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Too
Conservative:
Vince
Harris
One
of the young guns of Virginia’s blogging
community, Vince Harris has one of the most widely
read sites in the Commonwealth, called “Too
Conservative – A Northern Virginia Republican
Viewpoint.” A recent high school graduate,
Vince will begin his collegiate studies at Baylor
University in Waco, Tex., this fall, where he will
major in political science and religion. Selected
to a university leadership program, he intends to
take his blogging on the road.
Q:
You started blogging while in high school. What
motivated you to take this step? What drives your
blogging?
VH:
First let me begin by thanking you for this
opportunity. You're a terrific blogger yourself. I
began blogging on my 17th Birthday, last May. I
was a regular reader of blogs, and thought many
GOP blogs in Virginia weren't covering every side
of the issues. I wanted to make sure that all
aspects of the GOP were covered. I am driven to
blog because I believe blogs change policy,
campaigns, and elections.
Q:
What has been the nature of your involvement with
Virginia's Republican party?
My
involvement in the Virginia Republican politics
began in 7th grade as a volunteer for Mayor Tom
Rust of Herndon. I spent four hours volunteering
for him in his primary, and he looked up my
address and sent me a hand written thank you. He
got me hooked. I moved to North Carolina my
sophomore year, and lived on the Outer Banks,
where I was an advisor to a town council race.
When I moved back, I interned for Congressman Tom
Davis' congressional race for five months, and had
an incredible time. I shadowed the campaign staff,
and Congressman Davis, often as the elephant.
I
then heard of this local guy, Sean Connaughton,
who was running for Lt. Governor. A friend set up
an interview, and I was surprised when Sean
interviewed me himself. I was hired on his race as
a paid-intern, and made Deputy NOVA Field Director
by the end. I took three weeks off, and then moved
to [Capitol] Hill as a paid-intern for Congressman
Tom Davis. That was an incredible experience.
Seeing Congressman Davis in action [and] meeting
with other members of Congress was simply
incredible.
In
late August I was hired onto the [Chris] Craddock
campaign [for the Republican nomination in the
67th House of Delegates district] to work full
time as Deputy Campaign Manager. I preferred being
on The Hill, so in September I lessened my hours
with Chris to go back on the hill as a paid intern
with Senator Richard Shelby. Because of the time
it took to travel to The Hill, I lessened my
course load at Chantilly [High School] to 4
classes. One of my best experiences on The Hill
was when I went to meet the Dalai Lama, and Barack
Obama and John Kerry stood right next me, and we
had a nice conversation as the Dalai Lama blessed
us. It was incredible. I came back from The Hill
every day by 6:00, and went right to work for
Chris until 9:00. I was a volunteer for [Loudoun
County supervisor] Mick Staton, and then was hired
onto Jackson Miller's campaign [for the Republican
nomination in the 50th House of Delegates
district] as his one paid staffer. We had a
glorious victory, and I was really happy to have
been a part of it.
I
also served as Chairman of the State Teenage
Republicans, where we expanded our clubs by 50
percent
Q:
Your blog is called "Too Conservative - A
Northern Virginia Republican Viewpoint."
However, many Northern VA Republicans have an
image of being more moderate. What is behind the
blog's name?
VH:
The blog's name was picked by myself and a good
campaign friend. While there are all sorts of
Republicans in NOVA, to all my friends outside
politics, I am considered "Too
Conservative", so I chose the name.
Q:
"Too Conservative" has attracted the
attention of major GOP figures. How have you
managed to do this?
VH:
It took time, and the building of a reputation as
a blog before I earned the attention of major GOP
figures. Delegates Cline, Saxman, Senator
Cuccinelli, Steve Baril, Lt. Governor Bolling, and
Chairman Connaughton have all come on to do blog
chats because they know what they'll be getting.
Q:
You are a big proponent of moderate Republican,
derisively called "RINOs" by more
conservative elements of your party. What is your
view of the so-called "big tent"
approach to Republicanism? What would the Virginia
Republican party look like if you were running it?
VH:
I believe this question itself has a mistake in
it. Many "moderate Republicans" actually
share conservative values, but are portrayed by
the media as such, and by many dividers in the
party as "RINOS". There's a faction
within the Republican party of reactionary
hypocrites, who will be the first to turn on their
own within the party, but live themselves
non-conservative political and personal lives.
Organizations such as the Club for Growth, VCAP
and others, pick who they like, not who is
conservative. I've seen this with my own eyes.
Now-Don't
get me wrong at all. We are the party of ideas,
and conservative values. Strong borders, strong
national defense, low taxes, traditional marriage,
stricter abortion regulation, gun-rights, and
other issues make up our party. But simply because
someone does not agree with one or two of these,
doesn't make them a bad Republican. But we MUST
uphold our value system, and practice what we
preach.
If
I were running the party, I would stop the
pointless primaries of incumbents that vote for
one bill deemed "liberal". I would focus
on building the party up, by reaching out to the
AVERAGE Republican voter, not the fringes.
Q:
A few months back, there was a significant split
between you and your original blogging crew. Can
you shed some light on what lead to this move?
VH:
I just wanted more personal control over the site.
I am a centralist, and felt the site was becoming
too decentralized around too many concepts. Many
of them have great sites up now, and I commend
them for continuing to blog. I read [Virginia]
Virtucon daily.
Q:
Have any particularly bloggers been especially
helpful in the development of your efforts?
VH:
The first blog that I reached out to was Cat House
Chat. Then Chad Dotson helped me out at VA
Conservative. I consider Ben Tribbett at [Not
Larry Sabato] to be a big help as well. Often
times I bounce story ideas off of him.
Q:
How much time to you dedicate to blogging on a
regular basis?
VH:
I feel compelled to blog now, as though my readers
expect something every day. I spend roughly two
hours a day blogging and keeping up on what’s
going on in the blogosphere.
Q:
In recent months, several significant bloggers on
the Republican and conservative side have stepped
away (Will Vehrs, Sic Semper Tyrannis, etc), and
you are headed out of Virginia soon. Do you think
this is indicative of any potential trouble for
your side of the blogging aisle or is it just
normal attrition?
VH:
I would consider this normal. As they've left,
other sites have come, like NOVA Townhall, VA
Conservative Analysis, and others. I believe that
sites will continue to come and go as bloggers do.
Q:
You're headed off to Texas soon to attend college
at Baylor. Will you continue to blog in the Lone
Star state or as part of your job duties?
I
am typing this in my first night in my apartment
on Baylor's campus. I plan on continuing to blog
at Too Conservative as I continue on, but must
focus on Texas first. School and Work in Texas
come before TC now, but I plan on continuing to
post on politics on a national, state and local
level. Roughly 20 percent of my readership comes
from outside the state, and I hope to continue
expanding that number as readership continues to
grow.
Q:
Do you plan to stay in tune with Virginia's
blogging community? What do you see as the future
of political blogging in the Commonwealth?
VH:
I do plan to stay in touch with everyone in the VA
blogging community. With elections every year,
Virginia’s blogging community will lead the way
in the nation. Blogs have become a crucial point
of elections in the commonwealth, especially in
NOVA, and increasingly in Hampton Roads. I believe
with the [mainstream media] continuing to push
blogs, as well, that more average voters will
begin reading more frequently.
--
July 10, 2006
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