Monday, December 08, 2008
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Rating the RNC Chair Candidates on Web 2.0
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Posted by:
Matt Lewis at
9:03 AM
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Which RNC Chair candidate is ready to lead us into the future?
While being involved in web 2.0 does not guarantee a tech-savvy RNC Chairman, it might tell us something about their commitment to technology. As such, I thought I'd take a look and rate the candidates ...
On Facebook, former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell leads with 3,358 friends. While Blackwell has "friends," former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele has "supporters" -- 3,008 supporters, to be precise. Michigan GOP Chair Saul Anuzis has 2,572 friends. I couldn't find former Huckabee campaign manager Chip Saltsman's Facebook page, but "Draft Chip Saltsman for RNC Chairman" has 501 members. South Carolina GOP Chair Katon Dawson has 486 friends, but there's also a "Draft Katon Dawson for RNC Chair" page (377 members), and a "Katon Dawson for RNC Chair" page (306 members).
On Twitter, Saul Anuzis has a big lead with 1,588 followers (currently ranked as #16 on "top conservatives on twitter"). Katon Dawson has 524 followers, Chip Saltsman has 169 followers, and Michael Steele has 104
followers. In addition, "Steele4RNCChair" -- not an official Twitter page -- has just 14 followers. Blackwell does not appear to be on Twitter at this point.
Rebuild the Party
Perhaps an even better way to predict how a future RNC Chair might view technology is to see whether or not they have endorsed the Rebuild the Party plan. At the time of this posting, Saul Anuzis, Chip Saltsman and Ken Blackwell have endorsed the 10-point plan. Katon Dawson and Michael Steele have not.
Notes...
... I could have used MySpace, Friendster, Linked-In, etc. However, I chose Facebook and Twitter because, to me, they are the most important social networking venues of the day (this is open to debate).
... Of course, being on Facebook or Twitter does not make one a tech expert any more than not being on Facebook or Twitter makes one a Luddite. Moreover, some online activity is hard to quantify. For example, Michael Steele recently told me he is often up late at night, reading blogs. This activity might guarantee that an RNC Chair is connected and "in touch" with what is going on. On the other hand, it might mean that an RNC Chair is going to be too quick to react to the frequently shifting opinions of pundits. Either way, it means he is embracing technology -- but in a way that is hard for me to quantify.
... The statitistics I cite have to do with popularity. While the number of "friends" of "followers" one has does give some insight into a person's popularity, it does not necessarily reflect anything else. Still, it is the only metric we have to use.
... Lastly, it should be noted that this is merely a snapshot. The online world is constantly changing, and next week, the results might look different....
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That is what they said about Thompson, that he didn't seem to be driven. Reagan wasn't too politically driven and had to be talked into running. Myself, I don't like politically driven. But I admire the heck out of idealogicically driven. And the person with the most genuine, true Conservative resume, which is also pages longer than any other's, is Ken Blackwell. But, maybe we should run him and Sarah for POTUS in 2012. Michael Steele is my second pick for most genuine, true Conservative resume and would do a fantastic job as RNC or any elected office, includung POTUS or VP to Palin.
For RNC, anyone other than these two staunch Conservatives are likely to hand us another democrat to run as the Republican nominee. GOD FORBID!!
Glenn Flowers
http://glnnflwrs.blogtownhall.com/
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As a former Michigan resident I will gladly speak out against Anuzis. Anuzis is a good guy who presides over a state that is not favorable to Republicans, but recent elections have been absurd.
Look back to the elections fo 2006 to see how poorly elections were run. Michgan's economy has been in the crapper for years now and Dick DeVos (the Republican Gubernatorial candidate) got whalloped by Gov. Granholm who has been hands on in the demoliton of small businesses within the state. The fact that the Michigan Republicans could not gain any traction in a state that had been flushed down the toilet by a Democratic governor and the unions is pathetic.
After an impressive showing by Bush in Michigan in the 2004 elections McCain didn't even view the state as a potential steal approaching the final months.
Kent County (home to Grand Rapids, the state's second largest city), a traditional Republican strong hold, ended up going blue. Shocking considering the number of high powered Republican donors that reside there (former Ambdr. Secchia, DeVos family, Van Andel family, to name a few).
The state is also crawling with moderate Repubs that are precisely why 2008 was so bad for the party in terms of elections and I certainly do not doubt that Anuzis falls into this category.
Lastly, there were some campaigning decisions made on the local level by Anuzis that cost some very good candidates elections over the past few years.
Anuzis can stay in Michigan, there is nothing that he has done that would ever lead me to believe that he is qualified to do what he does on a national level. 2004 showed hope for the state. The last two years have erased any hope for Michigan becoming red in the newar future, and Anuzis was there to oversee it all. |
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I am not sure if Michael Steele is the guy. I like him,but I am not sure he is TOO politically driven.
Ken Blackwell seems to be not afraid to take a stand. I do not know him as well as Michael Steele, but I was most impressed with his knowledge of the ACORN scandal. That alone is not enough information to make a decision.
Duncan has been a disappointment and should move on!
I want to continue to learn about these men. I do not know anything about Saul Anuzis. |
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I have no dog in this fight because each one is less inspiring than the next and none has an original idea. I do wonder why on earth the GOP would think about picking as it's chairman a man who runs a state party in a state that couldn't elect a Republican if there were no one else on the ballot.
Would the last Republican in the upper midwest turn the lights out?
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First I just wanted to mention that while it is great to see some of the RNC chair candidates begin to participate in social networking, it is also important that they really utilize it. The benefits of these mediums of communication far outweigh merely visibility, they allow for actual real time discussions and let the members of the party voice their opinions and talk with other conservatives, as well as (hopefully) with the people who will be leading the fight to reshape the party. On that count, I think Saul Anuzis wins overwhelmingly.
Second, I would like to point out that while several of the candidates have endorsed the Rebuilding the Party plan, to my knowledge, only one has joined in on debating the issues on http://rebuildtheparty.ning.com. Again that would be Saul Anuzis. I'm glad that more and more people seem to be grasping how important these networking tools are to the future of the GOP. |
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To continue.. back in the day blog.. this old
Gentleman ... could have voted absentee..
but he wanted to make sure that Michael Steele
got his vote ! He was so impressed with him ..
he and his old doggy drove all that way to vote
in person . Thats a fan !! |
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This is just silly! Callouses on thumbs were caused by hard work.. with no time for bffs
and ufos and too many wtf"s and some time for
OMG's.. back in the day! Take their string away..
and they will collapse.. like a plastic holiday
bubble on the front yard( Christmas ornament)!
I am just a mouldy- oldie.. I am still learning how to use this beastie !
My father -in -law..95years old.. drove from N.J.
to Maryland .. to make a vote for Michael Steele.
That was a big deal! An old gentleman.. and his old beagle.. out on the scary NJ. turn - pike..
heading to Baltimore! |
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