Oh yes, the netroots has the conservatives very scared...
IPSNEWS : Rod Martin, the founder and head of a new organisation called TheVanguard.org, linking Silicon Valley entrepreneurship with ideological zeal, appears to consider himself a conservative revolutionary for the twenty-first century.
[..] At present, there are several noteworthy things about TheVanguard.org: the origin of its name; its stated goal to both emulate and take on MoveOn.org; its mix of Silicon Valley pedigree and fundraising sources with veteran movement conservatives; its weaving of so-called traditional religious principles with secular conservatism; and its hiring of dedicated slash-and-burn right-wing ideologues.
There are some real big hitters (and real repugnant politicos) involved in this group. Read on below the fold.
[..]Martin, who has both entrepreneurial -- he worked for the Internet commerce site PayPal -- and movement experience -- he is a member of the Federalist Society and the secretive Council on National Policy among other far right groups -- has reeled in "a top-drawer cast, including Silicon Valley heavy-hitters like Eric Jackson (a former PayPal colleague of Martin's, where he was head of marketing) and Gil Amelio (former CEO of two Fortune 500 companies, including Apple Computer), among others," Human Events reported.
In addition, longtime movement conservatives such as Grover Norquist, founder and head of American for Tax Reform, Stephen Moore, founder of Club for Growth (and current Wall Street Journal editorial board member), "compassionate conservatism" guru Marvin Olasky, and Ronald Reagan Doctrine-architect Jack Wheeler are all members of Vanguard's board of advisors.
While Martin may be the force behind TheVangaurd.org, two recent hires could easily become the group's most controversial figures. In late-January, TheVanguard.org hired Jerome Corsi, co-author with John O'Neill of the 2004 book "Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry," which seriously damaged the Kerry campaign that November, to become a senior political strategist.
The other new employee is Richard Poe, a longtime journalist and former employee of conservative provocateur/entrepreneur David Horowitz, who is the group's editorial and creative director. Poe recently co-authored, with Horowitz, "The Shadow Party: How George Soros, Hillary Clinton, and Sixties Radicals Seized Control of the Democratic Party," a book that accuses liberals of using deception, lies, and Soros' dough to take over the country.
I can't wait to see the campaigns originating out this group. Guaranteed hackery.
