CALIFORNIA YANKEE

I'm Back

I apologize for the lack of posting. We took my daughter to college. I thought I would have time to blog. I was so wrong.

TalkStraight.org

Ali Akbar, One of my favorite bloggers, has launched TalkStraight.org.

The purpose of TalkStraight.org is to change the presidential campaign from a popularity contest to an election on the issues -- the character of these two Senators, and their respective governing philosophies.

The objective is to assemble fact sheets and information, so that Americans may make an alternative decision than what the mainstream media have already decided for them.

TalkStraight.org plans to follow the dollars, expose Obama’s character, reveal his lies, tackle his policies, and debunk rumors.

Check it out.

The Next Right

There is a new force in the conservative blogosphere.

Three of my favorite new media political activists, Patrick Ruffini, Jon Henke, and Soren Dayton, have started a new project called The Next Right.

In case you aren't familiar with these online gurus, you can get a very brief bio of each courtesy of Marc Ambinder here.

The Next Right is designed to foster political activism using technology such as blogs and other Web 2.0 structures.

Patrick Ruffini has noted the conservative blogosphere has been content just being pundits or media critics, while the left has used the internet more forcefully:

Netroots activists on the left have built critical mass around an idea that regular people on the Internet can get their hands dirty and remix Democratic politics. They not only raise money. They recruit candidates. They fund full-time investigative journalism to ambush Republicans. They act as a party whip, creating consequences for Democrats who, in their view, don’t act like Democrats. They volunteer and flock to states with key races.

Working toward more activism to go along with the reporting, analysis and punditry offered at RedState and like-minded blogs, the addition of The Next Right provides the potential opportunity for tremendous synergy in the conservative blogosphere. Check it out.

Who Won The Debate?

Trying a poll experiment at Right Side Politics. Vote for the winner of tonight's Democrat Debate.

Thanks

A big thank you to Stephen Green at VodkaPundit and Richard at Hyscience, for noting the launch of RightSide Politics.

Right Side Politics Examiner

A little shameless self promotion.

For the last year, I have been blogging about Presidential Politics at the Examiner.com. The good folks there have decided to redesign the site and we have agreed to morph "Examining Presidential Politics" into "Right Side Politics Examiner."

As one of the new national Examiners, my Right Side Politics Examiner blog will be featured on all Examiner.com editions, including the three markets where there are print products. Examiners are writing about specific topics and my area of expertise is Politics as viewed from the right.

The newly redesigned site launched today. Please take a few minutes and check it out. I am very interested in hearing what you all think about Right Side Politics Examiner and what I can do to make it better. Let me know.

You can access Right Side Politics Examiner here: http://www.examiner.com/x-268-Right-Side-Politics-Examiner

Thanks!

USA Today Quotes California Yankee

In an article about on Bill Clinton's claim that he was against the Iraq war from the start and what this means for Hillary's Presidential run, USA Today's Jill Lawrence quoted from my "There He Goes Again" post:

"Bill Clinton Rewrites History on Iraq?" wondered ABC News' Political Radar blog. "A political blunder of monumental proportions," Dan Spencer wrote at the conservative Redstate.com. At liberal DailyKos.com, the headline was "Bill Clinton's 'truthiness' problem."

I guess it's time I start posting under my own name.

No Dumbing Down Here

Via A Chequer-Board of Nights and Days

Breakfast With Jeff

This morning I drove to New York's JFK airport to welcome the indefatigable Jeff Emanuel back to the U.S. after his latest stint in Iraq reporting from "Inside the Surge."

Jeff and I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at a diner near the airport. We chatted about his experiences while embedded with troops on the front lines in Iraq. You can read all Jeff's dispatches at his blog.

We also passed the time talking about politics and sports. I know. That's shocking.

Welcome home Jeff, glad to have you back safe and sound. Thanks for taking time out of your life to inform us about what our troops are accomplishing for us in Iraq!

New Media Empowers Social Protest

At Compassion in Politics, Nathan Ketsdever contemplates new media's role in social protest:

It used to be that social protest was limited to a) a letter to a prominent government official b) civil disobedience in the civic square c) crossing district lines d) voting.

New media, such as blogs and YouTube video, empowers and amplifies the ability of everyone to make their voice heard.

It's like a digital bullhorn .... but in technicolor and sometimes with a swanky soundtrack.

New media is chipping away at the Iron Curtain-like barrier that the mainstream old media has used to control political debate.

Join the revolution. Be heard.