Thanks to everyone who helped develop the talking points for the session at yesterday’s NCSL conference. I hope we changed some minds.

Perhaps the most interesting/challenging comment came from my co-presenter Steve Urquhart, a Republican rep from Utah who has been blogging since 2004. “As a legislator, you can either do [interactive internet communication] with your voters or they will do it to you.” (Visit his blog. He’s funny and always thought provoking. And, like other online lawmakers, he believes strongly in the power of this new technology to open up democracy.)

So thanks for your thoughts. It was a lively conversation and we only heard one “I’m too busy, I can’t even answer my email, it’s too hard anyway” comment.

So perhaps progress is being made.

Maybe it was the triple latte. Early one morning this week, I began thinking about what I could tell state legislators next week at the National Conference of State Legislatures annual meeting. I’m scheduled to be on a panel called “New Ways to Communicate with Your Constituents.” I’ll be talking about blogging and web dialogues, two great interactive communications strategies.

Thinking about the lively and robust policy conversations we have through our blogs, I found myself wishing I could take all the Virginia bloggers into the room with me. Then I thought, “Well, why couldn’t I?”

So here’s your chance. Between now and Tuesday, think about what you’d like to say to elected officials about the new, interactive technology. Why should Republicans (or Democrats, depending on your leanings) blog? Is live blogging worth it or is it too big a risk? What’s the best blogging success story you’ve seen? Any advice to elected officials on things they should never do?

Two of the real veterans of Virginia blogging, Kenton and Waldo, (think about it–two veterans whose combined age still doesn’t total 50!) caution me that bloggers are an independent lot, and that a lot of bloggers might not want to participate because they don’t like to be told what to write about. But hey, it’s August and frankly we’re all a little tired of writing about abuser fees.

So put your thoughts on paper. Er, electrons. Whatever. I’ll create a post that links to all of you–and share it with legislators across the country.

Democracy began in Virginia 400 years ago. E democracy is starting here now.

According to the AP Newswire, Henrico General District Court Judge Archer L. Yeatts III has ruled the civil abuser fees passed by the General Assembly last session unconstitutional.

I continue to hear daily from people who are furious about these fees. I am already working on legislation that will eliminate the abuser fees but not take money from the General Fund. Which, in view of the report that next year’s budget faces serious revenue shortfalls, is the only responsible action we can take.

I am pretty much the perfect IKEA customer. I have the basic Scandinavian design aesthetic. I change my mind a lot (and also have a little cheap streak) so I just can’t be convinced of the need to spend gazillions of dollars on furniture.

So I know my way around an Allen wrench. I have put together so many Billy bookcases that I could do it in my sleep.

But now IKEA is offering customers a chance to spend the night. In the store. For free.

Tusen takk, but no thanks.

(“Uff da” is just one of those untranslatable expressions. Think “Oy, vey” with a Nordic accent and you’ll be close.)

William Saxman’s WeeWa News is back. William believes that there is good news abroad in the land, and that people are hungry to hear about it. After a little contratemps with Blogger, he’s up and running again. (Technically, he’s not quite old enough to blog, apparently. The fact that he’s more mature than lots of bloggers seemed to be lost at first.) We’re glad to welcome him to the Virginia blogosphere.

this is about as great as it gets. Tomorrow night, I will have a chance to hear–and meet–the Temptations.

It’s all part of a celebration of a local history project. For many years, local historians have been documenting the history of the African American community in the Gum Springs, Groveton, and Spring Bank communities. Recently, students from West Potomac High School joined in.

Officially, I’ll be on stage to commemorate those activities. Now, I am very excited about the work to preserve the history of our community.

But I gotta tell you, I am just thrilled to have a chance to meet the singing group that takes up more than a little space on my iPod.

Today we are witnessing two remarkable new ways to use technology to open up the democratic process. For the past several days, viewers have been encouraged to use YouTube to submit questions to Presidential candidates. Tonight, CNN will air the responses of the Democratic candidates, starting at 7 p.m.

Meanwhile, out in Washington, the House Higher Education Committee and the House Committee on Health Care and Wellness are conducting Web Dialogues.

These “online town meetings” offer both opportunities and challenges to citizens and policy makers. The goal is to take a longer view on critical issues–access to higher education and obesity.

I conducted a Web Dialogue with students in my district last year. I found it to be a terrific way to engage people in thoughtful conversation about important issues. (In the interests of full disclosure, I’m also co-facilitating one of the Washington dialogues.)

I am particularly impressed with the quality of the discussion. People are really trying to listen (in an online way) to each other. “That’s an interesting point, but. . . ” or “I never thought of it quite that way.”

We worry a lot about participation in the political process. These two examples offer us exciting new ways to bring more people into the conversation about our future.

From Cong. Barney Frank’s speech to the Fairfax County J-J: “Putting this crowd [the anti-government Republicans] in charge of governing would be like putting me in charge of the Miss America Pageant. I could go through the motions, but my heart just wouldn’t be in it.”

Now I really have been outclassed. Chris Saxman’s 11-year-old son William has started a great new blog.

He’s already learned how to post videos on the blog.

Something that . . . well, some of us have not yet mastered.

Good work, William. Maybe you’ll do an inservice for Aging Bloggers some time.

Recently, the Nixon library released online versions of documents that shed new light onto Richard Nixon’s White House. Perhaps the most fascinating is this 11-page memo.

In it, Nixon regrets the “impression among average voters . . . that we are an efficient, crafty, cold machine” (Page 1). Of course, most “average voters” find it hard to warm up to anyone who refers to himself in the third person (Nixon consistently calls himself “RN” in this memo).

He seems particularly proud “on the warmth deal” (page 6) that “after the game at Ohio State, I called the Coach at Purdue – a team that has lost 8 games this year and where the Coach is probably on the way out, and told him how I thought he had done an awfully good job under terribly difficult circumstances. This I did not put out and did not try to broker.”

However, Nixon does vote against involving Donald Rumsfeld in the warmth initiative (page 7). He deemed Rummy “too practical” for such an endeavor.

Well worth a read.