Red State Rebels

Notes from the blogosphere

Just a few notes from the blogosphere ... my essay on how red-state expats ought to support their home state Democratic parties is featured this morning (Saturday, December 20) on the politics front page at The Huffington Post. (Here's a direct link, too. Please send it to Idaho friends and family who've moved to more progressive climes.)

Canyon County is inching Demward and it's already home to several bloggers including the estimable MountainGoat and Unequivocal Notion. Now it's also home to the Western Democrat, a new podcast-based blog. Check it out. Also, the Canyon County Democrats invite Democratic actvists from across southwestern Idaho to a planning session set for January 3 at the Nampa Civic Center. The time to get ready for 2010 is now.

Speaking of MountainGoat, MG and Tara from The Political Game have teamed up to launch a Zeb Bell page to chronicle the most egregious utterings of Idaho's own wingnut radio host and his "festering refuge for hate speech." It's already starting to get some coverage in the national blogosphere. You'll find all the info you need to take Bell (and his advertisers) to task for his racist, homophobic, xenophobic, theocratic crap. Have at it. 

Finally, a reminder: the Idaho Democratic Party is interested in seeing independent, grassroots watchblogs established in legislative districts represented by some of the state's most regressive Republicans. If you'd like to help with this effort, shoot me an email at julie@idaho-democrats.org and I'll get you into the loop.

Happy holidays!

McCain invented ... the Blackberry?

Remember eight years ago, when we let Republicans get away with saying that Al Gore claimed to personally invent the Internet? Well, John McCain is now claiming that he paved the way for cell phones, wi-fi, even the Blackberry! Who knew?

Read this diary at Daily Kos, which explains how McCain (unlike Gore) has actually stood in the way of many technological advances we now use daily. A snip:

Of pending legislation, McCain is not a sponsor of the "Connect the Nation Act" – though Senator Obama is. McCain is not a sponsor of Senator Rockefeller's call for a universal next generation broadband by 2015 – though Senator Obama is. And of course, McCain isn't a sponsor of the "Internet Freedom Act" that would ensure net neutrality – though Senator Obama is. ...

So,  McCain's "guiding hand" seems to consist of opposing the legislation that laid the groundwork for the communications we have today, and authoring failed legislation designed to benefit big carriers. Of course, we should probably be glad that John McCain really didn't invent the cell phone or wifi, otherwise we'd all be getting our wireless services from one monolithic company free to restrict our access to only the pages that pay for the privilege. And we'd all be using "Jitterbugs."

We have a lot of swing voters here in Idaho who are (still) employed in the tech and telecommunications industries. They need to read this and show it to their colleagues, too. John McCain is so thoroughly 20th century, it hurts to think about it.

Obama's new ads: change is more than a slogan

Barack Obama has hit the airwaves with two new ads: one on how "change" isn't just a slogan, but a deep commitment to solving real problems, and another on just how stuck in the past John McCain really is. Enjoy 'em and share 'em!

RSR v2.0 is one year old today

Red State Rebels has been around as a blog for almost five years, but the multi-author version is one year old today. I'd like to thank the authors listed below who helped write 572 posts over the past 12 months; the people who posted 3,257 comments; and everyone who reads this blog, whether faithfully or occasionally. Together, we are bringing real debate and two-party government back to Idaho. Here's to the next year, and especially the next two months. ~ Julie Fanselow (a.k.a. The Blogmother)

Branden Durst, Brett Adler, Brian Cronin, Chris, Chryssa Rich,  Dean Ferguson, Debbie Holmes, Deborah Silver, Don Rosebrock, Elizabeth Wasson, Jessica Cavalieri, Jim Hansen, John Foster, Kurt Holzer, Lane Startin, Larry Grant, Larry LaRocco, Linda Langness, Ryan Hill, Sara E. Anderson, Serephin, Sheryl Dowlin, Steven Mercado, Tara Rowe, The Nickel-Plated JA, theresa reel, T.J. Thomson,  and William Thomas.

What a bunch of GOOPers

Honestly now. This week's GOP website snafu - discovered by Tom at Fort Boise - is even more monumental than last week's (still uncorrected!) one. Click here and read down to "Our website had a facelift." Oy vey. How long do you suppose it'll take them to fix this?

