Tipsheet

In Defense of the Rightosphere

It seems that conservative bloggers are unanimous in believing that Republicans are light years behind Democrats, in terms of technology.  While I agree that over-estimating your opponent(s) is often safer than under-estimating them -- it can also have negative consequences, as well.  For one thing, perpetuating the meme that your side is losing is a bit demoralizing (sort of like being a Cubs fan).

A few years ago, I wrote a piece for Personal Democracy Forum, titled:  Why Republicans are Winning at Tech.  (To fully understand my argument for why the "Rightosphere" is better, read the article).   I stand by my theory that Republicans use technology to win elections, while liberals use it to build "communities." 

Additionally, I have always believed that bloggers tend to underestimate the importance of running a traditional campaign -- and overestimate the importance of online activism.  This is to be expected; A campaign or organization's director of grassroots will argue that grassroots is what matters; a fundraiser will argue that money is what matters, etc.   As they say, "If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail."  The difference is that the internet guys have an outlet in which to push their message.

I, for one, am tired of hearing (from conservative bloggers) how much better the liberals are at using technology than we are.  Besides, it's "Un-Reaganesque" to be this pessimistic, anyway. 

Come on conservative bloggers; enough of the self flagellation, already!