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In Defense of Campaigns
 I can't resist commenting on yesterday's Washington Post Outlook story titled, Stop the Campaigning The Bush White House Is in Trouble Because of Its Disdain for Governing. The story makes the argument that Bush is a great campaigner, but not interested in actually governing. That's a very interesting premise, but they got a lot of it all wrong. First of all, despite popular belief, there is a correlation between being a good campaigner and being a good leader. Often, when conservative candidates lose (because they ran a lousy campaign), I comfort myself in knowing campaigns are self-selecting. In other words, people who would be lazy, incompetent, or ineffective leaders, usually lose because they don't run good campaigns. The notion that campaigning and governing are mutually exclusive is an insult. ... The article also points out that Ford, Carter, and Bush 41 were all more comfortable with governing than with campaigning (while Reagan and Clinton were good campaigners). I will debate anyone who wants to argue that either Ford, Carter, or 41 were better at governing than Reagan. The other fallacy this article perpetuates is that Bush has done a great job with PR -- yet he still has problems (because governing is what really counts). The truth is that Bush has not been a good "campaigner" these last couple of months - and that is the real problem. Bush should have been in New Orleans sooner after the Katrina Hurricane. If he had been, his so-called “photo-ops” would have been viewed as leadership. Also, nominating Miers to the Supreme Court was as much a PR mistake as it was a governing mistake. Politics 101 teaches you that, "you've got to dance with the one that brung' ya." He didn't. This is a thought-provoking argument that ultimately falls flat. Don't let them fool you: Governing is campaigning by different means.
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Let's Fight
Here are my initial thoughts regarding President Bush's pick of Judge Samuel Alito: It seems Judge Alito is a solid and qualified conservative. His very nomination proves that when conservatives become active, you and I can make a difference. Blogs, letters to the editor, and calls to your Congressman ... can change history. Conservatives have arrived at a point where we can flex our muscles - not just in campaigns - but during public policy fights. It's been a long time coming. Now, let's fight.
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Big Texas-Sized Thanks!
Thanks to all the new friends I met this weekend in Wichita Falls and Dallas. Also, special thanks to Phillip Stutts for lending us his expertise in Dallas!
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New Emotional Ad in NJ
The NJ Gov's race features a new and emotional ad: THE SCRIPT "Almost three years ago now, I was in a wrestling match for my high school. I went to do a move and I was paralyzed from the neck down. Quadriplegic. Right now the most hopeful thing for spinal cord injuries is embryonic stem cell research. Doug Forrester doesn't support embryonic stem cell research; therefore, I don't think he supports people like me, and doctors who say a cure is coming. Jon Corzine supports embryonic stem cell research. I think he's the best candidate for our governor."
The NY Times analysis: The ad promises to be potent, because it lures viewers into thinking that it is a positive, uplifting message, but instead turns into a biting and personal critique of Mr. Forrester, over an issue on which Democrats believe he is vulnerable. Mr. Riccio's comment that "I don't think he supports people like me" is one of the most memorable from Mr. Corzine's ads, and the way he says it - by using the limited mobility of his arms to point to his chest, emotionally - stings. The commercial also reinforces a common Democratic theme: that Republicans like Mr. Bush and Mr. Forrester often don't relate to the travails of people like Mr. Riccio.
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Are we Criminalizing Politics?