Update 12:17 p.m. Not long. It's now whatever they intended it to be, complete with a big splashy graphic of Obama and the words "NOT READY." (Er, with Sarah Palin on the GOP ticket, that's a laugh, ain't it?)

So now we'll see how much longer Julie Ellsworth masquerades as Mitt Romney. Ah well, at least someone out there is reading our little Democratic blogs.

Update September 4: Surprise, surprise, surprise. Julie Ellsworth has finally removed Mitt Romney's issues page from her website. It now says "this page coming soon."

Update 2:00 p.m.: Tom emails that the website cited in the email announcement from state GOP poobah Norm Semanko, www.idgop.com, is still misfiring. www.idgop.org is the one that works. As Tom noted in his original post, "This is not quite as embarrassing as making a big stink about someone's supposed tax fraud and exposing the fact that you don't know what you're talking about, but it does add to the evidence that the Idaho GOP is in increasing disarray."

Welcome, KBCI viewers

KBCI ran a story about the rising blog phenomenon on its 5 p.m. news tonight. Thanks to reporter Scott Logan for his interest, and welcome to any Channel 2 viewers who are visiting Red State Rebels for the first time.

What bloggers want (or this one, anyway)

Mark your calendars, set your cell phone alarms, and tell your friends: U.S. Senate candidate Jim Risch will join D.F. Oliveria of the Huckleberries Online blog for a live Q&A session at 1:30 p.m. Pacific/2:30 Mountain on Friday. Dave is kinda sorta inviting questions at this post, but he says "no promises" that he'll use those queries.

So - just as on his radio guest slot the week before last - Risch still won't actually be taking questions from the public, as his Democratic opponent Larry LaRocco has repeatedly done during live blogs and webcasts. But at least he is visiting a blog, albeit one sanctioned by the Rischs. Jason Risch told the Idaho Statesman last week that his dad "draws a very distinct line between legitimate media and the bloggers that are left-wing hatemongers. The blogging done by legitimate media sources are not in the same category as the left-wing hatemongers."

Of course, Jason Risch has a right to be miffed at his dad's portrayal - by the Jonathan Swifts of Idaho blogging at 43rd State Blues- as a squeaky voiced gnome. Fair enough. But we can't let Risch Sr. get away with broad-brushing all bloggers as "hatemongers" simply because we criticize him for ditching debates, shunning his opponents, and distorting his record of tax-shifting and big business butt-kissing.

I've been blogging about Idaho politics since 2003, and here's all I want:

To lift up Democratic candidates and causes for consideration by my fellow Idahoans.

To point out the real problems that result from lopsided one-party political control, such as what we currently have in Idaho.

To do a little reporting, as my time allows, on stories that are ignored by the traditional media.

Do I hate what one-party Republican control is doing to our state? Yes. Do I hate Jim Risch, Bill Sali, Mike Moyle, Bryan Fischer, and the others most responsible for this situation? Personally speaking, no. But will I - and other progressive Idaho bloggers - do everything we can to elect more Democrats and end the reactionary GOP reign of error? Absolutely. Partisan blogs are valuable additions to the media scene precisely because readers know where we stand, and because we frequently write about topics that the salaried folks in the "real" media don't have the time, inclination, or cojones to cover. (Just how much reporting do you think the soon-to-be-defunct South Idaho Press did on local radio renegade Zeb Bell? Now there's a hatemonger ... )

Randy Stapilus has an interesting take on this at Ridenbaugh Press: "The problem with such simple dichotomies, when you talk about political communications these days, is that it’s not an either-or, not jut this or that, but a whole range, a spectrum. Even among the liberal or conservative blogs - those explicitly so - you’ll find a wide range of efforts, some focused to a degree on news and breaking information, others focusing on putting ideas and opinion into the mix. And others heading into altogether different directions."

Exactly. It's time for the Rischs to realize the legitimacy of all blogs, not simply those sanctioned by traditional media organizations. Jim Risch's appearance at Huckleberries Online this Friday is a first step, but a very small one. If he really wants to show credibility on this issue, he will do what Larry LaRocco has done, repeatedly: Pick a partisan blog and appear live there. Even in a friendly environment, hard questions get asked, the real candidate can emerge, and voters can make more informed choices.

