Mr. October
Yankees at Redsox. Could it be any better?
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posted by Matt Lewis at 5:16 PM
Friday, September 30, 2005
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Fashion Advice Needed!
... It's not the most profound question I've pondered -- but it is a question that confronts 21st century business men. You see, today is the first day this year that has felt like "Fall." As such, I wore a V-neck sweater over my button-down shirt. At the risk of sounding like some sort of metro-sexual, here's my question: Does the sweater tuck under the Blackberry - or go over the Blackberry? Just asking.
Fashion mavens, I need your advice at MLewis@campaignleadership.com.
posted by Matt Lewis at 10:52 AM
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Thursday, September 29, 2005
Heritage Foundation Appearance My panel discussion on grassroots politics at the Heritage Foundation went very well today. Special thanks to the IARC for inviting me. It was also great to get to appear on the same panel as Dan Clifton of Americans for Tax Reform and Phillip Stutts, former National Director for the RNCs 72-Hour Task Force. Both have tremendous knowledge and insight concerning how to motivate the grassroots.
posted by Matt Lewis at 8:15 PM
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More Shameless Self Promotion ...
Check out my new article about internet fundraising over at Personal Democracy Forum.
posted by Matt Lewis at 2:29 PM
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Wednesday, September 28, 2005
I Remember You
I'm in a very select group: Politician by day. Musician by night. It's basically Martin O'Malley, Joe Scarborough, and me. We rock.
Okay. Not really. The truth is that calling me a "musician" is kind of like calling Ben Afleck a politician. Strumming a guitar doesn't make you a musician any more than whining about politics makes you a politician. So I guess the way to describe me is as some guy who occasionally plays the "open-mic night." Whether I'm in Fargo or Washington, DC, I always manage to find a place that will tolerate my playing. Last night was such a night. I got off to a slow start. When you play an open-mic night, you usually borrow a guitar of the host band. Sadly, the very friendly guitarist with the very long hair neglected to tell me he had chosen to tune the guitar to an alternative tuning. As you can imagine, this dramatically affected my performance. Luckily, I figured it out half-way thru the first song. At D2K's urging, I closed my set with Skid Row's "I Remember You." In truth, I was playing this 80's classic strictly to be "ironic" - but I'm not sure the audience realized it. One fellow literally put his hands over his ears. Not a good sign. Well, at least the other songs went well. Upon sitting down, I realized that I'm probably the only guy in history of the world to perform "I Remember You" while wearing a collared shirt and a blackberry. Yet another record!
posted by Matt Lewis at 1:22 PM
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Ninth Term?
Here are my thoughts on Robert C. Byrd ...
posted by Matt Lewis at 7:09 AM
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Tuesday, September 27, 2005
New Site
The NRSC has launched MoveonByrd.org.
posted by Matt Lewis at 2:09 PM
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Promote Thy Self
I'll be part of a panel discussion at The Heritage Foundation for The Indian American Republican Council (IARC), this Thursday at 10:30 am. The topic is building an effective grassroots organization.
Here's some more info about the conference: The Indian American Republican Council (IARC) announces the first annual 'Indian American Conservative Forum' in Washington, DC. The forum, which will be hosted at the prestigious Heritage Foundation, is the first event of its kind for Indian-merican conservative activists and others interested in conservative politics. The forum will feature discussions with leading conservative thinkers in the US, and will provide an opportunity to network with prominent conservatives from across the country. The event includes: Reception with congressional and administration officials, including Congressman Bobby Jindal (R-LA); Briefings and views by Heritage Foundation experts on pressing issues for a stronger America; Panel discussion on the tools for building an effective conservative grassroots movement; Panel discussion on the future of the conservative movement; and Keynotes by conservative leaders. Queries should be directed to Anoop Prakash at anoop_prakash@yahoo.com or Ajay Kuntamukkala at kuntamukkala@comcast.net
posted by Matt Lewis at 8:28 AM
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The Matthews Maxim
Chris Matthews made a point on his Sunday morning show this week that isn't entirely original, but is interesting. His theory: We elect presidents merely to fill a vacuum left by the last President.
