Digital Conferences, Blue and Red. (T)wo meetings, Netroots Nation for liberals and Right Online for

[pampango]

conservatives...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/19/us/19digital.html?_r=1

The two meetings, Netroots Nation for liberals and Right Online for conservatives, were both billed as workshops on using the Internet to promote political causes. Netroots Nations is older and larger — 2,400 participants, compared with 1,500 who attended Right Online, now in its fourth year — but judging by the fervor for one’s favorites and animosity toward the opposition, the passion of bloggers seemed to have swung toward conservatives.

Right Online was organized by the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, a group that receives financing from Charles and David Koch, the brothers whose fortune comes from the energy business. Between speakers, a video blamed President Obama for driving up gas prices and advocated for more domestic drilling.

But the liberal blogosphere seemed in a collective funk. Internet activists, who had done so much in 2008 to garner support and donations for Mr. Obama, now seemed like jilted lovers. One panel was titled, “What to do when the president is just not that into you.” Liberals were disappointed, many said, by the administration’s retreat on issues like immigration reform and the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy. It was not that liberals would not vote to re-elect the president. But without the enthusiasm of progressive activists, the 2012 campaign could be deprived of the foot soldiers it has traditionally needed.

Over at the Hilton, the executive director of Right Online, Erik Telford, boasted, “Our passion is stronger than ever,” and he offered a bit of sympathy for his ideological opposites. “A lot of people in new media refer to it as the out-party thesis,” he said, explaining that whatever side is out of political power has an easier time rallying activists. “It’s always much easier to be more motivated when you feel locked out of power,” he said. “That’s what makes people gravitate toward the Internet. There’s nobody standing between you and your ability to get your message out.”