NEW MEDIA Political Web sites for conservatives

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 01-29-06 | Carla Marinucci

[Amerigomag]

In the hour before Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger began his State of the State address the real scoop, in the form of a personal 45-minute briefing by three top administration staffers, went to a longtime Republican loyalist who holds no public office and doesn't live or work in Sacramento. The special treatment may have been understandable: Fleischman is publisher of the FlashReport , a proudly Republican, unabashedly conservative daily Internet publication devoured by thousands of the most connected political insiders, activists and junkies in the nation's most populous state.

The careful courting by top administration officials of a former deputy executive director of the state GOP is just an example of how the Internet has helped create an unexpected new breed of power brokers in Sacramento. In a matter of months, Fleischman's FlashReport has become the granddaddy of a troika of conservative Internet publishers with deep GOP roots who are fast upending the old Sacramento political dynamic.

While a dominant force in his arena, Fleischman is getting increased competition from other GOP publishers looking for partisan readers wanting content that is conservative, loud and proud. Among them are strategist Steve Frank, 60, of Simi Valley, who reaches 232,000 largely GOP readers daily with his Internet publication,California Political News and Views.

Frank said that today, "when you see legislators make presentations, or present amendments to bills based on articles you have in your newsletter or blog ... then you realize they are monitoring us every day.''. Lafayette attorney Tom Del Beccaro, 44, president of the California GOP county chairman's association and publisher of the Political Vanguard , agrees.

[Amerigomag]

For California Freepers either confused or even possibly offended that FreeRepublic, with its much higher daily readership, was not even mentioned in this article, please remember that FreeRepublic is recognized as an ideological, rather than partisan, website inside the political blogosphere.

[Herford Turley]

I'm offended and outraged. :-)

[cake_crumb]

Actually, FR is neither a blog nor a publication, but we COULD have got an honorable mention **SNIFF**

[xcamel]

FR - news and commentary

Complete with ZOT!'s for your viewing pleasure.

[freedumb2003]

please remember that FreeRepublic is recognized as an ideological, rather than partisan, website inside the political blogosphere.

Just post the word "Losertarian" or "dopertarian" and watch the fireworks! ;)

[baystaterebel]

I am offended also.

Aren't we supposed to go and march down the street, burn a Wendy's, and meet at Starbucks for a latte afterwords and tell our college professors about it so we get extra credit or something?

[backtothestreets]

I'm not offended one bit. I'd say Free Republic is not partisan and should remain nonpartisan. Free Republic is American, and that trumps partisan politics.

[Herford Turley]

No, we have to burn down the essence of evil: Walmart and then meet for a Latte afterwords for extra credit.

:-)

[Herford Turley]

Ideologue!

:-)

[freedumb2003]

LOL

[martin_fierro]

For California Freepers either confused or even possibly offended

I'm confused as to why I'm offended.

[Herford Turley]

I'm confused as to why I'm offended.

:-) Hehehe! Good one, martin.

[Herford Turley]

What? You are an ideologue.

:-) Hehehe!