Jane Hamsher

Truth is, 'Strangebedfellows' was neither -- it was typical and it was partisan, and it will not have the intended impact.

U.S. Rep. Steny HoyerA coalition of U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) supporters and leading liberal bloggers are unleashing a "Moneybomb" on Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Mechanicsville) and two other Democratic U.S. House members today in an effort to punish them for supporting the Foreign Intelligence and Surveillance Act compromise earlier this summer.

The group, 'Strangebedfellows,' is comprised of BreakTheMatrix.com bloggers Trevor Lyman and Rick Williams, who organized huge online fundraising days for Paul's Republican presidential candidacy, have teamed up with the Democratic-leaning Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com and Jane Hamsher of firedoglake.com on this issue they share a passion for. U.S.

Paul's online fundraising had already raised eyebrows in political circles when Lyman, largely independent of the campaign, organized a single day push that raised $4.2 million from more than 37,000 contributors in about 24 hours. He scheduled it on Nov. 5, 2007 to coincide with Guy Fawkes' Day, famous for the plot to blowup Great Britain's Parliament that day in 1605. On Dec. 16, 2007, the same day as the Boston Tea Party, they set a new record with $6.04 million.

The group chose Aug. 8 for the big push because it's the anniversary of President Richard Nixon's 1974 resignation for "his lawbreaking and surveillance abuses."

On Winning, Life Inside Congress & Lessons From Bill Clinton

U.S. Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Fort Washington)

On Saturday, July 19, U.S. Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Fort Washington) traveled to Austin, Texas to finally speak in person with those who were among the first to listen to her and a message that would oust an entrenched incumbent less than two years later.

Edwards was the keynote speaker at ‘Netroots Nation,’ a gathering formerly known as YearlyKos, based off the popular progressive blog, DailyKos.com. Netroots Nation is an annual gathering of the left-of-center online political community and attracts a ‘who’s who’ of Democratic politics. Former Vice President Al Gore and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also addressed the gathering in person, while U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) addressed the conference by a taped message.

But few Party leaders have the stature Edwards maintains in that community. Like 2004 presidential candidate Howard Dean and 2006 U.S. Senate candidate Ned Lamont before her, she became an online icon for her ability to channel the power of the Internet into boots-on-the-ground action.