Radio host Don Imus thinks it's legitimate to "knock-down" the credibility of someone causing you political trouble. In fact, he's said repeatedly on air that if he were Dick Cheney, he would have held meetings to basically ask (I'm paraphrasing, here): "What do we have on Joe Wilson?" Chris Matthews agrees, calling this sort of maneuver "hardball" politics. Sports columnist Tony Kornheiser made the same point on his Washington, DC sports radio show today. The thing is that Imus, Matthews, and Kornheiser have all been around the block a couple of times. They have observed the game of politics, and it's players, for years. They know there is a difference between smash-mouth politics and illegal activity. As Theodore Roosevelt once famously said, politics is like making sausage. It comes out really good, but you wouldn't want to see it being made. The truth is that the politicians have always understood that if you destroy an attackers' credibility, you destroy the attack. It’s not pleasant, but it is effective. James Carville, for example, said Paula Jones, "If you drag a hundred dollar bill through a trailer park, you never know what you'll find?" Clearly, anyone guilty of committing a crime ought to pay. And as conservatives, our values are paramount. Anyone who is found guilty of breaking the law - regardless of partisan affiliation - should be held accountable. But my concern is that we may just be, as Rush Limbaugh describes it, "criminalizing politics." But the truth is that much of what happens routinely in politics would be viewed as unsettling by civilized “polite” society. Politics has long been compared to a “bloodless war.” If that's true, it's easy to understand why the practitioners sometimes engage in activities that regular "civilized" folks might find unsettling. Put simply: A country needs soldiers who are willing to do the unpleasant things we don’t want to do. Does a movement - or a Party - need the same thing? ... Again, let me be clear: I'm not talking about engaging in illegal activity. I'm talking about engaging in ethical hardball politics. If we are, in fact, creating a political environment where merely working in politics equals potentially going to jail, then I don't see how this is going to help us attract the best and brightest future leaders.
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New Dem Slogan
The Hill reports that the Dems are meeting this afternoon to work on a new slogan. Which do you like: "Together, We Can Do Better" or "Together, America Can Do Better"?
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Tuesday News ...
According to an article in today's Post, "Bush advisers are taking clues from the playbooks of former presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, both of whom weathered second-term scandals." Here's a good profile of Rosa Parks.
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Cover of the Week
 Sen. George Allen may not have won our unofficial straw poll in Harlingen, TX this weekend (Condi cleaned house), but he wins the best "cover" of the week contest for appearing on the cover of National Review.
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411
Special thanks to our friend, Kevin Lindley, for giving us this tool for your Blackberry. I can definitely see how this is mandatory for anyone using their Blackberry on a campaign! Berry 411 is a free search tool for your RIM blackberry. It gives you one click access from your start screen to white pages, yellow pages, movie times, Google results, and more. Click on this link on your Blackberry to install over the air: http://www.thebogles.com/berry411.jadOr visit http://www.thebogles.com/Berry411.htm on your PC to install using the application loader. You can also find complete instructions and a screenshot there.
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Brave New Dems
A common criticism of the military is that they "are always fighting the last war." That's often true in politics, too. If something goes right, we tend to stick with it (for better or worse), and if something goes wrong, we muscle our might toward fixing the mistakes of the past. This is good and well, until our enemies change their strategy and tactics. Yesterday's Washington Post featured an article about a new generation of Democrats coming up through the Congressional ranks. This new generation is different from the old school pols like Ted Kennedy and Tip O'Neil, who ruled the Senate and House for forty years. They grew up watching Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton and are more charismatic, pragmatic, and yes, more "hip" than the old guard. One can only assume they are angry at candidates like Michael Dukakis and John Kerry, whom they view as a throwback to a previous generation. This formidable up-and-coming "farm team" will be promoted in future elections.My hope is that we Republicans realize our future opponents are not going to be like good ol', um, liberal, um, Teddy Kennedy -- they will be more like Barak Obama ... smart, less likely to admit to being "liberal," and well-spoken. This is just more evidence that you and I must continue to study how to win.
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Good Weekend
Had a great time in Harlingen. We trained some top-notch students. Special thanks to all of you who attended. I appreciate your hospitality. I made it back in time for the second half of the Redskins' game. It was nice to have an easy victory ... for once! Next weekend, the Skins' play the Giants -- and I will be in Dallas. Hey, I might not get to watch the whole game, but at least I'll be in an NFC East town!
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Keepin' it Light
Happy Friday! I'm heading to Harlingen, TX today. Blogging will be light ...
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Great Pic
 A picture is worth a thousand words. That's why Ronnie Earle was so gung-ho to get a mugshot of DeLay. He assumed a mugshot would make him look bad. Wrong. DeLay fooled them by ... smiling. Frankly, he looks darn good. And he is depriving his enemies of using his picture in an unflattering manner -- which was their intent.
