Jon Henke is an Internet Strategy and Communications Consultant. He has worked for the Fred Thompson and George Allen campaigns, the Arts+Labs coalition , the Auto Alliance and numerous other public affairs and corporate organizations. Previously, he was the New Media Advisor to the Senate Republicans in Senator McConnell’s Senate Republican Communication Center. Congressional Quarterly said he “launched one of the first and most successful blogger outreach operations on the Capitol Hill, one that has served as a template for other offices”, and the DC Examiner’s Mark Tapscott called him “one of the sharpest New Media strategists on the Right.” He has been a blogger since 2003 at QandO.net and TheNextRight.com . This interview was conducted by IM on Friday night, May 15th and has been edited for clarity.

10:08 PM Anna Curran: Thank you for squeezing the interview in on a Friday night!
10:09 PM Jon Henke: Let's get the important points out of the way first.
No Comment.
I'm outraged!
Shocked, I tell you!
Once again, my opponents demonstrate just how out of touch they are with The American People.
Think of the children!
10:09 PM Anna Curran: Now that we have that out of the out of the way are you ready to begin? Or, maybe, I should just let you interview yourself?
10:10 PM Jon Henke: Aw, I'd just end up asking myself questions about my kids. And answering them at great length.

10:10 PM Anna Curran: Fair enough, here goes... Jon, you have a professional background that includes experience with blogging strategy, online engagement, internet communications, as well as internet strategy. How did this come to be the focus of your career? Can you share an interesting lesson that you have learned along the way?
10:11 PM Jon Henke: I sometimes ask myself that same question. I discovered blogs in 2002 and it was an eye-opening experience. I began blogging in 2003, and had some success at it.
In 2006, after the "macaca incident", the George Allen campaign hired me to help them address the blogosphere. I was able to do a lot to help, but it just wasn't enough. Not only did Sen. Allen lose his race, the Republicans lost the Senate. At that point, I was sure the Republican Party would realize the importance of the internet and begin investing in better infrastructure and better online practices.
That turned out not to be the case.
In 2007, Sen. McConnell hired me to be the new media advisor to the Senate Republicans (making him a wise and thoughtful exception to the general Republican approach!). Later, I left to consult for the Fred Thompson campaign and continued working in political and policy consulting. So that's the fairly long version of my background. The most important lesson along the way: Don't try to direct people. Figure out what they want and help them.

10:19 PM Anna Curran: You say you had "some success" at blogging. The Congressional Quarterly said that you “launched one of the first and most successful blogger outreach operations on the Capitol Hill, one that has served as a template for other offices” Could you tell us about your outreach strategy? What worked? What didn't work?
10:20 PM Jon Henke: Outreach strategy: Get to know bloggers. Be one of them. Be credible. Be interesting. Keep it short. Respect their time. Don't just ask for favors. Try to help bloggers whenever you can. And NEVER send out a press release.
10:21 PM Anna Curran: When commenting on the future of the Republican party, you said, "it's hard to see how the Old Guard will be the agent of change." What are three things that the Party should do to reform and revitalize its brand?

10:23 PM Jon Henke: Three things the Republican Party needs to do to reform and revitalize its brand:
1. Respect expertise. Merit-based elitism is good. Facts and nuance are important. Also: some things are true, even if Democrats believe them.
2. It's been said that "Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket." Republicans are in the racket stage. Just as government suffers from "regulatory capture" the Right has found "movement capture". Republicans need to address the entrenched bureaucracy that has arisen within the conservative movement. That probably means creating new infrastructure. Competition is healthy.
3. Republicans need to forget about Democrats for awhile, and focus on reforming the Republican Party. After the '08 election, I wrote "Some of you will say "Republicans need to fight/hold Democrats accountable", as if it is sufficient to be against Democrats. The pendulum may eventually swing back to you, but you won't know what to do with it." Republicans need to fix their own problems first, and then focus on the fundamental, structural problems with government.

