Matt Lira, Eric Cantor’s new media guru, is travelling Virginia, training party leadership online. His goal: To help congressional staff & party leadership close the internet gap between conservatives & liberals in the state. I ventured to a training he hosted in Richmond last evening and am encouraged that our side is starting to speak to leaders in a very practical way about how to communicate in the modern world.

Here were just a few snippets:

- When writing a blog post ask: What do I read online?

- For only $99 a campaign can purchase an RCA Small Wonder handheld camera and create high quality video for YouTube that doesn’t strain a budget.

- One of the fastest growing demographics among SocNet users are now young people & moms. Coincidentally, both groups are among the hardest to reach on the campaign trail.

- Tele-Townhall meeting are a fun, innovative way to connect constituents with the legislative process. Using a web-based control screen, congressional staff can engage 1,000’s of constituents in a two-way conversation and get invaluable feedback on a tough vote or hot-button issue of the day.

These are just a few things that sparked my interest. Matt Lira has a great way of talking about the intersection of politics and the internet in a way that doesn’t make these newcomers’ heads spin. He offered step-by-step practical advice. As a movement, I think we need to be doing more training sessions like this. We need to break out of Washington and practice what we preach. Train the folks on the ground who are out there fighting every day. Kudos to Matt Lira and to everyone else who’s advancing this cause. I look forward to keeping this up in the future.

As I wrote earlier this month, the Virginia Senate race will be one of the most important races in the nation with regard to aggressive and innovative Internet strategies. CNN.com's Peter Hamby reports on the role the web operation is already having on the campaign trail in a piece titled, "Virginia Senate race will be Web battleground."

I'm quoted in the piece alongside Democratic Web strategist and MyDD founder, Jerome Armstrong, who is Warner's online consultant. (Jerome and I co-host DomeNation - a show focusing on the intersection of tech + politics that will return this Fall.)

Here's an excerpt from the story:

"This Senate race will be the premiere battleground in the modern world," Republican Internet strategist David All said. "The good news is that George Allen's loss was a wake-up call for not only the state party and the National Republican Senatorial Committee but also the rightosphere of conservative activists who are hungry for a rematch."

Given Warner's popularity, a rematch in this purple-trending state will be difficult for Republicans, following Webb's narrow victory last year and Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine's win in 2005. Political observers and consultants in Virginia say the 2008 Senate race could get nasty quick, as Democratic bloggers try to maintain their winning streak and Warner's opponents look for ways to paint the presumptive front-runner as tax-hiking liberal.

The same day Warner announced his intention to run for Senate on YouTube, the NRSC launched a sleek new Web site called "Don'tMarkWarner," attacking Warner's signature moment as governor: his $1.4 billion tax increase, passed in 2004 with the help of the Republican-dominated Legislature to shore up a budget shortfall.

"There's going to be all kinds of stuff said out there to see what sticks," said Jerome Armstrong, Warner's top Web consultant. "The Internet takes the shape of the campaign at a much earlier stage than would happen traditionally in a campaign. That happens so much earlier now, if you're not out there taking part of that battle you're being framed by your opponents and losing the debate. We can't just sit back."

Jerome and his team will fight smart and hard to win this seat for Warner and the liberal netroots in Virginia will do everything in their power to help.

I'm cautiously optimistic that whoever our candidate ends up being, whether Tom Davis, Jim Gilmore, or Eric Cantor, they'll give Jerome a serious run for his money and keep the Senate seat in Republican hands.

We need more Members of Congress like Eric Cantor and more talented, tech-savvy staffers like his spokesblogger, Matt Lira.

I was checking out my incoming tweets and I got the following ping from @EricCantor: "Peter Hardin at the Richmond Times-Dispatch published an interesting article on our online efforts."

I read the article Cantor was sending around to his tweets. It's a great story about Cantor's use of the Internet and gives proper credit to the staffer behind the effort, Matt Lira. Nice work Team Cantor.

This is how Members of Congress can and should be effectively communicating... even in the minority.

Hey Congressman --- PLEASE tell the rest of your caucus.