That's it. No grand campaign strategy. No deep policy differences. Just change ... If one guy is a wonk, the next guy will be folksy. If one guy is too slick, the next guy will be humdrum. Like many theories, I think there's an element of truth to it. But it's just one of many factors involved in a highly complex process of electing a president. Still, Matthews' argument has some merit. In high school, I was madly in love with this girl named Rachael. Predictably, she broke my heart. Now, I'm not saying I avoided "Rachael's" for the rest of my life. But I did avoid her "type" for a good decade. I guess it's reasonable to think this principle would apply to politics ... Human nature instills in us a belief that (if we keep tinkering long enough) we will eventually get it (whatever it is) right. Sometimes we overcompensate, throw the baby out with the bath water, and mess things up worse than before. Sometimes we change for the sake of change. But sometimes, we get it right.
posted by Matt Lewis at 5:23 AM
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More Ozzie ...
Shane writes:
The mistake politicians make in speaking "off-the-cuff" is they think they actually have to speak off-the-cuff and not rehearse. If you read anything about Reagan you know he rehearsed his speeches over and over until they sounded "off-the-cuff" because the words then came naturally and he could focus more on the emotion of the speech thus making it appear "off-the-cuff".
posted by Matt Lewis at 5:22 AM
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Monday, September 26, 2005
RE: Don't be like Ozzie
Nancy makes a good point. I don't think you should be like Ozzie Guillen - or Osborne - for that matter.
In all serousness, it seems to me that the candidates who are credited with being "real" are also the candidates who consistently lose at the presidential level (see Howard Dean and John McCain). On the other hand, I believe we are entering a new era in politics. A post-modern era, if you will. In short, the audience is more cynical these days. They can sense when they're being "spun." In the old days, Bush's speech in front of a New Orleans church might have been a big hit, merely because of the background visual. ... But Reagan and Clinton have raised the bar. It's no longer enough to have good PR. That might work in the state house, but this is the big leagues. I think the key for the future is that yes, you've got to have a disciplined message. That won't change. But now, the new skill will be staying on message while sounding like you are speaking off-the-cuff. It can't look rehearsed. It must seem natural. The truth is that there are a limited number of politicians who can pull this off (hey, nobody said this was gonna' be easy.) Do you agree? Email me: MLewis@CampaignLeadership.com.
posted by Matt Lewis at 11:12 AM
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Don't be like Ozzie!
The Chicago Tribune had a front-page story Sunday on White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and his off-the-cuff antics. He told reporters recently that if the White Sox won the World Series, he would quit managing so that he could get away from the stress but retire on top.
His boss, however, does not appeared to be worried. White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said, "A lot of the stuff he tells the media, he's just making it up. You don't know what to believe and what not to believe. Look, if we win the World Series, I might retire. Let's win a World Series first, then we'll see if he's serious." There's is a reason that politicians use tightly-scripted statements. They do not want to appear emotionally out of control. Don't speak off-the-cuff! Plan your remarks and answers to any possible questions from the press.
posted by Nancy Madsen at 8:50 AM
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Be True to Your State
The Washington Post has an interesting story today accusing Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney of "making fun" of Massachusetts. Now, granted, Republicans make fun of this state almost as often as France - but then again, most Republicans don't live in Massachusetts (or France). Is it smart for Romney to do this? Here are my thoughts:
posted by Matt Lewis at 5:22 AM
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Friday, September 23, 2005
Donahue vs. O'Reilly
Did anyone else catch the debate with Bill O'Reilly and Phil Donahue?
Donahue might be a wimpy liberal, but he knows a good literary device when he hears it. According to Phil, Bush "swaggered us" into war - and Cindy Sheehan is "one tough mother." These are both great sound bites (clearly Phil was well rehearsed.) His most effective tactic, however, was his constant re-framing of the debate. He accomplished this by asking the questions. Read the transcript and count how many times Donahue asks the questions (rather than the other way around). Here's just one example: Asking if you want to send more people to war (no President wants to do that) is kind of like asking, "Are you still beating your wife?" It's hard to answer a question like that - and that's just the point. Liberals know the way to control the debate is to ask the questions. This puts the other guy on the defensive, and it places the argument on your turf. In politics, the question is more important than the answer. Be the guy asking the questions, and you control the agenda. (That's one of the reasons liberals are attracted to becoming part of the media.) Granted, we have a natural disadvantage when it comes to debates; Conservatives feel obliged to answer questions. Liberals have no compulsion to do so. Thus, they have a rhetorical advantage. Phil Donahue came prepared. Let's look at that exchange one more time: DONAHUE: "You want to send more people to this war? Is that your position?" Note: Donahue's question is based on emotion. O'Reilly's answer is based on logic. In politics, emotion always trumps logic. As Phil learned during his stint at MSNBC, when it comes to TV ratings, Bill can't be beat. But when it comes to debating, Phil is (in his own words) "one tough mother."