10:36 PM Anna Curran: I'd like to ask you a bit more about your background When you worked as the New Media Advisor to Senate Republicans, what was the toughest part of that job?
10:37 PM Jon Henke: The commute. Nobody enjoys the metro at 7:30am.
Oh, you mean the actual job?
10:38 PM Jon Henke: I loved the job. Every single day was amazing. Every day, I would walk into the Capitol Building, through the Rotunda, and into an office located directly between the Rotunda and the Old Senate Chamber. That was just as amazing on the last day as it was on the first. I had the chance to talk to various Senate and House offices about online communication. I had the chance to participate in some very important policy issues. I had the chance to be a part of very important stories.
I feel like I made a contribution.
My frustration was that I could not make more of a contribution.
Oh, and the technology barriers were also quite frustrating. As it turns out, the United States Government is every bit as inefficient, bureaucratic and slow as a libertarian like me always believed. Long story short: 6 months later, they had finally reached the stage of issuing a request to the technical advisory group to examine the feasibility of implementing blog software into the Senate internet infrastructure. Both Sen. McConnell's office and Sen. Reid's office were in favor of doing this, but the rules change for no man. And the Sergeant At Arms would not allow PHP/MySQL programs. PHP/MySQL programs.
10:47 PM Anna Curran: Why would the Sergeant At Arms not allow them?
10:48 PM Jon Henke: They insisted we could only use SQL Server. Maybe I should have asked them if they meant the European SQL Server or the African SQL Server. Security reasons. And rules. (shrug) There were enterprise editions of Wordpress and Movabletype being used by intelligence agencies, but apparently the US Senate has tougher standards. Honestly, I think it just wasn't a priority. Their IT goal was security and following the rules. The incentives just weren't aligned for evolution.

10:51 PM Anna Curran: Currently, you are working at DC Signal, a firm that you founded, as a New Media Political Consultant. What consulting projects do you find the most rewarding?
10:54 PM Jon Henke: I'm very focused on technology policy issues right now. I work for Arts+Labs (www.artsandlabs.com), and it's fascinating to think about the challenges and opportunities facing a digital society. I enjoy the policy aspects of this work. What is happening online, what does it mean, and what policies and messages are appropriate?

11:00 PM Anna Curran: Ready for the last question? What impact do you see Twitter having in the political realm?
11:02 PM Jon Henke: Damn, I was hoping for a question about my kids.
11:02 PM Anna Curran: OK. We will add one more question to the interview.
11:02 PM Jon Henke:I'm unsure how to measure the impact of Twitter. It may be that conservatives have embraced Twitter because they wanted online community, but they didn't have very much to say. That will change, though. American politics is very cyclical. Nothing rejuvenates the Right like Democratic control of government. As Democrats give Republicans more unifying grievances, Twitter may be a valuable tool for rapid communication and reinforcement.
I think it's a mistake to think of Twitter as an organizing tool any different than email or text messaging. Yes, it can be important. But it's just a tool, and it's only as valuable as the ideas we have to communicate.

11:08 PM Anna Curran: I see. So to conclude, I would like to ask you about your family what's the coolest thing about being a dad?
11:10 PM Jon Henke: Probably the 2-3 foot height advantage.
11:11 PM No, really, it's a toss-up between the unconditional love children give you and the amazing process of watching them develop, learn and become their own people. My oldest son is hilarious (I routinely quote him on Twitter and people seem to like him far more than me), and my youngest son is brilliant (2 years old and he's bilingual and already learning to read).
11:12 PM Anna Curran: And your wife is expecting on Monday. Do you know if you are expecting a boy or a girl?
11:16 PM Jon Henke: We're having a girl. Actually, let me ask you a question: We're down to three names and I have to pick among them. Olivia, Jordan or Caitlyn?
11:18 PM Anna Curran: They are all beautiful names. I am partial to Jordan or Olivia. Don't go with Panky. I saw that suggestion on Twitter!
11:19 PM Jon Henke: Yes, I'm....er....leaning away from that one. I don't think Turk truly has my best interests at heart there. Although, I did suggest the names Fannie and Beatrice. Mostly just to soften up my wife, so that when I suggested the names I really wanted, she would think they were WAY better than my previous ideas.
11:21 PM Anna Curran: Always thinking strategically!

Anna Curran currently works as Digital Strategy Consultant and Writer. She has a background in Florida Politics that includes setting up the initial campaign infrastructure for Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas' challenger race, as well as managing two State House races and the Mayor of Orlando's re-election race.