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McCain on Getting Good Press
According to Rush, John McCain jokingly referred to the media as his "base," the other day. He also said that if he were president, he would hold press conferences more often -- like John F. Kennedy. He also said he would hold more town hall meetings than Bush has. McCain might have a point. Lyn Nofziger once told me that as Governor, Ronald Reagan's weekly press conferences kept him sharp. This arrangement meant Reagan got lots of practice dealing with the press -- and that problems didn't build up. Nofziger lamented that as President, Reagan's staffers didn't continue the practice of frequent press conferences.
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When Conservative Acronym's Attack ...
 FRC's Tony Perkins is calling out ATR's Grover Norquist for speaking at a Log Cabin Republicans Fundraiser in Dallas. From Perkins: "... Grover has spent years working to assemble a coalition of fiscal and social conservatives and his decision to aid those who are trying to destroy the institution of marriage is truly a disappointment and will no doubt split this important coalition. As social conservatives we remain committed to the country's fiscal and social well-being; we have tolerance neither for increasing taxes nor marginalizing marriage. If only that commitment were mutual."Let's hope the building blocks don't topple. No comment yet from other acronymns, such as the BBC or the KGB ...
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Thanks are in order
Special thanks are in order to Brad Baker for his hard work on this blog. Brad is getting married to the lovely Natasha, and won't be able to contribute as much to the maintanance of the blog as he has in the past. I would also like to thank Mel Pennington and Joe Metzger for the tremendous help they've given me on this!
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Freedom of Association
 China's increasing problems with social unrest are coming to light internationally. See today's article from the Chicago Tribune which reports 74,000 government-counted protests, rots, and demonstrations in 2004. Our question may be, "Well, why hasn't there been any massive movement? Why hasn't it changed anything?" The answer lies in the fact that often these protests are in isolated areas. They are contained to the province or even city where there is a sudden flashpoint. People are not allowed to network to build grassroots coalitions common in the United States.
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Afghani Students in Limbo
The first class of Afghani exchange students returned from the United States to face bureaucratic red tape and culture shock. This story from the Chicago Tribune today takes a look at the state of education and US-Afghani relations. The high school seniors or graduates have to work in a system that does not want to let their credits transfer back or let work back into a confusing educational system. While they were straight-A students in the US, they could fail their senior exams back in Afghanistan because they have missed half the school year. On top of that, their family and friends think the teenagers have become proud and disrespectful to Afghani religion and cultural norms.
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Dems Contract With America
The DCCC has launched their version of the Contract with America. It's called Campaign for Change.
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Interesting Ad Idea
 I just saw this blog ad at the liberal Dailykos. While the effectiveness of blog ads is questionable, this one grabbed my attention by specifically addressing "The Blogosphere." The verbiage says: "While most candidates begin with an attempt to solicit contributions via the web, we have decided to take another path. If you have your own website or blog, please consider placing a Sherrod Brown for U.S. Senate button on your site. We have Grow Ohio buttons as well..."
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Packaging Pays Off
 A Washington Times article today talks about the importance of "packaging."
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Pushing the Paper Trail
What was the lesson learned from the Robert Bork nomination? Writing is bad. (I say this because Roberts and Miers were both ostensibly nominated because of their lack of a "paper trail.") It's always been the case that political candidates and appointees (see Lani Guinier) have had their writings (dating back to college) researched with a fine-tooth comb. But in recent years, the scrutiny has become even more intense. Emails are now fair game to publish once the media gets them. Compounding the problem, the nascent blogosphere continues to dramatically inflate the amount of information being "published." It seems reasonable to expect we will most likely have a generation of leaders who are disqualified - or at the very least, attacked - because of their online musings. Yes, blogging has consequences. Personally, my paper trail may already disqualify me from serving on the bench. Google: "Matt Lewis conservative" and you'll find that I've spoken at Regent University and Liberty University (one can assume my opinion on Roe). Fortunately, Matt Lewis is a common name. I can always say it was the other Matt Lewis. So should conservatives eschew writing as a means of communication? Certainly not. In thousands of letters, columns, and radio spots, Ronald Reagan didn't shy away from writing about his deeply held beliefs. Having a paper trail didn't seem to hurt his career. But in today's highly charged political environment, the question remains: Will blogging be the next youthful indiscretion?
