LAS VEGAS-Thousands of online political junkies, bloggers, loudmouths, pranksters and policy wonks are on the loose in Vegas Baby and (with apologies to the tourism business here) they DON’T want what happens here to stay here.

Netroots Nation 2010 has jammed the Rio casino and resort with leftie bloggers. They prefer to be called progressives rather than liberals. For most here on the left the point is simple – they got President Obama into the White House and Democrats into the congressional majority, and the elected officials have let the left down.

This Netroots convention is making it abundantly clear…liberals want more from the Democratic Party. “If we don’t ask for more, we don’t get the whole idea that reach should exceed grasp,” said Netroots Nation spokesman Joel Silberman. “We are more progressive then they are. That’s what this is about, create new pressure and have new solutions.”

Liberal bloggers have been openly suggesting that to lose a few fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats in the House and see their majority dwindle won’t make much difference politically since Democrats have already (in the liberal view) failed to deliver on their promises.

In one panel discussion here, Democrats bemoaned the fact that moderate incumbent Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas was not defeated in her primary recently by the ark’s more liberal Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter.

Now to conservatives…

RightOnline is in its third year and intentionally scheduled its convention in Vegas to compete with the left. It’s sponsored primarily by Americans for Prosperity, a conservative organization that works closely with the Tea Party movement. Tea Partiers take a lot of unjustified flak, but when it comes to blasting moderate Republicans they accuse of growing tax and spend government or diluting constitutional conservatism, they welcome the notoriety.

Conservatives began to grow frustrated with Republican governance during the latter half of the two term presidency of George W Bush. Republicans began with majorities in the House and Senate and had lost both by the end of the 2006.

Conservatives admitted their frustration at the time – they had won control of Congress and the White House but spending and the size of government increased anyway.

“The tables have now certainly turned,” said RightOnline spokesman Erik Telford, “and the liberals are facing the problem that our side saw for many years, where they are not exactly excited or entirely pleased with everything that’s happening.”

So the ideological purists, the ardent liberals on the left and conservatives on the right both cause problems. But BOTH parties know the GENERAL election this fall is likely to be decided by voters who often ticket split or switch parties and independents.

The ranks of non-party affiliated voters is rising all over the country while Democrat and Republican registration has dropped.

It presents a major strategic and tactical dilemma for both parties: how do they keep their ideological troops energized and engaged when the partisan rhetoric and agenda’s they demand can alienate centrist swing voters that may determine the 2010 outcome?

The midterm election is 100 days from Sunday..14 weeks from this Tuesday.

{VignetteVideo assettitl=”It+was+the+war+between+the+Right+and+the+Left%21″ id=”CDCCB71E8BC5D682E8FA334036AAFB2C” width=”375″ aspectratio=”1.77″ height=”211″ autoplay=”off” }