Check out this week’s Pub Politics at WACH FOX, Wesley showing the right side as always!

Transparency is still an issue that the public demands. Many hoped that the promises of the last election cycle would bring about a badly needed understanding of transparency and thus a higher standard of holding officials accountable. While it might not be happening through government, it’s happening through the Internet. The Internet is making people honest.

People are good people for the most part. We’ve always thought that most public officials, even ones plagued by scandal are good people- sometimes they just don’t know how to handle media and the public gets the worst impression of what’s actually happening.

We have a firm belief that many of the shady dealings we hear about in government aren’t in fact shady. Relationships are the basis of the political culture, and part of growing up is giving qualified people the opportunity to interact, building a relationship, and then using that relationship to prosper and share your success among those who have helped you. It’s not corruption. Using the resource of relationships to make your operation more successful isn’t corrupt. If you’re bribing folks with public money rather than giving strangers an opportunity to succeed, you’re corrupt.  Taking advantage of people is corrupt. But in terms of benefiting from relationships, there’s a corrupt way, and a non-corrupt way.

Many of the recent scandals we’ve heard about have been blown completely out of context.

Why?

It’s the fact that the information was leaked rather than put out up-front-  media gets the advantage with how it’s reported. If you’re shady about how you go and get the paper in the morning, chances are some scandal could be made from it. Looking at some of the recent issues in our state government, it’s clear that interoffice communications lag behind the media. In this respect, the media has an advantage and communications  squads aren’t getting up to date with the curve.

Officials aren’t taking enough offense with getting their message out there. That message can be political: “Stand with me and support..”, or it can be something more crafted and calculated.  If something could be misinterpreted or leaked later, why not just tweet it and present it as how you want it to be presented? If people see a human with real emotion, and garner a sense of humanity they are far more accepting of that person.

Full disclosure really isn’t valued enough as a strategic asset.

In Googling “[SC Politico’s] Blog”, I found that two of the six officials I Googled have blogs. Four didn’t, and it happened to be that the two who did have blogs didn’t update them regularly.  Bad strategy, when the benefit of having a written record of what you value and want to accomplish adds an additional touch of humanity that could certainly benefit a campaign.

Politics is dirty. So put it out there in your own words. Cause chances are, enough people may already know.

Officials haven’t used their media to create a written, and historical record of their position, their dealings, their daily grind- and that may have hurt them especially this past year.

The rise of social media is one of the mechanisms that are creating a more open and honest environment.  So be honest. Let us know what you’re doing- in your words. Instead of fumbling on camera later or being probed by the press, a little bit of non- content sensitive, straightforward honesty could go a long way.

This week proved to be one of the greatest achievements for our industry, proof that our craft has shown its’ full potential, and is now a vital tool to the democratic process.

Whether you were for, or against SOPA and PIPA, new media was the shepherd of its’ demise. Last week, over 1,000 protestors showed up to the Capitol. That didn’t kill it. Congress received 200,000 phone calls. That didn’t kill it. However, between the 200,000 phone calls that were made through Tumblr and Craigslist- and the 7 million online signatures on the Google petition AND the 2.4 million tweets….That might have killed it.

In this election where Super PAC’s have unlimited tools to relay their message, Tweeters do as well.  Even media companies themselves are stepping up their representation in Washington.  Federated Media Publishing  chairman John Battelle wrote on his blog, the Valley has realized that it “can’t afford to not engage with Washington anymore … Silicon Valley is waking up to the fact that we have to be part of the process in Washington — for too long we’ve treated ‘Government’ as damage, and we’ve routed around it.”

Twitter and other online industries never saw themselves as a political force. Now, they are truly stepping up as the vox populi.

Where will this take our company? Who knows We recognized that new media was a political tool long before we put out this blog post. We sort of…started business as the bridge between politics and technology. That’s our niche.

It’s great to see that our country is willing to rise up. For years, the sentiment has been that youth is too lazy to rise up and challenge, or fight for what they think is right. With avenues like this, it’s easy for lazy folks to send out a tweet, and organize through a loose network of opposition that on the whole, sends a very loud message.

Welcome to the age of Internet opposition. Does your campaign have what it takes to weather the storm of opposition? Or are you prepared to mobilize your online forces to support your interests? While there’s a world of net insurgents out there ready to shut you down, every coin has another head, and you can use it to your advantage.

January 25, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Wesley Donehue
Email: Wesley@DonehueDirect.com

Donehue Direct Hires New Director of Campaign Management

Columbia, SC – Donehue Direct is proud to announce the hiring of Patrick Arnold as the new Director of Campaign Management, adding a wealth of expertise and experience to the senior leadership staff.

