A new conservative culture think tank started last month called the Culture Project. It claims it is "a revolutionary initiative to change the American cultural paradigm from liberal to conservative" and it intends to "inculcate into the American people via professions of cultural influence".


There have been other more moderately conservative efforts along this line. As we've talked about before in this blog, the Washington Institute convenes "conversations of consequence" in an effort to "renew culture". While their efforts are underlined with a strong theme around serving and social justice, The Culture project is focused on what they call "Liberty Culture".

The Project goes on to explain why it is needed:

A recent article at The American Thinker, by Bruce Walker, included an interesting passage indicating exactly why we need The Culture Project:

A lot of persuasion is necessary before Americans (including our elites and their institutions) change their way of thinking. We in fact still need a crusade to change hearts and minds more than a candidacy.


Exactly! Top-down action will never change hearts and minds to the degree necessary to make a fundamental difference. Focusing on politics alone will continue to leave us frustrated. The Culture Project offers a bottom-up approach in the cultural influence professions. Nothing like it has ever been attempted before.

A new "crusade to change hearts and minds" has begun.

The Culture Project claims that it is basing its strategies on "a different approach, one that has worked for the liberals and can work for conservatives." While there is likely more liberal-identified than conservative-identified institutions that work in part or whole in the cultural realm (not to mention culture makers and leaders), there is no single progressive think tank working in the focused way that both The Culture Project and Washington Institute do to act as a hub for thought, activity and leaders on strategies for moving culture.

That leaves liberals at a distinct disadvantage. They have all the makings to excel in ways that corporations, religions and conservatives would die to achieve, and squander it because they don't realize its power and their advantage in using it.

Perhaps they are looking right at it but instead of seeing power and opportunity, they are blinded by celebrity. As a colleague said to me the other day in talking about the Obama-Phenomenon: "This is not something that Obama created. He has just figured out how to use culture to create a movement." (See our blog posting the other day on cultural indicators in this election.)



A side note: Our intentions with this blog have always been to gather thoughts on this subject. Tell us what you think about the idea of creating a think tank to be more serious about furthering work in this field.

Two new developments in the continued blurring of culture and politics this election cycle:

1.) will.i.am's video and song "Yes We Can" is currently in the running for MTV's Best Video award.



2.) Last night Colbert, the comedy show host and one-time Presidential candidate, has asked for a chance to speak at the Democratic National Convention. Will he get it? There are already several petitions launched for just this effort.

As you probably know, we're pretty obsessed with the role that creative communities can play in change-making. I just found that Americans for the Arts has put together a database that maps creative industries by state, city, congressional district, state legislative district, county, etc.

Because it is an election year, I started looking at swing states, and noticed that some--like OH, PA, OK, + CO--have more than one city in the top 50 most creative industrial base-cities. It seems to me that this information can be useful somehow in our efforts to move the cultural needle on issues. Maybe someone out there has some ideas as to how.

Polling in election years usually capture how would-be voters feel on issues and whom they think will be the better candidate. Perhaps this election cycle is unlike any before in that there are also cultural indicators to be watched:

UPDATE: In the continuing blurring of culture and politics this election cycle, will.i.am's video and song "Yes We Can" is currently in the running for MTV's Best Video award.

UPDATE 2: As reported on Future Majority, McCain's "celebrity" attack on Obama deployed web ads, one of which featured a clip from Wayne's World. Mike Myers, Wayne in Wayne's World, demanded that the McCain campaign remove the video from YouTube or face legal action for copyright infringement.

• Songs written about each candidate

o McCain 2
o Obama 28

• Designs on Café Press (a user-designed online merchandise company)

o McCain 17,50
o Obama 53,500

• Appearances since 2000 on cultural TV shows

o The Daily Show

• McCain: 12
• Obama: 3

o Colbert Report

• McCain: 0
• Obama: 1

o Letterman

• McCain: 8
• Obama: 4

o Saturday Night Live

• McCain: 2
• Obama: 1

• Movie appearances

o McCain: cameo in Wedding Crashers

A deeper look at these indicators might be useful in modeling voter behavior. If not, it definitely illustrates the connection between culture and politics. Indeed, politicians are quoting musicians , musicians are creating songs about politicians, and sometimes it is unclear who is the bigger draw.


Sources: IMDB Movie + TV Database, Cafe Press product search, Air Traffic Control Research.