Bob Gibson wonders if another Sorensen bloggers conference is in the cards.

I wonder how different it would be than this.

Conservatives gained seats on the State Central Committee at the 2nd, 8th, 10th & 11th Republican Congressional District Conventions. Delegates who felt that their hard work had been being taken for granted and their views on the issues ignored by Richmond electeds and party insiders on Grace Street indicated that it was time for a “change.”

There was a palpable excitement among the newly elected SCC members and their conservative colleagues. They indicated an interest in preserving the party plan amendments passed nearly four years ago and promoting a greater degree of openness and communication between the party leadership and members of local Republican unit committees.

Could this be an early indicator of results at the Republican state convention in two weeks?

I had the distinct privilege of spending a good portion of the day today down in Max Meadows at the 9th District Convention at Fort Chiswell High School.  Here are just a few of my observations from the day’s festivities:

By now many of you have seen the “2013″ ad put out last week by the McCain campaign setting forth a broad set of goals for his administration.  Many commentators have scrutinized this ad for the potential policy implications or assessed the attainability of these goals. However, the ad stood out to me not for what was stated in it, but rather for what may have been implied by it.

You’ve heard the podcasts from John Hager and Jeff Frederick, now see them debate live in Springfield.

Former Gov. Douglas Wilder, America’s first African-American governor, has decided not to seek re-election as mayor of Richmond.

Since Wilder’s term as governor, candidates seeking elected office, have always sought his endorsement.

The Virginian-Pilot writes today that Sen. Webb is still a possible candidate for vice president — something we’ve been saying since Sept. 2006.

Also, Sen. Webb will be appearing on the following shows:

I’ve been reading about Sen. Jim Webb’s GI Bill for the last few weeks and honestly was leaning to supporting it. Ronald Reagan extended the GI Bill in ‘87 That’s what I get for relying on the liberal media, who only after the vote in the House decided to print this little tidbit:

Webb pays “the estimated 10-year, $51 billion cost for Webb’s GI Bill with a surtax to be imposed on those earning more than $500,000 annually.”

Which brings up this interesting point:

Patrick Ruffini offers a primer to candidates (and John McCain specifically) on the proper use of email for communications and fundraising. Snip:

This is not direct mail. We are not some people data-mined off a consumer list who’ve never heard from you before. We opted-in. We are the top 1% — the savviest, most interested, most influential supporters. We get the joke. On the flip side, consider how much Hillary and Obama get simply by seeming real in their e-mails, even if they don’t get to cram in as many policy points.

Some years ago, the simplest lesson on email I ever got was from an old GOP warhorse (and top marketer) here in Richmond: “Email is a conversation. Keep it personal, informal and brief.” Every campaign copywriter should have that saying engraved on their keyboards.

Two Democratic talking points are about to collide. California’s Supreme Court ruled homosexuals can marry, while Democrats are campaigning to “repeal the Bush tax cuts.”

Dear friends, one of those Bush tax cuts was the elimination of the marriage penalty.

Either the Dems will suddenly embrace Bush’s tax cut, or Republicans might have an outreach opportunity.

Former Gov. Jim Gilmore is calling delegates to the RPV Convention this evening at 7 p.m. for a tele Townhall. The Townhall will give delegates an opportunity to ask the governor questions in advance of the convention, which will be held in just over two weeks. Gilmore is a candidate for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate against Del. Bob Marshall and Mr. Bob Berry.

Is this good outreach by a confident candidate or a signal that he is concerned about his level of support?

Update: Approx. 400 delegates listened to Gilmore appeal for their votes and contributions in tonight’s conference call that claimed to be a Virginia first. In the call, Gilmore took several questions that related to national sovereignty, illegal immigration, economic independence, social security and the establishment of a “culture of savings”, national defense, the Supreme Court, and others.

What was the most obvious, yet still the most important points, for Gilmore to make, he made:

• Virginia must deliver its electoral votes for John McCain and
• Mark Warner must be defeated because he will caucus and vote with the Democrats, despite his “radical centrist” claim

Gilmore, of course, stated unequivocally that he was the best Republican to be on the ticket to ensure those two points come to fruition.

A few good policy points came out of the Q&A –

1) Formula standards across the U.S. for gasoline. For example, in Virginia, at the gas pump it’s 87, 89 and 93 octane, but other states mandate different octane levels. Will a federal standard create cost savings?
2) Improve refining capacity in the U.S.
3) Enforce existing illegal immigration laws, even if it means deportation, etc.
4) Gilmore will not vote for any legislation that is not consistent with life and will not vote for judges who are not pro-life.
5) “Culture of Savings” — Gilmore feels that developing a system that fosters savings and greater economic independence will eventually reduce the need or dependency on social security and government.

Finally, what was made abundantly clear during the call is that Gov. Gilmore, as the GOP U.S. Senate candidate, will paint a very clear contrast to former Gov. Warner. Warner will be held accountable by Gilmore.

On the left coast, the will of the people (and their elected representatives) is really irrelevant - unless, of course it is consistent with the will of the almighty judiciary.

California’s Supreme Court has today decreed that same sex couples must be granted marriage licenses by the state. See: LA Times Story

Senate Democrat Dick Saslaw was looking for his crown today while arguing with fellow Democrats about who wants more tax increases.

Saslaw shot back at the House Democrats: “I don’t run the state on polls” (Washington Post via the Shad Plank).

Excuse me, King Saslaw. You don’t RUN the state …… AT ALL!

Dispelling the gossip in some circles, Cuccinelli endorsed his Congressman for re-election at — if my inbox time stamp is correct — at something like 4am this morning.

From the Cuccinelli Compass

Sen. John McCain, Republican presidential candidate, laid out in a new ad today his bold vision for the country; he did so by uniquely looking at the country in 2013:

The real question is, can McCain deliver on these promises? Or, perhaps more importantly, do Democrats have an equally ambitious agenda?