A Louisiana native, Arnold has worked with numerous state and local organizations, including rising GOP star Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. His record of success speaks for itself.

In South Carolina, Arnold advised numerous candidates running in state and municipal election, including two which won in near-unprecedented landslides.

“Innovation and organization continues to drive elections. That is why I am excited to join the cutting-edge team at Donehue Direct,” said Arnold.

Arnold has been described as a campaign engineer: a play on words with his engineering degree from Louisiana State University and reputation for dense, meticulous campaign planning and execution style.

His experience with state and local campaigns makes him a key acquisition for Donehue Direct. As the company expands, opening a new office in San Francisco, we’re excited to build upon the momentum gained throughout his career.

“Donehue Direct is becoming the nation’s most innovative political firm because we build technology and run political campaigns,” CEO Wesley Donehue said. “Patrick knows how to win on the ground and he’ll lead our campaign management division to new victories.”

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Internet Regulation: Is It Necessary?

Being an Internet based firm, we are always interested in the newest trends and regulations affecting the industry. SOPA is certainly an issue that we’re monitoring, and we’ve given long thought to the benefits and reservations associated with the act. It seems that the House Judiciary Committee’s decision to table the bill might have been wisest decision to date.

SOPA’s intention is to curb online piracy and protect the interests of American companies. Supporters of the act suggest that the government should establish new methods to monitor and curb online piracy. The broad scope of the legislation would allow a letter to serve as an official complaint, and allow the Justice Department to shut down websites that infringe upon corporate interests. This is to be done in the name of piracy prevention, and as a result if this legislation passed there would certainly be an expansion of government. This would be the government’s first foray into the realm of Internet regulation, and we feel it’s unnecessary.

While the legislation would protect business, the language could be perceived to allow free speech, dissent, and opposition of those interests to be silenced. Remember countries such as China, Iran, North Korea- their governments all have authority to shut down such information as well. This legislation could be used to create an on and off switch.

To suggest that the government should take more of an interest in monitoring the Internet offers no logical reinforcement. The Internet is the last free domain, and if corporations that have profited like never before from the Internet can’t cut their own losses, then they should consider expanding their legal and copyright departments.

SOPA’s blowback could be worse than copyright infringement itself. Radical groups like Occupy could have their communications cut off, while other groups like the Tea Party could as well due to political or corporate opposition. It essentially could end dissent. If you believe in a free society, you certainly appreciate the value of the other viewpoint and its’ right to exist.

While the intent of SOPA is to block Peruvian websites offering free streaming of “Caddyshack”, the effect of the law could revolutionize the structure of the Internet. In our opinion, it’s fine, and doesn’t need any change. The Internet is our lifeblood at Donehue Direct, and we believe in keeping it free.

Join us in rejecting support for SOPA, and similar measures that would regulate the Internet.

Reality: You Can Own It, Or It Can Own You

IT’S the solar eclipse of politics, and it only happens once every 4 (or years.

It’s the time when importance and relevance is finally cast on the great state of South Carolina, and our opinion truly matters.

Eight years is a long time span, with four seeming to be just as much. For someone in their formidable years, it can mean the difference of pursuing a career (or life) path that they wouldn’t normally pursue, or taking the easy corporate route. Something about the lights, the cameras, and the action can truly leave one in a stupor.

Fortunately for me, I had Barry Goldwater on my bookshelf when I was 15. But for others, the primary season can be the catalyst for recognizing an unfound love. When you’re in a room at arms-length with important Senators, news anchors, and ”movers and shakers”, it’s easy to look to your left, right, and say, and “what do these people have that I don’t…I’m doing this.” It’s the hyperactive grind of the political beat that can literally blindside you into a career that until that moment, you least expected.

The next couple days in S.C. are important for the election, and with that, there’s ever-important things going on every day. If you aren’t already involved, go be. Campaigns are being run, debates (like the FREE FOR STUDENTS SRLC DEBATE in Charleston) are being held, and media is all over Columbia like white on rice. In our age, it’s even easier to get involved. Tweeting, blogging, and putting your opinions out there is a first step. There’s opportunity around just about every corner. Why don’t you do it? It could possibly start a love affair with politics that got hold on me years ago.

That love died for a while, but it’s coming back. Slowly. Politics is about finding the right people, and being loyal to them. It’s a pretty simple concept, and who knows- one handshake backstage could set it off for you.

So, get out of bed and get involved. Expose yourself to new surroundings. Then, decide what to be and go be it.

-RAS

Strategic Tweetin': It's The Ticket

Twitter is an experience. It really is. I was reading my twitter-feed with the usual blend of humor, political insight, spam, and emotion (as usual), and I thought of something.

