What does it take to start a political think tank anyway? I have so many things that I get on my soap box about that I think are critically important. I was thinking of calling it The Founding Fathers Institute or something along those lines. I'm more convinced than ever before that our only hope as a nation is to return to the principles and faith of our forefathers.
Maybe freepers should start a "political think tank?"
there are many avenues to get your toe in the door.
Attend and participate in your local political party organizations - I started attending my county Republican Women's Committee and my County Republican Committee meetings, for example.
This will put you shoulder to shoulder with your party reps from local to DC. I soon found myself regularly being sent to the State Conferences as a delegate, and holding many offices - including Pres. of the Women's Committee. This afforded me many opportunities to meet our national leaders - (my favorite was a private dinner (only 16 of us) with Barbara Bush...invaluable.
I got to introduce candidates when they first threw their hats in the ring -= and work for, maintain contact with them up through their career - Governor/Congressman/Senators, etc.
Participation in these groups will give you contact with others who are involved in politically/socially active groups - groups you can "umbrella" your own organization with.
I started my "Families For Freedom" almost cold - having newly moved back to my home state and not knowing many people. Word of mouth got around fast and a state wide paper - published by L. L. Bean's granddaughter - called and did a front page "center fold" article on me.
It mushroomed from there: Charlotte called me as did other organizations...and this also led to my being an all expenses paid guest for the Washington "Easgle Forum Conference."
State reps sponsored bills for "Families" - and we fought hard - but our house and senate has been run by the socialists for 40 years now.
I was contacted and given an hour on Boston TV to debate the Lesbian Group that wrote the infamous book, pushed on our school kids "Our Bodies, Ourselves" - given as a "gift" to all schools by Planned Parenthood.
We fought for the right of parents to home school -= at that time, a 'crime' that was landing parents in jail here. (We had an 'underground railroad' to spirit parents and their kids to safety in Canada when the state was moving to take their kids and put them (parents) in jail. (Maine is now the premier state for home schooling - and that is one hard-won right the socialists cannot get back into the bottle.)
I found myself being invited to speak to groups around the state, even to a panelist on state run 'discussion' groups (I had a friend on the inside who would put me on the panel, much to the discomfort of the state robots. I had a lot of fun with those conferences. :o)
I also wrote investigative pieces for the aforementioned paper - once infiltrating a "NO PRESS" meeting of the Maine DSOC - Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee - and blew the lid off, with quotes from our Senate Majority Leader, (dem) who was their head speaker and who held up a card saying: "I, like you, am a card carrying Socialist..." and went on to lament that they were not going to be strong enough (now that Reagan had won) to operate openly as socialists, so their modus operandi would have to be to totally infiltrate and take over the democratic party. Then then outlined their strategy.
Well, on and on - it's really quite easy once you take the first step to get the ball rolling - like groups and folk will find you!
Go get 'em!
(I'm now an ole, retired great-granny...my 'activity' is now restricted to 'mouthing off' :o) -