THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

I had the pleasure recently of interviewing Katrina “Kat” Rice.

Miss Rice is the President of the Dallas Young Republicans.

I know some of you out there think I interviewed her just because she is a hot, young Republican brunette with spectacular (redacted). While all of that is true, she has a story to tell that every Republican should learn.

She wrote the book, “The Internet is Blue.”

I became fascinated with the title because I thought she was referring to risqué humor. While this is a g-rated book that has nothing to do with sex or salty sailor language, it is still worth reading.

“The Internet is Blue” focuses on the large technological gap that Democrats (blue staters) have over Republicans (red staters).

As with any interview, I do it in three stages. I start out with the fake interview that never happened. Then I present the doctored version of the fake interview in the great tradition of the Jayson Blair Times. Then I finally present the real interview.

Here is the fake interview.

Eric: Is it ok if I take a picture of me holding a tennis racket to your (redacted) and (redacted)?

Kat: You are a sexist male oinker who sets the dignity of women back decades.

Eric: Does this mean you will not be allowing me to do my impression of the United States Open with you as the naughty French player?

Kat: You are one question away from being punched in the face, and I pack a mean right hook.

Eric: Ok, so I should just focus on your book and ignore your underwear model looks?

Kat: Yes. That is all I want, and not a single thing more ever.

I will now doctor this interview in the way that the New York Times does on a daily basis to earn its reputation as the Jayson Blair Times.

Eric: Is it ok if I take a picture of me holding a tennis racket to your (redacted) and (redacted)?

Kat: Yes. That is all I want, and not a single thing more ever.

I have met Kat Rice in real life. She is a nice person and a smart one as well. She might still swing the right hook at me, so go check out her book to help possibly save my existence from physical harm.

http://americancivildiscourse.com/?page_id=10

With that, I present my interview with Kat Rice.

1) What is the Kat Rice story? What made you decide to write “The Internet is Blue?”

I grew up in an army house, my parents were Limbaugh Republicans, both officers and gave me a wonderful foundation. Then I went to a liberal arts college (which only cemented my conservative beliefs even though I kept my mouth shut for four years). I started my first company in online marketing there, at 18. My senior year a close friend challenged me to get involved in politics. When I graduated I finally started to attend political meetings and immediately became a true political activist. I also founded the online design and consultation company I have now, Veribatim.

“The Internet is Blue” is dedicated to my grandfather, Col. Arnold E. Rice and I wrote the book at his urging. The beginning of this year he was diagnosed with his second round of cancer at 93. I went up to visit him just as the Health Care bill passed. The day that happened I received multiple emails from conservative leaders and Republican groups whining about the bill and asking for money. The emails were form letters with no substance and terrible PR. I remember ranting to my grandfather about how useless these approaches were. I jokingly said I could write a book about everything Republicans do wrong on the internet. He said “Do it.” So much like my original foray into politics, I did it because someone I respected challenged me to. I wrote the book to be short and fast, more as a digest people could pick up and read in an hour then do something about. I wanted to finish it before the 2010 election, and quick enough so my grandfather could read it. He beat his cancer by the way and is still alive and well, a great testament to our veterans.

2) What 3 political issues are you most passionate about?

1. Political Activism in Gen Y. I don’t just mean conservative youth either. We need to all be in the business of educating and empower the younger generations. I don’t care how they vote, as long as they DO vote. Its our job as Republicans to educate and reach out to them after they’ve registered.
2. Government Transparency. We can’t fix anything if we don’t know what’s going on. Transparency stops corruption, clarifies the intentions of politicians, provides accurate tracking and follow-through and is one of the most important issues to the youth. Republicans should be all over transparency and “gov 2.0” because more transparency will only prove our policies right!
3. The Economy. Unemployment is such a huge issue. We have to fix the economy because it’s not the Baby Boomers who are hurting the most from the current recession, its Gen X & Y. The current economic situation could destroy the future of many twenty-somethings and the current administration seems bent on tackling ANY task but the job loss.

3) What does the GOP get right technologically, and what have we gotten wrong?

Wow. That’s such a big question. A lot of this is covered in the book but short and sweet.
Right:
• We’re good at connecting and following-through when we bother to. We just don’t do it enough.
• We educate better than the Left. Again, just not enough.
• Liberals tend to have “rabid” people pushing their message on the internet. Conservatives tend to be thoughtful, logical and layout compelling arguments. When we use this skill online, we win.
• We’re doing an awesome job taking over “mobile”. The NRSC app for the iphone is BRILLIANT and you should go download it right now if you have one. If we can keep up the pace in this arena it will make a difference.

Wrong:
• We don’t spend our money on technology the way we should
• We don’t realize what’s important on the web. Order of importance: Design, Message (I mean marketing message not a paragraph explaining boring details), Usability, then details and personality.
• Not putting Gen Y first.
• Being unaware of trends in technology. Yeah, we missed them. And then when we did figure it out (Facebook anyone?) we congratulated ourselves instead of refocusing on the next goal.
• The way we ask for money isn’t working. We just piss people off.
• Oh and we suck at SEO (that’s Search Engine Optimization, aka where we show up on a Google search).

4) You are affiliated with the Young Republicans. Are they as tech savvy as your Democratic counterparts? Is this tech gap only an issue with older people, or Republicans in general?

I would say overall yes, the Young Republicans tend to be more connected and social media savvy. This is a trait of Gen Y (and X) and less about political beliefs. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of non-tech people in the YRs but overall I think we match the Dems except perhaps in numbers.

5) 2004 was the first “blogosphere” presidential election.2008 was the first “social networking election” or “Facebook election.” What do you see on the horizon for 2012 from a technological standpoint?

Mobile for sure. Text, apps, mobile integration with social networking. We HAVE to own mobile in 2012 or we’ll keep losing elections.

6) If you had 5 minutes alone with George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, what would you say to them or ask them?

I’d ask them both the same question. “What did you do when you were my age?” I’d love to know what our leaders did to get where they are. Did it start in their twenties (the age so many Young Republicans feel shunned by their own party)? Did they fight the same uphill battles? What would they do as a 20-something in the current environment? I have a heart for bridging the gap between Gen Y and the Boomers so anything related to that would be where I’d steer the conversation.

7) Who are your 3 political heroes, American or worldwide?

Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams (who I mention in my book as having an amazing social media presence, worth emulating, and is just an amazing leader in Texas politics), Abraham Lincoln (perseverance, this guy had it), Charlie Wilson (no war is too big to fight)

8.) Without delving too deeply into your personal life, what would you want Americans to know about Kat Rice the person? 100 years from now, what would you want people to remember about you, and what would you hope the history books say about you?

“I would want people to know I was an unwilling participant! I got involved because no one else was standing up for the issues that bothered me most. (If you feel this way ever, please speak up and get involved because if you wait for someone else to it will never happen!) Career politician? Not my goal. I just want to make an impact on the things that matter most to me.

For the history books: I would hope that I could be a voice for my generation and whether or not people agreed with me, they could still say I fought passionately for my cause. We’re at a turning point in our country: technology, politics, society as a whole; and I would want to be someone who stood strong for my peers and our children to keep America the amazing country we all cherish during this time.”

I would like to thank Kat Rice for her graciousness and her time. She is also the head of the Dallas Young Republicans. She is a rising star, and her book is an important read for any Republican desperate not to fall behind Democrats technologically.

We as Republicans have made many mistakes in the past. Kat Rice is trying to help cement a conservative majority for the future. Her words must be heeded.

eric

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 15th, 2010 at 3:06 am and is filed under POLITICS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.