Never before has there been a medium where one could inform the public of what’s going on with such little effort. Twitter’s instantaneous nature, coupled with its massive reach could serve to protect, rather than destroy one’s image as it’s done this year.
Tweets just really aren’t used properly or as they should be to deliver a message. Especially, for elected officials.

Most of these tweets I see on my feed are a reflection of what’s going on at the time.

So couldn’t that be used for defense in the future?

Someone’s funny picture, commentary on the world, etc, all have some insight into what the speaker-or tweeter, is doing at that certain time in space. But it isn’t really thought of in that way by the general public.

Really interesting concept, you know. It’s a sort of written record into the private affairs of an individual that’s completely monitored solely by that said individual. As SC State Senator Harvey Peeler tweeted, “It used to be you are what you eat, now it’s you are what you tweet.”

That’s true, and while we all study the ways in which twitter has been used to create controversy (or being misused), very little attention has been given to the positive benefits of this control.

To be blunt, I really think entire scandals could have been avoided through the use of Twitter. I could imagine that a “Stopping at the Best Buy to pick up a PS3 for the campaign trail, my kids and my volunteers are gonna LOVE it!” tweet could have helped one situation. Perhaps, “Just had a great lunch representing S.C. in Atlanta on behalf of the ports. We’re bringing Southern ports into the 21st century!” could have helped another case.

I say this because I think we’ve created such a vicious political culture here in our state that any and every little detail is often stretched for effect- it’s important to communicate your ideas at any and every potential moment.

Defensive media strategy isn’t valued as it should be, and often times the offense has a victory simply because they’re the first one to come out with a story. If there’s some record of the proceedings (say, live tweeting perhaps), the “no comment” can be replaced with “Our involvement was made clear through various announcements over the official twitter page on the date of the original event. This is not an issue to discuss, or one that needs further explanation. Please see our twitter page for more information on that subject.”

Remember, Twitter is you. It’s a reflection of instantaneous thought. It can be used or abused, but always remember what it is- public record, if needed to be. If more campaigns and officials used that to their advantage and coupled it with blogging, facebook, and other forms of media then there might be hope for the future.

-RAS

With our base of operation located in the Palmetto State, things look to get even more nuts as we approach the South Carolina Primary in a little over a week.

As Presidential candidates fight it out for the heart (and more importantly the votes) of South Carolinians, the media will be there chronicling it all.

But the media needs help. That is why our CEO Wesley Donehue has made apperances or been quoted on CNN, MSNBC, Washington Post, New York Times, Reuters, The Hill, Politico, NPR and many others.

Last night, he also appeared on CBS Evening News to talk about South Carolina and the, well, “unique” importance it plays in the presidential primary process. Check out the video below to hear his take.

Be on the lookout for more appearance by Wesley in the news over the coming week because the race in South Carolina is just getting warmed up.

Taking Over This Town.

It’s been a great year for everyone at Donehue Direct. Most everyone in the office is either embarking on a new career goal, relationship, graduation…who really even knows. This office understands the value of risk. We take risks. We fail. But ultimately, we learn from those failures and we succeed. It’s one of the cherished values of modern conservatism, and we remember it in our daily lives- we don’t “barter incentive for dole.”

This year has been especially fruitful for our CEO Wesley Donehue. He’s traveled the globe looking at sites for future expansion, witnessed communism, socialism, libertarianism, statism, mercantilism-whatever your “-ism” is; he’s probably been to that country this year as well.

He’s received numerous awards this year for innovative strategies, and this year his commentary has been heard at conventions, forums, socials, and every sort of interview. The ironic award that he is most proud of is being deemed “the worst person in the world” by a man who made Lou Holtz and Bryant Gumbel look like Lee Corso on Sportscenter. That man is Keith Olbermann, the ratings guru who’s success has landed him on Current TV. You can check out his show (but we don’t encourage you to waste your time) if you buy the obscure satellite and cable plan including Current TV. Otherwise, you won’t find him on “basic”.

Recently, Wes got a bit of hometown recognition. In this month’s edition of Columbia Business Monthly he was listed as one of the most influential folks in the game. Not just the game of politics, but the game of life. The list is shared with others such as Governor Haley, Bobby Hitt, Steve Benjamin, Darla Moore, Dick Harpootlian, along with others from other walks and industries.

It’s a great achievement, and we’re proud of him. One thing is clear- the momentum of 2011 is going to make 2012 HUGE. We’re gonna rock it. You guys….you guys should hop on board and join us, or else you might get left biting the dust.

- The Donehue Direct Soldiers (Jarrett, Jonathan, Renee’, Robert, Adam, Michael, Coard, Jeff)

Not much to talk about today. It’s a holiday, at least for the better half of this state.