Following two election cycles in which Republicans saw Democrats best them in technological innovations, Republicans have realized they could no longer ignore the tools of the 21st century. Two days after the Obama election, "Rebuild the party.com" was launched with a clear goal: "We cant' keep fighting a 21st century war with 20th century weapons". Change is never easy, but it begins with a focus on what must be done at the local level: "recruit 5 million new Republican online activists, hold campaigns and local parties accountable, create a more open technology ecosystem and changing the way we run the party". "When we get to 2010, I want my campaigns here" Steele said as he held up his BlackBerry.
The Summit comes after the race for Republican National Committee chairman delved deeply into discussions about Twitter, Facebook and other social networking opportunities, which many felt the RNC did not take full advantage of during last year's elections. New chairman Michael Steele, in proposals made to RNC members before his election January 31, put an emphasis on technology as a way to win elections.
Eight years of the Bush presidency created and strengthened the netroots, the liberal blogosphere. The conservative blogosphere, the so-called rightroots, appears poised to benefit the same way from the Obama administration. David All, who founded the group TechRepublican.com, declared during the Summit: "What an exciting time to be a Republican. The Internet is me. It's you. It is all of us. It is a living, breathing place where real people spend a majority of their time everyday doing real things, making a difference".
The Republican Party didn't get what Howard Dean and Barack Obama was doing. But they can learn from years of trial and error and investment by Democrats.
