Right-Wing Bloggers Take On Republican Leadership

WASHINGTON — Citing corruption and cronyism, Erick Erickson of Macon, Ga., declared "war" against the Republican leadership on his RedState.com, one of the leading conservative blogs on the Internet.

"The House Republican Leadership just does not get it," Erickson announced last week as he launched his online campaign to stop the award of a plum seat on the House Appropriations Committee to Rep. Ken Calvert, a California Republican whose land deals have come under sharp scrutiny.

Erickson saw the appointment as a sign that Republicans have not cleaned up the scandal-prone image that led to their downfall in last year's elections.

So the conservative, whose Web site counts about 30,000 visitors a day, shifted from purveyor of online opinions to political activist.

"We must scalp one member," Erickson wrote, as he asked readers to begin telephoning the House Republican leaders, one day at a time, to pressure them to drop Calvert from the appropriations panel.

If the House leaders refuse, RedState.com will post documents detailing Calvert's questionable land deals and his 15-year-old arrest record for being with a convicted prostitute, Erickson said in a telephone interview Tuesday. He said he would go about "educating" the public about the members who supported the congressman.

In a statement posted on RedState.com, Calvert denied allegations, first published in the Los Angeles Times, that he had improperly obtained federal "earmarks" for highway interchanges to increase the value of land he owned.

"I have always held myself to the highest ethical standards," the congressman wrote.

Although he did not specifically mention the arrest, which surfaced several years ago, his press secretary, Rebecca Rudman posted a general response on the blog, saying "all these matters were completely aired out" in the Republican steering committee when Calvert was given the Appropriations seat. The vacancy was created when another Californian, Rep. John Doolittle, vacated it amid an FBI investigation of his wife's business ties with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

In its crusade against the Calvert appointment, RedState.com has gained allies, including some of the bloggers on other popular conservative Web sites, Instapundit.com and columnist Michelle Malkin's blog.

Robert Bluey, who monitors the role of the Internet at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said the call to action is fueled by frustration at the lack of "fresh leadership" after the House Republicans lost their majority.

Erickson said he has received calls from three members of Congress and about 50 Republican staff members urging him on in his efforts. But his campaign is finding little recognition from the GOP leadership.

Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, in remarks to the online news site Politico.com, said would be "unfair" to reject Calvert. "We do not want a blanket allegation to rise to the level of credibility where we are basing our decisions on it," he said.

Rep. John Linder of Georgia, a member of the steering committee that made the Calvert appointment, was the first congressional office targeted for calls last Monday by RedState.com. But Linder brushed off the online critics.

"I really don't pay much attention to blogs," he said. "You can say anything on those blogs without any attribution and get away with it."

Liberal blogs have been influential, the Georgia lawmaker acknowledged. But he dismissed their conservative counterparts, saying, "I don't pay any attention to them." Even some conservative bloggers object to the new blog activism.

"If you look at the top tier of right wing bloggers, they're almost unfailingly civil," wrote Dean Barnett for the opinion Web site Townhall.com.

He charged that Erickson was trying to turn right-wing Web sites into "the kingmakers that the left wing blogs are."

Erickson on Tuesday rejected that notion. "I'm not interested in being a kingmaker, but I am interested in making sure we clean up our own party," he said, adding that bloggers on the right are now willing to "not only write but take action when leadership goes astray."

How successful the bloggers will be in making the transition is uncertain.

Linder's spokesman said his office had received "slightly less than 10 calls" on the Calvert issue Monday.

On Tuesday, Erickson asked conservatives to telephone their objections to Rep. Kay Granger of Texas. Her office did not return a reporter's calls seeking comment.