Memo to the Left: It isn’t just ya’ll, it’s like that here too

One of my fatal flaws is that I am just too dad-blasted honest for my own good. This is why I could never be a partisan blogger. I am not going to sit here and lie and say that I am swimming in the hits. Because I am not, and if you click on my counter, you will see that to be true.

One of the reasons why my blog is not the popular with the “right” is because, quite frankly, I was once on the left. I was a skeptical “left of center” really. More a populist than anything else. I still consider myself to be a populist, of sorts. I am just no longer a “progressive populist,” but more of a Conservative populist or a grassroots independent conservative or something along those lines. What I can say is this; my loyalty is not to the  Republican Party, or to Mitt Romney. I support him and all. However, he is not sending me any money at all. My loyalty is to this Country and to Jesus Christ. It is just that simple.

Another one of the reasons why I am not that I am not that popular among the right wing blogosphere, is that I have, in the past, dared to challenge some of the darlings on the right wing blogosphere. I also did, unfortunately; accidently insult a conservative blogger’s dead wife. I had no idea what the man’s last name was, and a blog war erupted and stuff got said. I wish now, that I had just ignored the stupidity. But, I didn’t and things happened.

Anyhow, I happen to read on the Daily Beast, about how the left wing bloggers are not happy about their influence and because their numbers are down. Now, if I were a partisan hack, like this guy here; I would say it was because your politics suck or something. But, I know better than that.

Guys, I have to be honest, I am not making a dime from this blog at all. Oh, I get the occasional donation. But, I just started back with pay-per-click ads here and so far; I have not gotten a check at all. I have added some new “pay per action ads” But mostly, they are not paying either…yet.  I have in my personal checking account at the moment all of $34.78. Sad isn’t it? No, I am not the “rich” Republican business owner that the Democratic Party keeps on carping about. I just am an American that happens to believe that the Government is just not the “all to end all” solution to the Country’s problems. Needless to say, Murdoch, Koch or any of the rest of the Democratic Party boogeymen are not funding this writer! Some people might think that I have too much advertising; to them, I ask, “What do you have against capitalism?” ConfusedThinkingI dont know

There are some reasons why I believe blogs and bloggers are not what they once were:

  1. Facebook – Like it or not; Facebook is stealing eyeballs away from long-form blogs like this one.
  2. Twitter – Same deal, but in 140 characters
  3. So many blogs — For better or for worse, the blogosphere has grown, in a big way — since back in 2006 and earlier. It can hard to build a following.

I have some advice for those just starting out, and for those who could use the advice, who have been around a while:

  1. Keep it original! – News aggregation sites are a dime a freakin’ dozen. If you want to link to a story, related to your posting; fine, link to it. But, linking and over quoting, without an original opinion of some sort is a huge turn off to many people. Reading a story in different place, does not change the story. Please Note: I have a problem adhering to this rule myself. So, don’t think that I am not guilty.
  2. If you must quote, don’t overdo it! – Just quote enough to get to the meat of the story. Cutting and pasting an entire story and linking to it, with no original thought is lame and turns people off.
  3. Avoid deceptive headlines! – Don’t lie in a headline, just title the blog posting what the story is truly about. People will respect you more, trust me.
  4. Avoid swearing – I know it can be hard; I tend to swear sometimes myself. But, if you swear a bit in blog postings, people will tend not to take you as serious as they would, if you did not swear.
  5. Grammar is important! You can be the best darned blogger on the planet. But, if your postings look like they have been written by a 6 year old; you will not get taken seriously at all. Try to use, “However” and “Therefore,” instead of “But.” It will help, trust me.
  6. Avoid the “Echo Chamber!” — This goes on, on both sides. The left was horrible about it, during the Bush era and now, the right is horrible about it, during the Obama era. Group thought! Everyone saying the same thing. Believe it or not; some people do really like honesty and original thought. Do not be afraid to go against the grain, if you do not agree with something! It is okay to have finite position on something. It is also okay to say, “Hey, I am a Conservative or a liberal; and I happen to think this is wrong, stupid” or whatever. Being a fish, that swims downstream, during upstream season, can be rewarding.
  7. Let the people comment! — Comment sections are what make blogs a community. I see websites, and commercial blogs restricting comments, closing comment sections moderating or even censoring comments. This is insanity. Let the people speak. You set the limits, about what is allowed and what is not and open your blog up for comments. If you are using SEO, comments will bring more hits to your site. If you use blogging software, like WordPress, you can set a list of words, that are not allowed, and if said commenter uses that word, it will end up in the spam folder. If you need a list, contact me, and I will send you mine!
  8. Link around! – Don’t be afraid to link to other bloggers, even if they do not agree with your politics. There is nothing more fun than linking to a blogger, who think he’s an island. Believe me; they might not say it, but they’ll respect you for sending them the traffic.
  9. Don’t be afraid to mix it up a little! — I am not advocating blog wars! I am advocating representing your cause. Sometimes a good public discussion is a good thing, when it is between bloggers. As long as it does not devolve into name calling and fights; a good discussion is a good thing.
  10. Promote thyself! — Facebook and Twitter can be invaluable for blog promotion. Facebook has the feature that allows you to create a page for your blog. There are also free services like twitterfeed, that allow you to automatically post your blog entries to facebook and twitter. Also, word of mouth works well too. Also, do not be afraid to show up in comments sections of your favorite blogs and drop a URL. As long as it is not excessive, the blog owners usually will not mind.
  11. Capitalism is not a bad thing and it will not hurt your blog! —-Whether you are a tree hugging liberal or a gun-toting Conservative. Capitalism, in the form of ads, of some sort, preferably in proper context and with the theme of your blog – can help with revenue. There are are TON of ad companies. Adsense, Adbrite, Blogads, infolinks, Commission Junction, ShareaSale and many more. Sign up for them, put the banners on your blog, don’t be afraid to try new stuff!
  12. Don’t be afraid to try something new! — Remember, it is your blog, and the only person that you really need to make happy, is you. Your readers are your guests and while you want to make them feel at home. The person you should strive to please, is yourself.

