A couple years ago Terry and I dreamed up this little Under The Power Lines gig, but it never really took off because we were too busy running campaigns to maintain lots of different websites. During a busy spell, one of our employees recommended that we hire his roommate Tim Cameron, who was fresh off the Philip Lowe State House campaign. Usually a State House campaign isn’t that big of a deal, but Tim helped a Republican win the State House seat with the highest BVAP in South Carolina. BVAP means Black Voting Age Population. If a district has a BVAP higher than about 35%, it’s pretty tough for a Republican to win in the General Election.
Anyway, we didn’t know Tim, but if he could help run a campaign and win in that kind of district, he was at a minimum, an incredibly hard worker. We took our chances on Tim and after a few months he helped us bring our little web company dream to life. He was our first full time employee and he’s been responsible for running many of our websites including Senator Jim DeMint’s. With Tim’s help, Senator DeMint has become known as one of the nation’s most “web-savvy†members of Congress.
My blood pressure is rising. Not because there is an election in like five days or because I’m completely backed up on web work right now because of the election, but because I want a dang iPhone. We bought one for Lauren around Christmas time because she’s cool and trendy and just seems like the kind of person who really needs an iPhone to live, but the truth is…I’m that person that needs the cool trendy tech stuff to live.
Anyway, I got really close to buying an iPhone about two months ago. I went to the bank and took out the $700 I needed (because my debit card has a really crappy $500 limit) and I actually went to the AT&T store. And then I got there and realized the iPhone was only $400 and I was about to waste $300 on getting out of my SunCom contract. I sat in the store playing with iPhones for about 15 minutes and then consulted with Elizabeth. She tried to convince me that I “deserve†an iPhone, but I just turned away and walked out the door. So now I’m stuck with my three-year-old blackberry. Scratchy (that’s its name) has been very good to me and I hate to depart withit, but now is the time.
It’s been about a month since we last blogged. That’s because we are completely swamped and only 6 days from a big election. It’s go time around here. We are also in the middle of launching new websites for Senator Jim DeMint and one other special guest.
We will be back to normal blogging soon enough. In the meantime, you can always keep up with us through our nifty little Twitter feed…if Twitter is up today and not completely shut down like it’s been for the past two weeks.
Twitter…great idea. Lousy operation.
- Wes
PS – One more thing. We have been receiving a ton of inquires about new web work. At this time we are not taking any new web clients until after the SC legislative run-offs on June 24th. If you can wait until then, we would be happy to hear from you. Just email me at wesley@politicalnetroots.com.
We are proud to have recently helped the South Carolina Senate Republican Caucus launch their new site www.thankyoujim.com.
Here is some info from the Caucus:
Outstanding leadership in government is sometimes hard to find. Fortunately, we have the strong leadership of Senate Majority Whip Jim Ritchie.
Jim Ritchie’s leadership in the legislature has lead to dramatic reductions in the tax burdens placed on working South Carolinians since his election to the Senate in 2000.
In 2006, Jim Ritchie helped lead the efforts to reform the burdensome property tax system. This saved taxpayers over $500,000,000, and helped elderly residents by reducing the cost to keep the government from seizing their homes. The State Newspaper said, “Every time the tax plan bogged down in the Senate-in the Judiciary Committee, in conference –Ritchie was in the middle trying to work out a compromise.†If it wasn’t for Sen. Ritchie your property tax bill this year would be much higher.
Sen. Jim Ritchie’s efforts to slash taxes didn’t stop there. In 2007, Sen. Ritchie cut income taxes and helped pass the Grocery Tax Elimination Act. These two tax cuts saved taxpayers in South Carolina over $220,000,000.
That’s why we are launching www.thankyoujim.com. We know Jim Ritchie is committed to reducing taxes, improving our economy, and stopping illegal immigration. Now, we want to take the time to show him some gratitude for all the hard work he has done to improve South Carolina.
Leaders like Senator Ritchie are hard to find, and we know he’ll continue to fight for the best interest of Spartanburg. Please visit www.thankyoujim.com, and let Jim Ritchie know that you appreciate his efforts by calling him at 706-6256.
U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint is using the Internet more than ever — perhaps more than any other Senator — to mobilize voters across the country behind some of his biggest issues, such as eliminating earmarks and strengthening the border.
He knows his ability to twist arms under the Capitol dome is often limited, but if he can craft a suitable message and spread it all over the Web, then eventually bloggers, talk radio hosts and the mainstream media will get the word out in a way DeMint never could before.
DeMint said he fully understood the Web’s power last year, when the odds were stacked against him after President Bush and Congressional leaders announced their immigration compromise.
Sen. Jim DeMint announced today the release of a new grassroots website for the “Complete the Fence Act†called www.completethefencenow.com. The website features a two minute video about the need for the border fence titled “700 Miles of Necessity†and has a list of border fence facts and links for visitors interested in blogging, writing a letter to the editor or telling friends and family about the bill.
“Immigration reform is a critical issue for our nation that cannot be ignored,†said Sen. DeMint. “This debate will only be won if the voices of concerned Americans are heard. I want this website to serve as a resource for people looking to get this important information out to others.â€
Sen. DeMint hopes the video will raise public awareness of the critical need for actually completing the fence along our border with Mexico and other members of the Senate will realize this issue is about more than immigration.
“I think it is important for people to realize the urgent need for completing a security fence along the Mexican border,†said Sen. DeMint said. “It’s not just an immigration issue. This bill also addresses our nation’s drug problem, human trafficking, and the very real threat of terrorism.â€
The “Complete the Fence Act†is part of 14 separate pieces of legislation intended to address the immigration problem. Sen. DeMint wants the Senate to take immediate action on this bill due to the serious national security issues stemming from our failure to complete the fence.
“We can’t sit around and wait for Congress to agree on every single detail of our immigration policy while our borders remain unsecured,†he said. “Americans clearly see the necessity for building the fence. It’s time we quit talking and start building.â€
Today, State House District 81 candidate Tom Young announced the
official launch of his new campaign website www.youngforhouse.com. The
website is highly interactive and will feature a blog highlighting Tom
Young’s “Plan for Palmetto Progressâ€.“Our state is facing many challenges, and I want to share my plan for
addressing these issues directly with the voters†said Young. “I think it’s
important for people to learn about where the candidates in this race stand
on key issues. If they want to know where I stand on these issues, they can
visit www.youngforhouse.com to find out.â€
The website features sections detailing his “Plan for Palmetto Progressâ€,
and his “Clean Campaign, Clean Government Pledgeâ€. These sections include
Young’s ideas for tackling problems like unemployment, access to health
insurance , illegal immigration, seniors issues, and education as well as
Young’s commitment to running a clean campaign during this election. “I’m
running for State House because our government needs change. This website
allows voters to see exactly how I plan to accomplish this,†said Young.
Young also hopes the website will lead to increased interaction with voters
and that people visiting the website will use it to share their thoughts and
ideas about legislation with him. “Serving in the State House is about
listening to people’s concerns, and then taking those concerns to Columbia,â€
said Young. “I hope people will share their own thoughts and ideas by using
the website to contact me.â€
Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell announced the launch of his new website www.glennmcconnell.com. Sen. McConnell’s website will feature the latest news from the legislature and regular entries in his blog about the issues facing South Carolina. “As technology continues to improve the way people communicate, I think it is important for public officials to embrace these new developments,” said Sen. McConnell. “I’ve always strived to keep my constituents more informed about our efforts in the legislature. I think this website will allow me to accomplish this goal.”