P.S. I enjoyed Sisyphus' comment at the Stapilus post noted above, about Risch's decision to join Oliveria for a live blogging session: "Of course, as Jill points out, it will be interesting how someone who doesn’t personally own a computer will accomplish this feat."

Update: KBCI is doing a story on this issue. I was just interviewed, as was Jill Kuraitis from New West. Tune in to Channel 2 at 5 p.m. (or check the website afterward) to see what they have to say.

LaRocco will visit dKos at 1 p.m. MDT Wednesday

U.S. Senate candidate Larry LaRocco will post a diary and blog live for an hour at Daily Kos starting at 1 p.m. Mountain Time on Wednesday. Look for him in the "recent diaries" list on the site's right-hand side at the appointed time, and be sure to recommend his diary if you are a Kossack, too.

Unlike his email-phobic opponent Jim Risch, LaRocco gets the 'net. He's been posting diaries at Daily Kos - the world's biggest Democratic blog - for more than a year now, and he's using a variety of other technologies including a YouTube channel, a Facebook group, a live video town hall, and more. It's no surprise that young and tech-savvy Idaho voters fired up by Barack Obama are gravitating to LaRocco's campaign as well. LaRocco also plans to attend Netroots Nation, the major annual gathering of progressive political bloggers, next week in Austin, Texas.

Weekend edition 6/7-8: Clinton endorses Obama

Hillary Clinton plans an event at 10 a.m. Mountain today (Saturday) to announce her endorsement of Barack Obama as the next President of the United States. Add your reaction in the comments below.

Update 11:30 a.m.: Senator Clinton did a great job with her speech this morning. Here's the key passage:

The way to continue our fight now, to accomplish the goals for which we stand, is to take our energy, our passion, our strength, and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama the next President of the United States. Today, as I suspend my campaign, I congratulate him on the victory he has won and the extraordinary race he has run. I endorse him and throw my full support behind him. And I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me.

Clinton said Obama displayed "grace and grit" in their long primary campaign. The same can be said of her remarks today. Thank you, Senator.

Some other items of interest:

Both Larry Craig and Mike Crapo voted to stall the bipartisan climate change bill in the Senate yesterday. There will be no more action on the pressing issue until after the elections, so Idahoans need to ask whether Larry LaRocco (who supported the current legislation) or Jim Risch (who opposes it) is more serious about having a responsible, secure energy future.

The 2008 National Conference for Media Reform is under way in Minneapolis this weekend, according to an email we received from Boise Community Radio. The event is being webcast at Free Press.

A few months ago, Serephin of 43rd State Blues and I attended an excellent bloggers' summit put on by the New Organizing Institute. NOI is taking its show on the road this summer, with political trainings in many regions of the country, including one in the Northwest the second week of July. Click here for more information on "Training Technology-Enabled Leaders."

This is a ways off, but we got the good news this week that Buhl, Idaho ... yes, Buhl ... has one of the nation's newest Drinking Liberally chapters. Its first meeting will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, June 27, at the Cosmic Jolt, 120 Broadway Ave. S. DL also meets in Boise, Idaho Falls, Moscow (on hiatus a while due to Sara's recent surgery), Pocatello, and Twin Falls. Get details here.

Big election integrity snafu in SoCal

Brad Friedman is a tireless advocate for election integrity, frequently reporting stories of election machine failure and worse on his BradBlog. But this week, he himself was the story as four of the 10 votes he cast in the California primary flipped before his eyes - and that was after a torturous experience trying to record his votes in the first place.

It's good to know that folks like Friedman and Black Box Voting are documenting and bird-dogging these problems well ahead of November's elections. Coupled with the recent, painful HBO docudrama Recount, these stories point out the need for huge voter turnouts in November. Big turnouts for Democratic candidates won't eliminate the possibility of electoral woes, but it'll make it more likely that Democrats standing for change still win, even accounting for machine problems, bungled ballot designs, or outright fraud.