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Pioneer Behind Grass-Roots Conservative Web Site Gets Ready to Do Battle Again (Free Republic)
AP via St. Louis Today ^ | Tuesday, November 18, 2008 | John Ellis

Posted on 11/19/2008 12:26:59 PM PST by kristinn

A Democrat is poised to take the reins of power in Washington, D.C., and Fresno resident Jim Robinson is feeling a sense of deja vu.

It was President Bill Clinton's 1992 election that sparked Robinson's political activism, driving him to create a Web site that made him a grass-roots leader among conservatives before Clinton's term was over.

This year, as Barack Obama prepares to sweep into office on another tide of Democratic votes, Robinson and denizens of that Web site, freerepublic.com, are preparing to do battle again.

"We'll double and redouble our efforts to fight for what is right," Robinson says. "We've got people just spitting nails."

Free Republic, founded by Robinson in September 1996, doesn't attract much attention from the national press and is not well-known among political experts. Many of its postings have a decidedly fringe feel.

But long before Red State, Daily Kos and Little Green Footballs arrived on the Internet political scene, Free Republic was building an audience -- and becoming a formidable political force among conservatives and libertarians that is admired even by some who disagree with its political philosophy.

In a study last month by the Internet ratings firm comScore, Free Republic ranked fifth among political blogs, just behind heavyweights The Huffington Post, Politico, Drudge Report and RealClearPolitics.

(Excerpt) Read more at stltoday.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Free Republic; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 111th; bho2008; faq; fightingback; fr; freerepublic; frinthenews; internet; jim; jimrobinson; johnrobinson; lookmaimadenizen; netroots; newmedia; obamanation; patriotism; preparefortrolls; robinson
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To: kristinn

Glad to see the article got more exposure!


221 posted on 11/20/2008 4:29:06 AM PST by MEG33 (God Bless Our Military)
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To: kristinn

.."we're gonna need a bigger server"

222 posted on 11/20/2008 4:49:30 AM PST by Doogle (USAF.68-73..8th TFW Ubon Thailand..never store a threat you should have eliminated))
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To: kristinn

Now that the election is over, RCP will drop to a distant fifth.


223 posted on 11/20/2008 5:09:16 AM PST by Blood of Tyrants (Obama is the Antichrist.)
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To: traviskicks

Nice! LOL!


224 posted on 11/20/2008 5:16:45 AM PST by TheDon
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To: SmithL; jimrob; kristinn; Admin Moderator
Many of its postings have a decidedly fringe feel.

Not since we stopped posting AP and other driveby media articles. ;~)

The comments & debates on Free Republic forums are borne from news articles and other verifyable sources all over the globe, and are by far and away more diverse and far reaching than all our competitors combined, we usually have already researched articles for accuracy before any of the talking heads have their make up on, and our knowledge pool has no peers.

We're also one the only if not the only forum that have moderators, not to mention Viking Kittys to keep things civil.

Yeah, I could see how the Globe would consider informed, civil discourse and an aversion to sleaze out on the "fringe"

225 posted on 11/20/2008 5:23:10 AM PST by 4woodenboats (Welcome to the new deal. Sorry, but there's been a CHANGE of plan. Now board the train and obey.)
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To: Douggles
It's not a balanced statement at all, it conflates or co-mingles the two sites. It's more applicable to Kos than here.

I am biased toward FR for sure, but I see bogus data expunged on a regular basis here, and reveled in over there.

Guess that's why we're “fringe”, making Kos “mainstream” by comparison.

226 posted on 11/20/2008 5:57:52 AM PST by DBrow
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To: Douggles
I don't mind a little cussing either, here or in offline life now and then.

There are too many forums/blogs, what have you, that I find the majority of posters are using the foul language "excessively" as you put it. I lose the point they are trying to make because of it and quit reading.

227 posted on 11/20/2008 6:10:45 AM PST by 3catsanadog (I plan to give the new President the same respect and dignity the other side gave Bush.)
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To: kristinn

5th....not bad at all.

I found FR when I did a solo counter-protest of the anti-war weenies before we went into Afghanistan (and don’t you ever let ‘em tell you that they’re all for us going into Afghanistan).

There I was by myself in Copley Square, Boston....with 3000 anti-every-war weenies...and Little Bill recruited me.

The rest is in-the-streets Freepin’ history.


228 posted on 11/20/2008 6:44:21 AM PST by ElectricStrawberry (1/27th Infantry Wolfhounds...cut in half during the Clinton years.)
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To: kristinn

Amen and Congrats, Jim!!!

Let’s hunt some ‘rat!!!!!!!


229 posted on 11/20/2008 7:34:36 AM PST by Chi-townChief
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To: kristinn; Jim Robinson

Yay! Thank you Jim Robinson for giving us all a cyberhome and meeting place. Your good work may become the source of this country’s salvation (c’mon FReepers, we’ve got work to do!). God Bless you.


230 posted on 11/20/2008 7:47:41 AM PST by VRWCer (Sarah Palin - the embodiment of the spirit and true grit upon which this great country was founded.)
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To: kristinn

I love how the article describes posts here as “fringe” but Democratic Underground as “left leaning”.

We should add a self-evident truth to that old document. ?Unless stated otherwise, the media will always spin things leftward.


231 posted on 11/20/2008 7:50:48 AM PST by Personal Responsibility (I love liberty. I hate equality.)
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To: Tijeras_Slim
Many of its postings have a decidedly fringe feel.

Huh. I had the same impression of AP stories.

232 posted on 11/20/2008 7:54:18 AM PST by martin_fierro (Look, ma! I'm a denizen!)
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To: kristinn

“Free Republic, founded by Robinson in September 1996, doesn’t attract much attention from the national press and is not well-known among political experts.”

Yeah, Dan Rather & CBS have no clue....


233 posted on 11/20/2008 8:00:48 AM PST by KeepingFaith (All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us - Tolkien)
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To: kristinn

FR and FReepers rock!


234 posted on 11/20/2008 8:10:48 AM PST by celtic gal
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To: Tijeras_Slim
LOL.

Fringe? As opposed to what? Academia that made excuses for Stalin for 30 years and that currently worships the world's worst dicators? The DNC oligarchy that compare our military to Nazis? Or a president-elect that exagerrated a tornado's death toll literally by 200,000% just to score a political point?

235 posted on 11/20/2008 8:12:37 AM PST by manapua
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To: kristinn; Jim Robinson
Damn the Vanities, Full Speed Ahead!

Pingers & Posters, we've got a lot of work ahead of us...

Thank you Jim & Kristinn, and to all of you.

FREE REPUBLIC - Rock On!

236 posted on 11/20/2008 8:47:50 AM PST by clyde260 (Public Enemy #1: Network News!)
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To: kristinn

Freerepublic just doesn’t blog about news ....

It makes news...

Maybe more Conservative minded people will take a gander...

Thanks Jim.


237 posted on 11/20/2008 8:58:13 AM PST by tomnbeverly (Obamanation, here comes the pogrom against Conservatives.)
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To: Old Sarge


The Fringe is ready

238 posted on 11/20/2008 9:51:38 AM PST by MEG33 (God Bless Our Military)
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To: Jim Robinson
Kudos!

No surrender. No retreat. Remember the Alamo!

239 posted on 11/20/2008 10:08:55 AM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: Alamo-Girl; kristinn

Hooray for Jim and FR and hooray for the longtimers around here!


240 posted on 11/20/2008 10:46:31 AM PST by Incorrigible (If I lead, follow me; If I pause, push me; If I retreat, kill me.)
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