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Merlot Democrats
According to The Corner, Howard Dean has started referring to the Democrat base as, "merlot Democrats." Now that, my friends, is elitist!
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If You Repeat Something Often Enough
 The German government will start their largest public service announcement campaign in January. What will they target: smoking, drugs, drunk drivers? Nope. Their target: public gloom. More about this here. The government hopes that by airing upbeat ads with the theme "You are Germany," the 70% rise in depression among its people will turn around. With that, the hope is that downward trends the economy, government trust, and consumer confidence will likewise be reversed.
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Sunnis Need Turnout, Too
The top story on the front page of the Chicago Tribune on Sunday shows the importance of voter turnout. Sunnis, who have been resistant to the constitution referendum in Iraq, flocked to the polls Saturday, mostly voting against the constitution. "Early indications suggested that turnout in the Shiite south and in the Kurdish north was lower than in January, suggesting that a vigorous campaign by Sunni Arab leaders to get out the Sunni vote had paid off, at least in some areas." One Shiite province showed a drop from 71% turnout in January to 33%. The Sunni Arab leaders have managed to energize their base, so they turned out to vote. The Shiites and Kurds showed "voter fatigue," expecting the constitutional referendum to pass easily and deciding they don't need to vote. They figured their vote wasn't needed and their leaders failed to make it clear that voting for the constitution was important. While the results are, as yet, unknown, initial indications showed the Sunnis looking strong, thanks to an energized base.
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Are conservatives elitist?
The debate over Harriet Miers' nomination to the Supreme Court has led her apologists to accuse her critics of being elitists. It appears some Republicans have gotten so used to scoring points with this accusation that -- under pressure -- they reverted to an argument that has previously worked. The first rule of politics is to attack the credibility of your attacker, so I'm not surprised the fragging has begun. But the problem is that the accusation is laughably false when directed toward conservatives. Granted, when Republicans accuse liberals of being elitist, the charge has merit. The so-called "Blue States" are full of intellectuals who view conservatives as knuckle-dragging, ignorant, racist, religious zealots who live in "fly-over country." Visible Hollywood liberals such as Barbara Streisand have also helped buttress the very real perception that liberals are literally elitist. But as George Will stated on ABC this morning, the man conservatives revere more than perhaps anybody else is Ronald Reagan -- a graduate of Eureka College. I would add that personally, I was greatly influenced by Rush Limbaugh (a college dropout). And let's not forget all those religious "zealots" who really owe our political philosophy to the teachings of (gulp) a carpenter ... Not only is the "elitism" accusation laughably false, it is incredibly insulting to a conservative movement that has prided itself on being almost anti-elitist. My dad was a prison guard. I worked my way through Shepherd College in West Virginia by working at an Amoco gas station, Il Forno Pizzeria, and Watson's Restaurant (in Frederick, MD). Many movement conservatives come from a similar background. Our movement is inherently anti-intellectual and anti-elitist. We come from places like Frederick, Maryland, North Dakota and West Virginia, for crying out loud. Our movement has gained credibility from intellectuals like William F. Buckley, who have proven that our ideas can compete -- and win -- in the academic world. Nevertheless, most conservatives joined the movement because they were inspired by a graduate of Eureka College, a College dropout, and a carpenter. If that's elitism, then I plead guilty.
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Secrets of Success
National Journal has an excellent article this week on the Secrets of Success. A few of them ring especially true: "Never underestimate the importance of a happy hour," and "Pay homage to the interns" -- but each and every tip is a wisdom key. I recommend picking up a copy.
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Prince of Providence Review
 I just finished reading The Prince of Providence. Truthfully, I didn't learn a thing about politics or running a campaign. Nevertheless, it was a good read - and I did learn a lot about Rhode Island. The book is fairly well written. The author describes Cianci as a politician who would, "attend the opening of an envelope," and Providence as "one really big smoky back room."