posted by Matt Lewis at 1:41 PM
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In our thoughts
This year, I've had the pleasure of visiting Beaumont, Houston, and Corpus Christi, TX -- three of the cities currently bracing for Hurricane Rita. To the good folks I met during those travels, our thoughts and prayers are with you as you prepare to endure this storm.
posted by Matt Lewis at 12:14 PM
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Conservatives honor "Senator No"
Senator Jesse Helms was honored by conservatives at the Crystal City Marriott on Tuesday.
More than ten years ago, Morton Blackwell gave a speech titled: Why Jesse Helm's is the Country's Favorite Conservative Senator. In it, he said, "There would have been no conservative movement worthy of the name without Sen. Helms." Morton was right; it's hard for some younger readers (who know Jesse Helms only as a friend of rock star Bono) to fully comprehend, but for forty years liberals dominated Congress and controlled the agenda. During this time, conservatism's "Founding Fathers" took the lessons of Barry Goldwater's failed Presidential bid and created a movement. And when these conservative leaders looked to politicians for support, there weren't many who shared their philosophy. During this time, Jesse Helms was an unwavering voice in the wilderness on behalf of conservative principles of limited government. Here are some other things a lot of people don't know about Jesse Helms: The late liberal Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN) once said of Helms, "I think one of the ways you judge a person is just the way you watch them treat people . . . I don't think there is anybody in the Senate who treats them (pages and support staff) with more grace and is kinder and more appreciative. " Democrat Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) once said of Helms, "He was willing to take a stand even though he might stand alone. But it was without a tremor, without any indication he would cut his sail."
posted by Matt Lewis at 7:20 AM
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Political Lesson Learned:
President Bush is heading to Texas -- ahead of the storm. This seems to me to be good politics.
posted by Matt Lewis at 6:05 AM
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Postponed ...
The treaining in TX has been postponed.
posted by Matt Lewis at 5:31 AM
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Thursday, September 22, 2005
So Tell Me Mrs. Rita ...
So I'm supposed to fly to Texas tomorrow to do some campaign training ...
posted by Matt Lewis at 2:20 PM
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We're Back
It's been a while, but Matt Lewis & The News is Back!
posted by Matt Lewis at 2:16 PM
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Saturday, September 03, 2005
Headin' to PA
After a terrific Saturday, I'm heading to PA tomorrow to visit mom. If I don't get a chance to talk to ya' between now and Tuesday, have a great weekend!
posted by Matt Lewis at 3:58 PM
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Friday, September 02, 2005
The Irony and the ecstasy
The "game" of politics often reveals irony.
A classic example of this can be found in National Journal's recent "insiders poll" which asked the question: "Politically, would your party be helped or hurt if the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. at a 40-to-5 vote margin, Republicans said they would be hurt if Roe were overturned. Here is just one of their reasons: "We lose a good issue with the base and tick off the media, who make it a central issue in the next election." Democrats at a 43-to-11 vote margin believe that overturning Roe would be good for them politically. "If Roe got overturned, Republicans would pay a huge electoral price for their allegiance with the Religious Right." Let me get this straight: If we get our way, we lose? If we lose, we win? In the complex world of politics, that's just about right. If you've ever wondered why nothing gets done in politics, it's because it's in the politicians self interest to preserve the status quo. Ironic, isn't it ...
posted by Matt Lewis at 6:53 AM
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Thursday, September 01, 2005
Promote Thy Self
As Hotline said of President Bush's speech last night, "It was no Reagan Challenger Disaster Speech." Speaking of which, check out my latest article at Human Events.
posted by Matt Lewis at 11:23 AM
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