Reporting from the First Circle of Hell, or the Philadelphia International Airport.

I’m in Concourse F, which I’m convinced means “F YOU, PASSENGERS!” because there’s no good food options, and I had to shuttle it over from the rest of the airport. Also, my flight’s been delayed near half a dozen times. I’ll be lucky to get back to DC before the Metro closes. (Maybe I’m being a little sarcastic.)

But hey, the last night of RightOnline was a great night. After an interesting yet underattended speech by Tim Pawlenty, I hung around to hear Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, Michigan Congressman Thad McCotter, and former Godfather’s CEO and Republican Presidential candidate Herman Cain.

[Read more →]

I’m liveblogging the “Left Exposed” presentation by James O’Keefe who, along with Hannah Giles, took down ACORN. Updates are posted with the most recent at the top.

4:59pm: “The hard part is going out and doing the journalism…” not getting the info out there. What do you suggest we use to do what you do? Hidden cameras. iPhone audio. Plugs the site once more, The Project Veritas.

4:55pm: Have you ever felt in danger? “Personally, I’m not afraid of that… I will say, I am more afraid of the law being used against me… they can tie you up in courts and courtrooms…” … “I don’t like going after private citizens.” O’Keefe only wants to target public officials and public money. Who is funding the legal action against you? ACORN is still suing O’Keefe. The left is convinced the Kochs are behind O’Keefe. “The truth is, we did [the ACORN story] independently [without outside funding].” Someone brings up “the boat” incident. O’Keefe says he gets plenty of crazy ideas and doesn’t act on all of them.

4:53pm: Liberals never learn O’Keefe’s tactic: slow release of information, predicting the target’s next move and trapping them in their own lies. “I’m 26 years old. I’ve just begun,” O’Keefe warns. Questions!

4:46pm: NPR – CEO and chief fundraiser are pushed out after O’Keefe’s sting. Cue fluffy Sesame Street characters… and more lampooning of liberals by Jon Stewart. NPR’s Schiller talks about Juan Williams, Williams responds on Fox News.

4:41pm: O’Keefe discusses 2007 Planned Parenthood stings. PP suggest girls lie about their age. Then, O’Keefe calls PP offices to make donations specifically for the abortion of black babies. “Autumn,” the PP employee, says donations can be “earmarked” specifically for the termination of black children. Fox News reports pro-life black groups protested Planned Parenthood in DC.

4:38pm: O’Keefe hands out the “Good Wife’s Guide” in a Women’s Studies classroom. From a 1955 Good Housekeeping monthly. “You just passed out a handout that’s inappropriate in my class… I’m going to the Dean of Students.” Professor flips out about the guide being passed out in her classroom, as you might imagine.

4:36pm: In the event they ban Lucky Charms, they’re ridiculous. In the event they don’t, then they’re not listening to concerned students.

4:32pm: O’Keefe switches gears: Lucky Charms. Rutgers. Basically, Rutgers sought to censor “offensive” concepts – mobile food trucks with questionable names, etc. O’Keefe meets with Rutgers dining hall administrators and used Rutger’s sensitivity code to have the cereal banned.

4:26pm: O’Keefe says reporters “make things up” to cover O’Keefe’s targets. NJEA lobbyist talks about voting machines that were delivered to the teachers’ union offices. O’Keefe talks about a live interview in NJ, Fox 29. Reporter is unable to contain his disdain for O’Keefe’s investigative story. “Who funds you?” reporter asks. “I know what a 501(c)3 is, friend… Could you name your biggest contributor for us?” Anchor loses his collective mind on live television and cuts the interview short.

4:17pm: Teachers Unions Gone Wild in New Jersey. O’Keefe moves from ACORN to the teachers’ unions in his home state. Tenured teachers in New Jersey can get away with almost anything… according to the teachers themselves! But the videos are “doctored,” the go-to defense for O’Keefe’s targets. O’Keefe seems to anticipate his targets’ every move. Teacher in question admits everything to the New Jersey Star-Ledger.

4:15pm: “Make the enemy live up to their own book of rules.” – Saul Alinsky; O’Keefe has touted Alinsky’s rules since his days at Rutgers. Google: O’Keefe Irish Lucky Charms

4:13pm: “Content is king,” O’Keefe says. “That’s my phrase… All that matters is what the people are saying on the videotape.”

4:10pm: “Are there anymore tapes to come?” Hannity asked. “Maybe” was their response.

4:07pm: O’Keefe reveals his method: release the evidence “a little bit at a time,” so the targets can argue incidents are “isolated.”

4:05pm: O’Keefe contends: Journalism consists of 1. stenography and 2. punditry. The people O’Keefe works with actually do investigative reporting. O’Keefe showing “Daily Show” video of ACORN bust. Ruh-roh, Scooby.

4:04pm: “I’m a pretty controversial guy… People struggle over what to call [what I do]… I like to call myself a community organizer.” O’Keefe talks about organizing citizen journalists through social media.

4:00pm: AFP New Jersey Director introducing James O’Keefe. “I think no one more exemplifies the power of new media and using under cover reporting techniques than James O’Keefe.”

3:57pm: @kevinecker: We have gone from full to overflow to breaking at the seams in Conrad B/C for O’Keefe’s presentation #ro11

3:54pm The room is at capacity. Probably about 100 folks in here with more looking for seats.

3:51pm: Sitting in Conrad B & C waiting for the “Left Exposed: Where Investigative Reporting Meets Online Activism” presentation by Project Veritas‘ James O’Keefe.

I’m sitting in the Blogger’s Lounge at Americans for Prosperity’s RightOnline 2011, which is just a few blocks away from NetRoots Nation’s conference. You can follow both hashtags: #ro11 and #nn11.

I should first thank Erik Telford and the people at AFP for extending this opportunity to me. Through the magic of social media, I’m here by the grace of many great AFP donors. (“Did I win?” is my nickname, I hear.) Speaking of social media, I’m contributing $.25 to AFP and $.75 to Tennessee Fisher House for every new Twitter follower I get while at RightOnline (up to $100 total).

I had the pleasure of attending two Leadership Institute-led trainings this morning: Intro to Online Activism, with Abigail Alger, and Basics of Grassroots Activism, with Patricia Simpson. The Leadership Institute launched an online training site with AFP Foundation. Check it out here.

I’m getting ready to head into the Opening Session with Congressman Marsha Blackburn, Congressman John Kline, and others. As soon as I find another internet connection, I’ll post more.