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I look to FreeRepublic as a possible conservative force in this country, ... If all you want this site to be is a chat room, ...

As is the case much of the time, I believe the truth is somewhere in between.

Free Republic is an excellent resource for information. It is a veritable library not of articles, there are much more complete resources like Lexisnexis, but of commentary. Find an article on a subject that interests you, then watch it get dissected. Decide for yourself what the truth is. Research a thousand articles with the same keywords. It is a clearinghouse for all things conservative. How many novices have learned what conservative means, or veterans have educated themselves on new subjects?

It can also be a place to be a part of a community. I don't know how many ping lists there are, everything from airplanes to Zimbabwe, but Freepers can gather to encourage and support each other on topics that they are passionate on. And yes, it is also a place where they can organize. How many people went to tea parties that they heard about here? How many political rallies, candidate fundraisers, speeches or just good old fashioned get togethers have been organized here?

Liberals have a much greater need to feel like part of a group. Conservatives are much more individuals. Liberals will join a group, often any group, just to belong. Conservatives have to be convinced to join. If you found a strong leader with excellent organizational skills they could possibly convince a significant portion (10%?) of Freepers to join in some sort of national effort. But you will need a leader, a goal, a plan and an excellent recruiting mechanism. I've seen many a vanity and many more posts opining that Freepers aren't organized but have all this untapped potential. No one has found the magic formula yet. Sarah Palin may have come the closest (Too bad about being tied to Yosemite Sam).

However, I don't think it is a place for national organization. Freepers have a few bedrock principles that unite them, but this is not a GOP message board. It is also not a Constitution Party, Falcon Party of Libertarian Party message board. It's not a California or Georgia message board. The reasons that Freepers are here are far too varied for them to be directed at a common goal. I appreciate your sentiment, but I feel this crowd is wired wrong for what you want.

First, I think you need to re-read the stated description of this site on the homepage.

Second, I never said anything about national organization. I would actually like to see that happen, but I am realistic enough to know that it would be like herding cats. However, we are quite capable of connecting people to local events, as we showed with the Tea Parties. Tea Parties were organized and run locally, but had a loose national connection and base of support. For example, it was far more effective for 200 cities to have Tea Parties on the same day, coordinated in places like FreeRepublic, than it would have been for people to do this isolated in their local communities.

Third, if I thought you were in the least bit correct about "...Freepers are here are far too varied for them to be directed at a common goal" I would quit FreeRepublic forever and write off the country as a whole. Your claim is a prime recipe for failure.