DeMint, Hensarling launch ‘energy freedom’ countdown Web site
(CNN) – As House Republicans continue to focus on energy policy, Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina and Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas launched a new Web site Tuesday that highlights October 1 as the day the congressional ban on offshore oil drilling will end unless Congress takes some action to continue the ban.
The site prominently features a YouTube video clip of DeMint and Hensarling discussing energy policy and encouraging the public to contact their representatives in Congress about lifting ban on offshore oil drilling and oil shale recovery. The site also contains a clock-like widget counting down the time until October 1. Visitors to the site can copy the HTML code for the widget so that they can embed the countdown clock on their own blogs or Web sites. Visitors can also sign an online petition on the site and read a blog about energy policy.
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, also recently launched a Facebook application that allows users to add a gas-pump-shaped October 1 countdown clock to their profiles on the popular social networking site.
These online developments come on the heels of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s announcement Monday on Larry King Live that she would be open to holding a vote on offshore drilling if it were part of a larger energy package. Pelosi’s change in position echoes a similar change in position by Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Since August 1, House Republicans have been staging a protest against Pelosi’s refusal to hold a vote on an energy bill before Congress’ five-week recess began.
We are excited to announce another website we have launched with Senator Jim DeMint, this time in conjunction with Congressman Jeb Hensarling. Check out www.energyfreedomday.com. And while you’re there, make sure you sign the petition and grab the widget for your site.
SC State Representative Nathan Ballentine gives us a quick update from the State House on education funding. Check out Representative Ballentine’s blog at www.nathansnews.com.
This is one of the coolest designs we’ve done so far. Representative Lowe is a workaholic and this site goes a long way in showcasing his dedication to his constituents. Check it out at www.loweforhouse.com.
Our boy Tim Cameron has graduated from South Carolina politics and moved on to bigger and better things. Check this from the Washington Post:
And there is a depressing side, too. Tim Cameron, 24, the Gingrich staffer who sent out the mass e-mail bringing everyone to the bar to mingle, is now saying, “We don’t care what the electoral map looks like.” He cut his teeth on local races in South Carolina and worked on online strategy for conservative Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), but being out of power forces a different tactic.
“I’m focused more on solutions than partisanship,” Cameron says. He began working for Gingrich’s nonpartisan group last month, pushing the former House leader’s “Drill Here. Drill Now. Pay Less” campaign to advocate for drilling off the coast of Florida and in other domestic oil fields. Cameron sent out a ton of e-mail promoting a “Drill Now” online petition and promoted a YouTube video of Gingrich discussing his plan. The petition now has more than 43,000 signatures. That got a few nods of approval at the Top of the Hill bar.
Just think…two years ago he didn’t even know what a blog was. Ok, that’s not true. I’m just mad at all the extra work I have to do now that Tim is gone. All the while he’s chillin’ in DC bars. Thanks Tim. Appreciate it.
In 2006 Elizabeth and I embarked on a huge endeavor. Neither of us had ever lived outside of South Carolina, so we decided that it was a great opportunity to do so when we were asked to move to Michigan and help run Mike Bouchard’s US Senate race. Despite losing, we learned new strategies and made friendships that will have an enduring impact on our lives.
About midway through our journey, I was getting pretty swamped with administrative and political duties as Deputy Campaign Manager, so we hired David All as Communications Director to help me out. It was David who helped me discover the practicality of using the Internet in campaigns.
After the campaign David opened up “the nation’s first conservative web 2.0 agency” The David All Group. He also started Slatecard, the Republican answer to Act Blue. Slatecard is an amazing fundraising tool that allows activists to raise money for their favorite conservatives. The only problems is that Slatecard is currently only available for federal candidates, but David promises me that he will make it available to state candidates as soon as he can.
You may notice over the next week that our site looks a little funny. That’s just because we are going through some minor changes. Please ignore the funny looking things. We will have them fixed soon.
