Richard Disney

Richard Disney is scheduled to appear on Nevada Newsmakers hosted by Sam Shad as part of the Pundit Panel this Wednesday, March 21st, 2007.

Tune in to see the discussion about the latest Nevada controversy!

My response to the message from Nevada State Senator Dennis Nolan in the previous post:

Senator Nolan,

When you apparently dismissed “cyberspace bloggers” from consideration, I think it appeared flippant and either naive or arrogant. Your statement was ill advised for one in elected office just as it would be to say that you don’t think any legislator is too worried about what media reporters are doing. That is the whole point in my discourse with you. I and other bloggers would appreciate an apology for the misunderstanding when you implied that cyberspace bloggers have no impact.

Never did I write that you directly said that bloggers are irrelevant or that they have no impact. What I have written and said is that you implied it with your statement,”I don’t think any legislator is too worried about what cyberspace bloggers are doing.” I didn’t take it as a personal affront or think that you meant it as such. I did take it as an affront to the whole blogging community of which I am a part. As much as I disagree with liberal bloggers and “the wackos” out there, I acknowledge as fact that they have real and growing impact on public opinion and especially political campaigns.

You concede that bloggers have an ever-increasing impact on grass roots campaigns which is true and we appreciate you saying that. Later in your message you ask, “Why should we, particularly the republicans, be “worried” about what you, “the conservative bloggers”, are doing? I will take that as a straightforward and not a flippant question. One reason is that if you, right now, type in “Senator Dennis Nolan” for a Google.com search, blog posts about your statement referencing cyberspace bloggers already outrank your campaign website. Most likely within the week, blogs with much higher readership than mine (not too difficult to do) referencing your cyberspace bloggers statement, will be the highest ranked search results and fill the first page of results for anyone who searches your name. That is not good news for any election campaign especially as more and more voters use the Internet to research candidates. There are other reasons as well.

That being said, I agree that elected officials and bloggers should get together to explore ways to cooperate instead of “cannibalizing” each other. You must understand that many conservatives (I would even venture to say, most) feel “sold down the river” when we work to get Republicans elected at the local, state and national level only to have those same Republicans assign their names to bills that directly or indirectly increase regulation, taxes, fees and government spending. The only reason we came upon your cyberspace bloggers statement was because we were tracking your participation in getting a tax raising initiative on the ballot. From our conservative point of view, many Republicans in office are “cannibalizing” the opportunity given to them by hardworking grass roots activists to perpetuate the legacy of Ronald Reagan. Many Republicans seem ready to increase spending and taxes without even considering the introduction of free market reforms that can be instituted to reduce government spending, especially for road building projects.

I am open to speaking or meeting with you; however, I am not able to schedule a trip to Carson City for the remainder of this week.

Sincerely,

Richard Disney

In the ongoing correspondence between Nevada State Senator Dennis Nolan, and myself (which even spurred some debate on Nevada Newsmakers) he is beginning to concede some of the points made earlier. Here is his latest response:

Mr. Disney,

I concede that bloggers do have an ever increasing impact on grass roots campaigns. I also acknowledge that with a coordinated efforts between the electeds, the party and republican bloggers we “could” have a much more effective impact in our republican gains. What I said to the press was, again… “”I don’t think any
legislator is too worried about what cyberspace bloggers are doing.” There was no personal affront to you or any other blogger. It simply, like it or not was a statement of fact. Why should we, particularly the republicans, be “worried” about what you, “the conservative bloggers”, are doing? Hopefully we are all working towards the same goal. Which would include working together and not cannibalizing one another. ( a habit we republicans have perfected in this state and which the democrats have turned into a spectator sport!).

I also did not at any time say or write: ” that cyberspace bloggers are irrelevant” OR It is naive at best to say that “bloggers (the good, the bad and the whacko’s) have no impact.” as you imply. What I said again,was; I don’t think any legislator is too worried about what cyberspace bloggers are doing.”

What I really think needs to happen we (electeds) need to get together with you (bloggers) in an organized way to understand better what you are doing and develop a strategy to work together better instead of wasting time “cannibalizing” each other. Fell free to call me if you would like to meet me here in Carson.

Dennis Nolan, Senator

dnolan@sen.state.nv.us
Carson City office: 775-684-1421
Las Vegas office: 702-838-3838

Thank you Sam Shad the host of Nevada Newsmakers for inviting me to be on the pundit panel and having a discussion about blogging and its impact.

Sam Shad is a leader in broadcasting technology. He is one of the first television broadcasters to podcast his show and make his show available for streaming or download on his website.