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Rightroots gets lead billing in this Townhall column by Robert Bluey on what Republicans are doing to catch up with the Democrat online fundraising lead. Here are a few snippets:
"Republicans needed a serious and trustworthy counter to ActBlue," Ruffini told me. "We keep hearing from donors that they don't want their money going to candidates who aren't where they are on immigration or spending. Rightroots is the answer for Republicans and conservatives who want to support candidates in tune with their values."
In a case like Ogonowski's campaign, supporters didn't have to write a check to the National Republican Congressional Committee. Instead, they could log on to Rightroots and send him a donation. "Supporting your favorite candidate will be as easy as buying a book off Amazon.com or a song off iTunes," Ruffini said.
The column also talks about how Rightroots made a real difference within weeks of launching, raising $20,000 for Jim Ogonowski in MA-5 and helping him fight back against a 4-to-1 Democrat fundraising edge, ultimately producing the closest Congressional race Massachusetts has seen in over a decade.
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| Wednesday, August 29, 2007 |
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RedState's Mike Krempasky, who was organizing conservatives online way before it was cool, has some nice things to say about the new Rightroots.com:
Having a full election cycle under its belt, the good folks at ABCPAC have relaunched the all-new RightRoots.com. And make no mistake - this is the tool that we've been waiting for, hands down. They did what the Republican Party couldn't get done (not necessarily through its own fault, btw) and they got it done better than anyone else, period.
One of the biggest challenges (criticisms) facing ABCPAC last cycle was its lack of flexibility. Only slates were presented, and users, bloggers, other activists were precluded from choosing THEIR preferred candidates or causes.
No longer. The new site is simple, it's straightforward, it's well-designed, and it's open to anyone that wants to help a candidate with an (R). It's not hung up on (distracted by, in my mind) building community, being persuasive, garnering support - or anything else for that matter. It's a transactional vehicle and a hugely valuable piece of infrastructure for conservative activists online. As it should be.
Huge hats off to the fine folks at ABCPAC for getting this out in the wild.
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The next big version of Rightroots.com will give anyone the power to create their own slate of candidates, and to promote that slate anywhere online. As part of the beta site, we didn't want to create just one slate, and only give you the opportunity to support those candidates. We wanted to give you the opportunity to support anyone you wanted -- but how to sort through the hundreds of Republicans running for Congress and the White House?
For our beta stage, we've created a handful of slates highlighting close races and members of Congress who've stuck to their conservative guns. We've put together this quick guide to slates. And it won't stop there. To request a slate specially created for your blog or GOP/conservative group before the official launch, just drop us a line.
- White House '08. Support your favorite GOP Presidential candidate(s) from one page, taking advantage of credit card processing rates that are lower than on virtually any of the candidates' Web sites.
- Key House Challengers. We've picked out some of the most promising House challengers across the country, the ones who've shown they have what it takes to run winning races and win back the 16 seats to retake the majority from Nancy Pelosi & Co.
- Key Senate Races. Republicans are just two seats away from the majority in the Senate, but we have some tough terrain to defend from Democrats bent on complete control of Washington. Support key Republican Senators -- and help put the Senate back on the right track.
- 100% No Earmarks. Stand with House conservatives who vote against each and every single pork parrel earmark on the floor of the House. This is a small, hardy band right now, but if we show Congress that it pays to vote against wasteful spending every time, the rightroots can help change that.
- Securing Our Borders. Earlier this year, the deeply flawed Senate immigration bill went down in flames. Say "thank you" to some of the Senators and Senate candidates who led the fight.
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| Thursday, August 23, 2007 |
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What made Rightroots so successful in '06 was the team of bloggers who put together a slate of endorsed candidates, raising $300,000 off a single slate in just three months.
This time around, the bloggers are back, in a larger role, helping guide the overall development of the site over the next few months. Several of the original Rightroots '06 bloggers are serving on our Blog Advisory Board, along with some new voices. They're some of your favorite bloggers -- and the sharpest political minds in the blogosphere.
Meet our blog advisory board:
N.Z. Bear, The Truth Laid Bear
Lorie Byrd, Wizbang!
Soren Dayton, Eye on '08
Mary Katharine Ham, Townhall.com
Patrick Hynes, Ankle Biting Pundits
Matt Lewis, Townhall.com
Liz Mair, LizMair.com
Ed Morrissey, Captain's Quarters
Kavon Nikrad, Race42008
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| Wednesday, August 22, 2007 |
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Welcome to the new Rightroots.com beta. If you're one of the thousands of online activists who's been yearning for our party and our movement to do more to win online, you're in the right place.
In 2006, the Rightroots effort galvanized the conservative blogosphere, raising $300,000 for targeted House and Senate challengers in just three months. Despite the Democrat wave, Rightroots was successful in doing something it took the liberal netroots years to achieve -- helping carry two of our rising conservative stars to victory.
But as great as Rightroots was, we could sense you wanted a lot more: the ability to support to any Republican candidate anywhere in America, and the power to set up your own slate of candidates, driving support through blogs, social networks, and friends and neighbors. Today, for the first time, you have the power to support any Republican federal candidate anywhere through Rightroots.com. (We'll be expanding to state offices, everywhere we are legally able to give support.) The next big piece of the puzzle is giving you the power to build your own slate, and that's just around the corner.
We know this site isn't perfect -- or complete... yet. That's why we're pushing our first big build out there -- and giving you the chance to help us shape the rest. This blog will serve as a commons for suggestions, feature requests, and constructive criticisms. Have a killer idea for how we can make our next build even better? Leave it in the comments section or drop us a line.
Last year, Rightroots was launched by the Web's favorite conservative bloggers. And the name stuck. So we've changed the name of this Web site from ABCPac.com to Rightroots.com, with candidate contributions proudly powered by ABC PAC.
The rightroots isn't built from the top down. It's built by supporters just like you. Support some of your favorite candidates, leave a suggestion, and help unleash the next majority online.
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