Strategic Policy

MEMORANDUM

To: Interested Parties
Date: October 27, 2008
Regarding: What We Need, Issue No. 1

  The outcome of the November 2008 election is, at the time this is being written, not clear. It appears that Sen. Barrack Obama, D-Ill., will be elected president and that the Democrats will increase their majorities in both houses of Congress.

  There are a number of reasons for this including a general level of fatigue among the voting population with the Republicans. Regardless of the outcome, however, the last two years have made clear that conservatives are entering a period of political opposition. Whether it will be a long opposition or a short one will depend on our ability to mount an effective campaign to regain the trust of the American electorate.

  In order to do that, we will have to close what appear to be significant gaps in our operational armor.

  By no means an exhaustive examination of our assets and liabilities, this memo is intended to identify organizational components I believe conservatives will need to establish to regain our political viability over the long term and position us to capitalize on the backlash that two years of left-liberal leadership in Washington is almost certain to produce.

  The first iteration of this memo will simply identify, for lack of a better term, arrows that need to be placed in the quiver. Most of these ideas are not new. And there are, admittedly, organizations that already deal with some of the needs raised in this document. Where that is the case these organizations need to be strengthened.
Subsequent versions of this memo will discuss, in greater detail, the various elements, their purpose and their function.

1. A branded, original elite daily news Web site modeled on The Huffington Post that includes celebrity commentary, news analysis, reportage and news feed including and beyond politics that is generally but not exclusively conservative in its outlook.
2. As a companion to an elite news site, an Internet platform that targeted at middle America that includes commentary, news analysis and coverage of current events from the conservative/populist perspective.
3. A national text messaging network for communicating to cell phones.
4. A regulatory Web portal through which users can send comments to federal agencies on proposed regulations that will collect names, e-mail addresses and other demographic data so that two way communication between the site and users can eventually be achieved.
5. A Web site devoted to "crazy laws" and "crazy Judges" that will help define the problem of the out-of-control judiciary through real world examples. And, as an adjunct to this, an effort to persuade the major media to identify federal judges by the names of the president who appointed them just as members of Congress are identified by party and by the state they represent.
6. A Wiki site where citizens and activists, under the supervision of a paid editor and requiring a policy of strict referencing, can document the PR and propaganda activities of public relations firms and public relations professionals engaged in managing and manipulating public perception, opinion and policy. The site will also include profiles on think tanks, left-liberal organizations and left-liberal experts and commentators that work to influence public opinion and public policy on behalf of corporations, governments and special interests. 
7. A "What I Believe" series on a self-contained Web site or perhaps franchised out to a major movement magazine where the political leaders who wish to be seen as "leaders" in the conservative movement can submit essays that tell us what they believe about the role of the federal government in the lives of the American people.
8. An organization devoted exclusively to the production of training modules and training seminars for conservative political candidates, incumbents and campaign activists.
9. A government watchdog organization that works with investigative journalists to expose waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.
10. An Institute for Public Ethics that will, without regard to party promote good government and, again working with investigative journalists, expose corruption in federal government.
11. A concerted effort to utilize "You Tube" and other video posting sites where the video revolution can be used to our advantage. In addition, a push toward the production of conservative documentaries can be coupled with this effort can help educate the electorate.
12. A news/gossip Web site.
13. A university-based center for statistical accuracy.
14. A solution oriented organization devoted exclusively to the challenge posed by the ever-increasing burden entitlements place on the American economy.
15. Assuming that talk radio survives the challenge of a renewed "Fairness Doctrine," a Spanish-language Rush Limbaugh.
16. Television entertainment programming that reflects traditional American values.
    
    As indicated earlier, future versions of this memo will explain these ideas in greater detail. Your comments, suggestions and additions are requested.