So, there, hopefully these ideas will be of help to someone. Much of this, comes from my years of blogging. I have blogged since 2006. I have learned a bit over the years. If you have any questions. Contact me! I will be glad to help out, if I can.

To blogging!

-Patrick

Others: Welcome Back to Pottersville, Booman Tribune, Mock, Paper, Scissors,Firedoglake and Suburban Guerrilla, driftglass

Video New Romney Video: “Momentum”

I think this video more than speaks for itself. We can do better and the Romney, we will.

Via Mitt Romney’s YouTube Account: (H/T to Tony on Facebook)

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As someone who has lived through two terrible Presidents, one Republican and one Democrat; I have to say, we can do better. Mitt Romney will be the President that will be the one to do better. I really believe that. Big Grin

The Obligatory Libya E-mails Blog Posting

I am not saying this is not big news; it is, trust me. I just could not think of a good headline. Hee hee

Because this blog does not run along partisan lines, I will say this to Reuters; Kudos to you guys for having the brass balls to run this story and for keeping this Administration in check. You guys did it with the Bush Administration and now you are doing it with Obama and his White House. That is, for what it is worth, the job of a free press, and that is to keep our elected officials honest.

Anyhow, the story via Reuters:

(Reuters) – Officials at the White House and State Department were advised two hours after attackers assaulted the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11 that an Islamic militant group had claimed credit for the attack, official emails show.

The emails, obtained by Reuters from government sources not connected with U.S. spy agencies or the State Department and who requested anonymity, specifically mention that the Libyan group called Ansar al-Sharia had asserted responsibility for the attacks.

The brief emails also show how U.S. diplomats described the attack, even as it was still under way, to Washington.

U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the Benghazi assault, which President Barack Obama and other U.S. officials ultimately acknowledged was a "terrorist" attack carried out by militants with suspected links to al Qaeda affiliates or sympathizers.

I will simply say this about this story; the left wing media for all of its bias against Conservatives, has one redeeming quality —- it does not like being lied to by politicians and those in power. Bush tried this, and lost, and now it seems that Obama is doing the same very thing. Kudos to them for exposing the story.

I believe that this story is going to be in the public eye long after the election cycle.

Related:

Jake Tapper / ABCNEWS: White House Responds to Release of Real-Time Emails About Benghazi Attack

Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit:OBAMA FIDDLED AS BENGHAZI BURNED – President Refused to Call in Troops From Italy One Hour Away

Chad Pergram / Fox News:State Department emails from day of Libya attack show Al Qaeda-tied group on radar

Justin Sink / The Hill:Rogers: Emails make it ‘difficult’ to conclude Benghazi attack ‘spontaneous’

Sharyl Attkisson / CBS News:Emails detail unfolding Benghazi attack on Sept. 11

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Dueling Shoe Drops?

Some music for the post theme here:

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I hate to say it, but both of these sound kind silly to me. Click here and here to go see what the fuss is about. I do not believe either of the stories really.

Sounds to be like two under-important attention whores are trying to cash in. Rolling EyesLoser 17 more days of this, ya’ll 17 more days…..

