Written by Roberta Biros

The Mercer County Conservatives website was modified slightly last year. The changes were made for two reasons. The first reason is that I was devoting my energy toward my political campaign and removed portions of the site that required time-consuming maintenance. Second, I modified the site in an effort to diffuse some of the rhetoric that was surfacing from both sides of the aisle in local politics. Many articles were temporarily suspended from public viewing, and the “comment” feature was turned off to prevent ugly arguments. My political campaign last year triggered lots of emotions from Republicans and Democrats alike, and I couldn’t keep up with the constant arguing between politicians while also managing my own campaign for public office. I toned things down a bit in an effort to get through the campaign with my sanity intact.

Now that the campaign is squarely behind me, I’ve taken a look at Mercer County Conservatives and have decided to once again let out all of the stops. The changes are numerous, but here is a brief overview:

Our standard website at http://www.mercerconservatives.com/ has been re-initialized and re-tooled. The purpose of the site is to provide some structure to our blog and to make our content available to people and search engines in a simple HTML format. You can continue to access our blog through the mercerconservatives.blogspot.com address, but as an alternative you can access the blog through our standard web page at http://www.mercerconservatives.com/. It is an easier address to remember and it serves as a jump off point for our many activities.

Site Update #1: Most Popular Topics

The MercerConservatives.com site now offers an exciting summary area which provides easy access to our most popular topics. According to our web statistics, we receive the most traffic from individuals searching on the following topics through the standard search engines (Google, Yahoo, other). I’ve provided a brief opinion of why each topic is of interest.

Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper

The single most popular search query that points people to our many websites is the name of Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper. The Congresswoman’s personality creates quite a bit of curiosity amongst the electorate. While on the exterior Mrs. Dahlkemper carries herself in a distinguished manner, when you get an opportunity to talk to her she comes off more like a wet blanket than a U.S. Congressperson.

Congresswoman Dahlkemper is an anomaly to the educated politico. She is neither Republican nor Democrat. She is neither conservative nor liberal. She is neither “Blue Dog” nor Progressive. She attempts to be all things to all people, and yet manages to stand for nothing (I will expand upon this topic with a full blog post later this week). People are intrigued by her in much the same way that we ponder the age old question of “why do tornados always manage to find a trailer park to destroy”. Those in “the know” wonder about Mrs. Dahlkemper and they seek information in one of the few places that it is available . . . the internet. The internet is still one of the few places where freedom of speech is exercised on a daily basis. It is no wonder that she is our #1 topic of interest (nationwide, statewide, and countywide).

Representative Michele Brooks

People seek information regarding State Representative Michele Brooks from our site for numerous reasons. On the state-wide front, there are fiscal conservatives that watch the activities of Ms. Brooks and others in hopes of someday turning around the budgetary problems of the Commonwealth. Ms. Brooks has become an important member of a fiscal conservative movement in Harrisburg that is watched closely by many groups that support good government. Rep. Brooks also draws web traffic from her numerous enemies on the left who are just waiting for her to trip and fall in the public arena.

Running unopposed this year, Rep. Brooks finds herself in the cat-bird seat (a comfortable position that is also shared by Reps. Stevenson and Longietti and Senator Robbins). Unfortunately for her, the uncontrollable tendency to put friends, supporters, and concerned citizens on the backburner until she decides that needs them again may be a mistake in the long run. The “incumbent attitude” may eventually leave some former supporters with a sense that she is no different than the rest. For now, however, Rep. Brooks is at the top of her game, and she gets the web traffic that proves it.

State Senator Bob Robbins

I’m quite sure that the reason people come to our site in search of information regarding “our fine Senator” is that we are the only place on the internet that validates that “Coconut Bob” is, in fact, still alive and kicking. His inability to understand technology leaves his web presence well below zero. He rarely if ever publishes information about his accomplishments on the web. It may be because he doesn’t think it is important . . . or it is probably because he has no accomplishments to publicize. Yes, he still holds office, but only because he has made the position look so uninteresting that no one else wants it. State Senator "Coconut Bob" Robbins holds spot #3 in our most popular blog topics.

Roberta Biros

In the top of the pack of search queries, we find "Roberta Biros". Yep, that’s me.

While I’m currently nothing more than a concerned citizen, I draw attention from all corners of the state and county. While it is not unusual to receive daily visits to our sites from Mercer Countians looking for information about me and my very public opinions, I find it amazing when folks from Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh are typing my name into Google to learn more about me and my blog topics. Perhaps I should consider more activities statewide in the future?

Mercer County Commissioners and Farm Subsidies

These two topics rate almost equal in web search queries. Searches regarding Commissioners John Lechner, Ken Ammann, and Brian Beader (a.k.a. Moe, Larry, and Curly) are frequent throughout Mercer County. It is no doubt that the reason for the frequent searches is the disgust and dissatisfaction that many Mercer Countians have with our three stooges. The common link to Farm Subsidies is interesting as this issue of corruption is only tied to one of our fine Commissioners (Mr. Ammann), but many people in Mercer County and across the state link the two topics together. I find that very interesting.

Representative Mark Longietti and Representative Dick Stevenson

Rounding out the bottom of our most popular web queries are Representative Longietti and Representative Dick Stevenson. These two legislators receive an almost equal number of queries on a monthly basis. Both legislators fail to stand out in any positive way. They generally follow partisan straight-party politics, and they leave many political enthusiasts in the state looking for more substance. Unfortunately, it is an impossible task as these legislators are an unexciting as watching paint dry. Web visitors may be looking for more, but I simply don’t have anything to offer as both are simply politicians whose main concern is their own political well-being.

Site Update #2: Comments are Back ON

MercerConservatives.com has always been about sharing ideas and talking about current issues. The center of the conversation was our blog “comment” feature. Last year (during my campaign) I suspended “comments” as I simply didn’t have the time to moderate or respond to the many conversations that were going on. Now that we are back on track, I’ve re-initialized comments on the site so that we can get back to discussing the business of Mercer County politics. In making the change, I’ve also made available all of our past on-line conversations regarding farm subsidies, past County corruption and scandals, and examples of poor character in local politics. All of that information is back on-line and available for your review. Enjoy!

Site Update #3: The Gloves are Off

As a last update to MercerConservatives.com, I’ve given up on all attempts to “fit in” politically. I will no longer try to fit my square peg into any round holes that have been created in Mercer County. Instead, I will open up the flood gates and talk about EVERY ISSUE without any need to hold back or stifle my more controversial opinions. Everyone is an open target, and I will direct my comments (both good and bad) equally in all directions.

So there you have it. Our goals of providing the Mercer County electorate with information about good government, fiscal responsibility, and worthy public servants are back on track and ready to roll. Our comments and commentary will be unfiltered . . . non-partisan . . . and honest. We will share our opinions and we invite you to join in the conversation.

Welcome to the official unveiling of Mercer County Conservatives 2.0!

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