Do you live in one of the 200 or so Congressional Districts with a Republican representative? Do you live in one of the 21 states with a Republican senator up for re-election in 2008? Can you spare a mere
one hour a week to help contest every seat on Election Day 2008?
Here's the best part--this is work you can do fun you can have from the comfort of your favorite computer chair.
Blogging for Fun and Democracy
Read on for 10 easy steps to opposition blogging about an incumbent Republican Congresscritters.
Help turn a Red district Blue. Using GA-11, represented by Republican Phil Gingrey, here's what you can start doing
right now to start opposition blogging.
- Most important of all: Just start. Don't worry about planning ahead, just get going. You'll figure it out as you go along. Websites like Blogger (as just one example) make it super-easy to setup a new blog.
- Concern yourself more with being regular than being brilliant. Get in the habit of writing something at least every week. The way you get steady traffic is through fresh content every time visitors come.
- Don't know what to write about? Something happened in GA-11 in the last week that is unique to the district and/or makes Phil Gingrey look bad. Link to it, write about it, rant about it. Whatever.
- Go to Google News. Sign up for a daily email alert for "Phil Gingrey". You'll find even more to write about from the papers in and out of your district.
- Keep a file of anything hard-copy you can get your hands on about him. When he sends you stuff in the mail (esp. using his franking privilege), hold on to it. That can be a gold mine for catching changes in positions, etc.
- Go to PoliticalMoneyLine. Find the fund-raising pages for Phil Gingrey. Check it every quarter or so to see who he's giving money to and getting money from. Tie his votes to his money. That's the kind of thing that is hard to remember later on.
- The typical local newspaper will contain all sorts of misinformation esp. in editorials and letters to the editor. When you see it, write about it on your blog. Even better, respond as a letter to the editor, too.
- Fill out online forms that let you send your member letters on stands for bills, etc. That'll generate letters back to you. That's more fodder for writing about. That'll give you more material that doesn't show up in papers (or elsewhere on the web).
- Find out when he's visiting the district. Go in person, take a digital camera along and blog about it when you get home.
- Cross-link and blogroll related blogs in the state/district. Network with other bloggers. It's a lot more fun that way.
Did I mention, just go ahead and start! Don't assume someone else is already doing this or will do it.
Need any more ideas? Visit other local/regional blogs and see how they cover their turf. I've joined up with Carnacki at WV Kossacks to cover the West Virginia Panhandle. We're already got on sights on WV-02 for 2008. There's literally thousands of great blogs out there to check out.
Luck favors the prepared. Strong local blogging is one way races attract national attention. You may not know who "your" candidate is yet but you can get definitely start defining the incumbents weaknesses.
Each journey begins with a single step. What are you waiting for? Don't just do something, sit there. Start blogging for fun and Democracy!
Many thanks to nonnie9999, gloriana and the rest of the friendly gang at Top Comments of the Day for encouraging me to turn a comment into this full diary.