prop up failed businesses. The second article by Francis Cianfrocca discusses how contract renegotiations with the United Auto Workers union need to be included any proposed bailout as failure to so will result in the eventual failure of those companies with or without a bailout. Excerpts below.

One main reason the auto bailout is facing such opposition is that there has been no attempt to explain why pumping money into a failed business will fix that business. If these company continue on their current path this bailout will simply prolong the time before before failure, and will result in simply wasting a huge sum of tax payer dollars. For those who oppose bailing out the auto industry, folllow the links below to contact your Senators and Congressmen to let them know that you do not support this bill, and that you will hold them responsible for wasting your money.

Contact Your Senator

Contact Your Congressman

No More Bailouts by Rep. Michele Bachmann

Washington needs to stop handing out your money like its Monopoly money. Each dollar is hard-earned and the men and woman who worked so hard for it deserve more respect from their government than to be treated like an ATM. Our economy grew strong on the backs of Main Street; from the ideas and sheer sweat of innovators and entrepreneurs flush with the American spirit. Risk-taking is part of that adventure. But when government guarantees against failure, risk and reward becomes meaningless. Eventually, that will crush our economy- and that eventually may not be that far down the road.

The Critical Missing Piece in the Automaker Bailout by Francis Cianfrocca

There will be no significant cost-cutting or pain imposed on the UAW in the restructuring of the domestic auto industry, unless it happens right now, this week. The UAW must agree to a labor-cost structure that, in Sen. Corker’s words, is no higher than that faced by foreign (“transplant”) automakers who assemble vehicles in the United States. The union must agree to very painful concessions on wages, healthcare, work rules, and retiree benefits. Gettelfinger, playing to the galleries, has assured lawmakers that he will indeed be open to doing whatever he can to seal the deal. Among other things, he’s signaled willingness to end the so-called “job bank.” You know, that’s where an automaker closes a production facility that no longer makes sense, but continues to pay the workers full wages and benefits to play video games all day, for years into the future. But what Gettelfinger has pointedly not said, is that he’s willing to re-negotiate the contract that the UAW currently has with the automakers. In short, he’s not preparing to compromise at all, or to ask his people to take any real pain.

Oppose the Auto Bailout