Others, on both subjects: National Review, Doug Ross, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, Wonkette, Mediaite, Gawker, The PJ Tatler, Alan Colmes’ Liberaland, The Lonely Conservative, Mock, Paper, Scissors, PoliPundit.com, Althouse,American Glob, Joe. My. God., Angry Black Lady Chronicles and New York Magazine, The Gateway Pundit, LifeNews.com, Sense of Events, theGrio, The Hinterland Gazette and Riehl World News

Oh My Word: Chris Matthews says that Mitt Romney’s support is due to “Racial Hatred”

I am going to tell you all something. I do believe I have seen it all now. I have been blogging since 2006. I have been around this political stuff for 6 long years, and this is the first time, that I have ever seen a progressive talking-head accuse the American people of being racists for not supporting a President. This, as they say, is absolutely unreal.

The Video: (H/T to HotAir.com)

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Quote via The Hill:

Liberal pundit Chris Matthews explained Mitt Romney’s support among conservatives, despite the candidate shifting toward the center on a number of issues, as a product of “racial hatred.”

Speaking after Thursday night’s debate on MSNBC, Matthews accused Romney of “pulling back” from many of the foreign policy positions he had taken during the primary. When host Rachel Maddow wondered why Romney might be “reversing himself” from his stated positions during the primary and whether that could dampen his support among his conservative base, Matthews dismissed such a possibility.

“I think they hate Obama. They want him out of the White House more than they want to destroy al Qaeda. Their No. 1 enemy in the world right now, on the right, is their hatred, hatred for Obama. And we can go into that about the white working class in the South and looking at these numbers we’re getting the last couple days about racial hatred in many cases … this isn’t about being a better president, they want to get rid of this president,” he said.

Matthews also dismissed Romney’s position on potentially taking military action against Iran if the nation acquires nuclear weapon capabilities.

“Any jackass can talk about bombing Iran, but they never talk about the consequences,” he said.

First of all, I do believe that Mitt Romney said that he would only use the Military as a last resort. Which is a very large departure from the Bush Administration’s insistence that we just had to go into Iraq to stop the WMD’s. As for calling Mitt Romney a “jackass,” any jackass can support a Presidential candidate because of his skin color too, as it seems that Chris Matthews did. Furthermore, any jackass can run for President as a community organizer; but if you are black, you have better chance of winning! So there! Phbbbttt  Mr. Matthews, you make a mockery of the Progressives and the Democratic Party! You should be kicked off the air for good.

I like what Ed Morrissey wrote about this:

I’m certain that this is what makes Matthews feel more comfortable about an election that clearly is being lost by Barack Obama.  It’s not about median household income dropping faster during the Obamanomics recover (4.8%) than during the recession (2.5%).  It’s not about having the lowest civilian population participation rate in the last 31 years (63.5%, down from 65.7% at the beginning of the recovery).  It’s not about 1.3% GDP growth.  It’s not about skyrocketing deficits and budget proposals so ridiculous that no one in Obama’s own party would vote for them.  No, Matthews can’t bring himself to it’s about America rejecting the President who delivered this economic performance not because of his failures, but because of the color of his skin — even though the same electorate made him President despite a lack of experience over a long-known and long-serving politician four years ago.

That says nothing about America.  It says everything about Chris Matthews.

Agreed. My friends, as I have written on this blog, and on my old one many times. I am a former Democratic Party voter, I left that part for this very reason right here. Because I knew that this sort of stupidity would be coming down the pike, once President Obama was elected. It is a sad state of affairs for the Democratic Party, their leader has failed horribly and now, they are trying to hold on to the “dream,” if you want to call it that and they will be dragged into the dustbin of history, kicking and screaming all the way.

Again, it is sad to see; but I knew it was coming, long ago.

Related:

Max Boot makes a very good point

I must be slipping. Silly

I am actually sitting here and agreeing with something that Max Boot wrote in Commentary Magazine. Surprise

Quote:

Today the U.S. Navy must prepare for two major wars–one against Iran in the Persian Gulf, the other against China in the Western Pacific–while also combating piracy off the coast of Africa, dealing with unexpected wars such as the one in Libya last year, supporting ground operations in Afghanistan and other theaters, combating drug runners in the Caribbean, and showing the flag in the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, and other seas. The operational tempo dictated by these requirements is terrific, as I have seen for myself in the last few years in visits to the 5th Fleet in the Persian Gulf and the 7th Fleet in Japan.