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Help me with this list
Studies show that students only retain a small portion of what they learn during a training seminar. For this reason, I created this blog, wrote Teaching Elephants to Talk, and started my website. The idea is to give conservatives a way to continue learning - even after the seminar ends. If you are a political novice, attending a campaign seminar is like "drinking from a fire hose." There's so much information being thrown at you that it can be overwhelming. In an effort to continue correcting this problem, I've come up with the idea of providing students with a very basic list of points to re-cap the training. This should serve to 1. Jog their memories about what was discussed, and 2. Highlight the most important points. The first question I have for you is this: what have I missed (if anything)? Here's the list:
-Being right, in the sense of being philosophically correct, is not enough to win.
-Whether it's raising money or recruiting volunteers, remember: You've got to ASK!
-A candidate should spend his or her time doing the two things only he or she can do better than anyone else: Raising Money and Meet Voters.
-Time is the most important element on a campaign. Target your limited resources toward eligible, likely, persuadable voters.
-All politics is personal. The more you know about a person, the better. This applies to volunteers, voters, and donors.
-A Grassroots Campaign is this: Obtain a list of eligible voters, ascertain for whom they will vote, work on the undecideds, and then turn out your voters.
-Remember: Logic leads to conclusions, emotion leads to action.
-Keep learning: Go to www.campaignleadership.com and www.mattlewis.org for tips and resources.
... The second question I have for you is: Should I give this out on paper at the end of a seminar - or email it to the students a few days later? Email me your thoughts at MLewis@campaignleadership.com.
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Conservative Film Festival
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Congrat's to Ruffini
Congrat's to Patrick Ruffini for landing his new gig as eCampaign director at the Republican National Committee. Patrick previously served as webmaster for Bush/Cheney '04. I think this is a smart move by the RNC. Clearly, Patrick was instrumental in organizing today's conference call between Ken Mehlman and conservative bloggers. This was a very good idea, but it is about two weeks too late ... Too bad they didn't hire Patrick sooner!
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New Kilgore Ad is Powerful
The new Kilgore for Governor TV ad has been released. The "Stanley" ad is a must see - very powerful. I've long advocated at campaign training seminars that conservatives must use emotion to persuade voters. Logic leads to conclusions -- but emotion leads to action. This ad will no doubt prove to be highly effective: Visit www.kainerecord.com or http://www.jerrykilgore.com/ to check it out.
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Dems Catching Up on Grassroots?
Looks like the Dems are trying to take a page from the Republican playbook by making strides in the areas of grassroots, micro-targeting, and message: Borrowing ideas from President Bush's re-election campaign, Madison Avenue and his own Internet-driven White House bid, the Democratic National Committee chairman hopes to drag the party into the 21st century. More.
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The Controversy Bias
Finally, a reporter tells us the truth about what reporters care about: Journalists as a group have center-liberal tendencies, but in the end, our chief allegiance is not to any political party. We are the party of scandal, failure, ignominy, embarrassment, and tragedy. The more of these horrors afflicting this or any other White House, the better for us. - William Powers, National Journal
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Weekend Review
It's been a terrific weekend. Thank you to everyone in Huntsville, TX for your hospitality this past weekend. Nothin' like a 3-day weekend to refresh and relax. Sadly, the Redskins lost yesterday ... but I guess you can't have it all.
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Special Offer!
Now you can learn from the best political experts for an entire month, for one low price! For just $8.25, you can now have access to our entire interview catalogue, featuring exclusive interviews with campaign experts like these, for an entire month! That's it, just pay $8.25 and listen to (or read) the interviews as much as many times as you want for an entire month. ... And we've just posted a brand new interview with Chuck DeFeo, who ran the eCampaign for Bush/Cheney 2004. To sign up for a month's worth of audio training, click here.
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Web Site Aims to Organize Liberal Activists
According to the Washington Post, liberal activists in Colorado are taking a page from the Dean Campaign. The goal is to create a go-to site for Colorado activists -- a sort of online hub for everyone from environmentalists to abortion rights advocates to those concerned about the direction of their school boards. The group hopes liberals will use the site -- ProgressNowAction.org -- to find each other, organize and meet people working on other issues. In the process, it hopes to assemble a statewide network of activists and, ultimately, give Democrats a new and easily replicated model for local political organizing.
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I can't resist commenting on yesterday's Washington Post Outlook story titled, Stop the Campaigning The Bush White House Is in Trouble Because of Its Disdain for Governing.
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