Jersey Bloggers Convention

Rather than sit home yesterday and watch coverage of the remnants of hurricane Hanna, I trekked up the Jersey turnpike to attend a regional right wing blogger gathering.

RightOnline, the conservative version of Netroots (the Daily KOS), held a one-day seminar in the shadows of a cloud-covered Big Apple.

Sponsored by Americans for Prosperity and hosted by former Garden State republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Lonegan, the event attracted over 150 Jersey bloggers and a few from neighboring states.

John Fund, of the Wall Street Journal and author of Stealing Elections - How Voter Fraud Threatens Our Democracy, educated the attendees about the realities of the American electorate, Obama's experience, and what Democrats have planned for this years election.

Phil Kerpen (Philkerpen.com) is a contributing editor for National Review Online, director of policy for AFP, and chairman of the Internet Freedom Coalition. Kerpen covered energy, taxes, spending, global warming, and internet regulation; issues key in this election cycle.

Matt Lewis of Townhall.com explained how the blogosphere has influenced the direction of elections and has a way of changing the tone of a debate. Citing examples such as Monica Lewinski, Trent Lott, George Allen, Harriet Myers, and the rumored origin of Michele Obama's so-called "whitey" remarks, Lewis explained to the attendees how much impact bloggers have made already.

Also presenting were former pro wrestler Michael Illions of Conservatives with Attitude, Bill Beutler of New Media Strategies, and Virgil Huston.

Event organizer Erik Telford gave the audience tips on blogging and video production. Fellow Keystone-stater, Aaron Marks of Three Group, LLC, talked about the critical role of social media and how political organizations can and have benefited from these networking opportunities.

Trent Seibert, best known for exposing the truth about the energy efficiency of Al Gore's house (NRO's story), spoke about investigative reporting and where information on public officials (and their donors) can be found.

Ralph Banko wrapped up the event with insight into his new book, The Websters Dictionary - How to use the Web to Transform the World. The book aims to educate even rookie bloggers how to maximize the power of the web.

Many thanks to Steve Lonegan for being a gracious host, including a fantastic barbecue at his home after the event despite the rain.

The national meeting for RightOnline will be held October 10th and 11th in Washington, D.C.. Expect page13news to be in the crowd.