The ships we have are, when not retrofitting in port, almost constantly at sea and they are struggling to keep up with threats ranging from Chinese “aircraft-killer” ballistic missiles and submarines to Iranian mines and cruise missiles–not to mention the ever-present threat of cyberattack and terrorism (of the kind which crippled the USS Cole). Yes, the capabilities of each naval ship are greater today–but so are its range of potential missions and so are the capabilities of our potential foes. China is expanding its maritime capabilities at a rapid clip; the U.S. Navy is struggling to keep up and the balance of power in the Western Pacific is shifting against us.

That is in large part why the bipartisan Hadley-Perry Commission concluded in 2010 that the Navy should have 346 ships. Yet today it has only 282 ships–and falling. As former Navy Secretary (and Romney adviser) John Lehman noted in April: “The latest budget the administration has advanced proposes buying just 41 ships over five years. It is anything but certain that the administration’s budgets will sustain even that rate of only eight ships per year, but even if they do, the United States is headed for a Navy of 240-250 ships at best.”

That is a looming strategic disaster–and one that no amount of quips about horses and bayonets can wish away. If we don’t build more ships, our global maritime dominance–the basic underpinning of the world’s strategic and economic stability–is in real danger of slipping away.

The only thing that I have a quibble with, is that he actually forgot Russia. If Max thinks that Russia is not a threat to our National Security; he is nuts. As long as Putin has his hands in the Government in Russia, the United States should be very worried. Putin is a holdover from the communist era in Russia and he would just love to take Russia back to the old Communist era. So, they are a threat, as a matter of face they were just testing missiles yesterday.

Reagan always said, when it came to Russia; “Trust, But Verify” and Reagan always did try and independently verify anything that the Russians were saying or doing. All of the Presidents since then have not been so careful, as far as I know. As much as I know that it is going to make me sound like a conspiracy theory kook; I really do not believe that Russia is to be trusted at all. Communism never quite dies, it just takes on new shapes and names. Sort of like what we have here in America, as it is called —- imperfect Marxism.

However, over in Russia, I believe it to be a bit more sinister and complex; those who would want to bring back old soviet-style communism, have plenty of funding, as many in the Russian Business and underworld, would stand to make a good deal of money, if the old Communist Party came back to power. So, that is a threat and I believe our Military should always be on the ready, for when the Russians decided to show muscle.

I hate to be the one to say it; but, anyone who thinks that there are not threats to the security of this Country and others in the region, is at the very least highly uninformed. This is why I always had a quibble with Ron Paul’s foreign policy. As Paul’s foreign policy was just simply not rooted in the realities of the time. Ron Paul seems to be stuck in a utopian era, before World War 2. Truth is, times have changed, and we must be responsible as a Nation to protect this great Republic of ours, from those who wish to cause it harm. This is not a “Neo-Con” foreign policy, that is a reality based, Pro-American foreign policy.

Sadly, Ron Paul refuses to accept that argument and that is why I always had trouble taking him seriously, except maybe on matters of fiscal policy. Even then, some of his ideas are just not rooted in reality. Nice ideas, but a bit out of step for the realities of today.

It Begins: Wisconsin Senator’s Son Beaten Up by Obama supporters stealing signs

I don’t give two flips what your politics is; this right here, is not cool at all.


The Victim – Sean Kidzie

Early Friday morning, thugs presumably supporting President Obama beat up the son of Wisconsin State Senator Neal Kedzie outside of his apartment in Whitewater. Kedzie caught the two men removing a Romney sign outside of his apartment around two o’clock in the morning. After telling them to put the signs back, one of the thugs attacked Kedzie and then put him in a choke hold and continued to beat his head.Mark Belling spoke to the Senator’s son Sean on the radio earlier today. Sean Kedzie told Belling he was rushed to the hospital by ambulance with possible skull and eye socket fractures.

**Update: I spoke to Sean Kedzie this evening; he told me is doing well under the circumstances. He said, unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much of an effort to notify people that this incident has occurred, and the two men that beat him up have still not been caught.

Kedzie also said, “the next night another sign was removed from his yard supporting Tommy Thompson for Senate and the night after that an ‘I stand with Walker’ sign was stolen.”

Kedzie told me he is concerned if the thugs that beat him are not caught, other people may be hurt for simply having signs in their yard supporting particular candidates. When I asked if there is anything that people can do to help, he replied, “just stand up for their rights and what they believe in.”

via Wisconsin Senator’s Son Beaten to Pulp by Anti-Romney Thugs.

This stuff is not even funny at all. This is the stuff that used to happen to the unions back in the day, at the Battle of the overpass. It is too bad that Democrats have forgotten about all of that. I remember it, because my Dad is a retired GM worker and I know the history of the labor movement. Here is hoping that they catch these punks and put them away for a good long while.

Others:  The Gateway Pundit, The Lonely Conservative, Weasel Zippers, LifeNews.com and American Power