Oct
Posted by: Todd Herman
6 CommentsWithin fifteen minutes of meeting him, Chairman Michael Steele convinced me he was sincere about making new media a centerpiece of Republican politics. I had explained to the Chairman my point of view that, unless we are willing to embrace being open and social in social media, we would have no success. We discussed the inherent risk of a political party leaving itself open to the online pranks of our opponents and the instant amplification of that pettiness by the likes of former Sportscasters with niche, liberal cable programs aimed at a zip code 94720-2284.
“I guess we better stop having Town Hall meeting and listening to folks! Someone might be rude to us.” The Chairman said. Not familiar with his style—when he says he’s not your “Great Grandpa’s Chairman”, he’s being humble—I was stunned. He laughed, grabbed my hand and said, “Todd … Facebook and social media are the best chance we have to visit with the greatest number of supporters, to know more of them---to learn from them.”
It’s an odd thing to make a life-changing decision in 18-seconds.
The Republican Party is lucky to have a man so unafraid, so committed to a real connection with what some people call the “grassroots” of the party (I simply think of them as “us.”). The RNC is lucky to have a man who recognizes the need to be in and of the culture that brought us to D.C. in the first place and, in ever increasing numbers, new media is part of our common cultural interaction.
We have the Beta release of our new platform that, as it grows, will help the Party achieve the Chairman’s goal. It’s far from perfect, but—again, due to the fearlessness of my Boss, and his decision to embrace openness—it has the greatest possible chance to become a great platform; unlike Speaker Pelosi, the elitist who imagines that you have no right to read a Bill that will take away your very right to choose your own health care—Chairman Steele firmly believe that, as the people who support our party, you deserve the ability to partner with us in its growth.
We are building this platform for you:
Go to OurGOP: The Republican Action Network: go start a Blog, join a group. My colleagues and I will be in there with you, as will Chairman Steele, just as often as time allows.
Here is something else you might enjoy, if you work in technology: go join Code for America and code a little for the Site---yes, it’s that open.
If you have feedback for me, join my OurGOP Group, Wired Republicans, I look forward to meeting you there.
-Todd Herman
6 CommentsPosted by ellenbrandtphd on 2009-12-03T11:51:42.56
I'm glad there is finally somewhere I can post this and appeal for help! I am a lifelong Republican, a Centrist, and proud to be a Centrist. I recently formed the already successful Centrists Group at Linked In. But in the process of announcing the new Group on Republican boards at Linked In, I have been so viciously and maliciously attacked by some "people" - although they are probably not actual human beings, but rather script bots run by political PR firms - I have simply left the "Politics on the Rocks" group and am now being truly terrorized at the "Republican Party" group. This is sickening and a very poor reflection on our Party. The owners and managers of all Groups on social networks like Linked In purporting to be for Republicans MUST protect every Republican from harassment or Flaming by other members. We have been criticizing the Opposition for 30-odd years for their "political correctness" and periodic purges of their fellow Democrats. And now we are suddenly embracing "political correctness" and extreme rudeness to any fellow Republican we don't like? The "people" - or again, more likely bots - dominating the Linked In discussion groups - only as of two or three months ago, by the way! - and shutting off cordial, respectful conversation with anyone in the Party they deem too moderate are a horrible embarrassment to our Party. Cordiality, open-minded respect for the ideas and beliefs of others, and inclusiveness are core Republican values, IMO. They must be protected and promoted by all who care about our Party. Dr. Ellen Brandt
Posted by Christin Kuck on 2009-11-05T18:15:20.767
As a web designer, I really like the look and feel of the site. Crisp, easy to navigate, and chocked full of information. Kudos for linking to Facebook and Twitter. I was looking at one of the videos... think it was 12 Truths, and I have to say it was put together in a pretty sorry fashion. YAWN. I'm not trying to be offensive. I'm just looking at what the Dems are doing in this realm. I hate to say it but when it comes to multimedia, they produce a fresh, exiting presentation! The younger generation has been brought up on Disney World and MTV. I think it is super important for the GOP to compete on the same level. Jazz things up WITHOUT diluting the content. My two cents.
Posted by Christopher Carver on 2009-10-27T19:40:54.333
Great job. The internet is the best way to connect to the most supporters. Here's a suggestion to help illustrate this connection. An organization chart. How connected are we to the leaders of this site? How are they connected to elected officials, potential candidates and the leaders of the Republican Party? How strong is that connection (hopefully more than one thin dashed line)? Is there a think tank? If you like this idea, please respond directly to me. I am still having trouble navigating this site.
Posted by Gilia on 2009-10-13T22:56:54.353
Todd - great job on the new site! I feel more energized than ever about the future.
Posted by GOPAdmin_NiaS on 2009-10-13T01:47:36.097
Hi Patrick, Welcome to Our GOP! I will be sure to forward your suggestion to our New Media Director but for now, please feel free to send me a message with any of your questions or concerns about the site.
Want to join the conversation? Please Login!
Paid for by the Republican National Committee
Not Authorized By Any Candidate Or Candidate's Committee
www.GOP.com
VISIT THE GOP STORE
