i spent last week (Oct 31 – Nov 4) in DC meeting with various folks in govt and helping out one of my portfolio companies.

throughout my conversations with many grassroots activists, i was struck by how much they hated Tom DeLay. this was a shock to me as Congressman DeLay is generally seen as being supported by those in the grassroots. And while my activist survey was far from scientific, I found he had extremely little support. most people actually thought he should resign from Congress. i was shocked … this wasn’t coming from the left but was coming from the heart and soul of the conservative right.

and it had little to do with the current ethics violation … it seems that most activists are not as troubled by that as most of the media. the activists blame Mr. DeLay for the spending excesses in Congress … especially the recent highway bill which DeLay was instrumental in passing. This bill has become a national joke with the Bridge to Nowhere. Much has been discussed including a good George Will column.

if you really want to learn about the heart and soul of the conservative movement, spend some time surfing Townhall.com and you’ll get a sense of what people feel … and see a great article about this by Tim Chapman.

Mark Pincus likes to call the activists the “ants.” Well, the ants are definitely rising in the conservative party. it is possible they might get trampled but they seem very determined to take back the “small government” mantle.