"HuffPo and [Talking Points Memo] really are the assignment editors for many in the Washington press corps"

--Liz Mair is an online communications expert and Account Services Director with Hynes Communications.

---

This interview was conducted on July 12th at 2:00pm and has been edited for clarity.

2:10 PM  Anna Curran: Liz, you were recently hired by Hynes Communications. What is your new job, and what does it entail?

2:15 PM Liz Mair: My job at Hynes Communications is Account Services Director. In essence, that means that I serve in a senior client services position, in which I work closely with Hynes clients and other senior Hynes personnel, serve as a main point of contact for several clients, and set and implement strategy for client campaigns. However, I also handle a fair amount of business and client development work and one further specific responsibility: Helping to expand the company's presence in Washington, DC.

2:18 PM  Anna Curran: Can you tell us about your prior work experience at the RNC as director of online communications? What were the most exciting parts of that job? What were the least exciting parts of that job?

2:21 PM Liz Mair:  I served as the RNC's Online Communications Director throughout 2008, which was the first time that I had the opportunity to work and collaborate with Patrick Hynes as a colleague.

First, getting to work to elect John McCain, a candidate who I felt devoted real interest and attention to the blogosphere and online media and who enjoyed engaging with members of it from across the political spectrum just as much as I do.

Second, having the opportunity to work with some of the best minds in both the tech and political worlds: Pat, of course, but also notably Cyrus Krohn (former RNC eCampaign Director and one of the people I've learned most from in my career) and DannyDiaz (former RNC Communications Director and one of the toughest and most aggressive communicators in politics), and former RNC Chairman Mike Duncan who hired them and me. There are so many others that I could list, too, but in the interest of keeping this interview to less than two hours, I'll draw the line there for now.

Third, having the opportunity to develop and lead what seems to be regarded in many quarters as a truly groundbreaking and aggressive effort to engage online media that included things like me attending the BlogHer 2008 conference in San Francisco where I debated Rep. Allyson Schwartz in a room full of high-profile women bloggers as a surrogate for John McCain.

Fourth, having the opportunity to attend both the Democratic and Republican conventions. I should add, of course, that the latter involved me getting very little sleep for a solid two weeks, which is I suppose was the downside of serving in the role I did last year.

2:33 PM Anna Curran: You have worked as political consultant for various political campaigns. What has it been like watching new media impact the political process? Do you have any stories about how technology has changed how you and your team campaign for candidates?

2:42 PM Liz Mair: Well, first, it's been exciting and interesting. Second, as to how technology has changed the way political campaigns operate, while it would be impossible to spell out all the differences here (they are too extensive), I will say that with the explosion of blogs, media cycles, specifically have changed. Mainstream reporters now have an additional source of information, story ideas and similar, and many of them do rely on blogs, generally, and particular blogs, especially, for information and indications of what might be a hot story to pursue and delve further into.

Brian Rogers, former spokesman for the McCain campaign and another of those I enjoyed working with last year, recently said in a quote given to Politico for a piece citing both of us that "HuffPo and [Talking Points Memo] really are the assignment editors for many in the Washington press corps" and that's true. Where something big, or that looks like it could be big, breaks on either of those sites, especially, you can expect that it will be everywhere, online and off, within a matter of hours. That's true to a greater extent every day with other blogs and online media sources, too (on both the left and the right), which means that campaigns, and companies and associations with public affairs issues, can't ignore online media or treat it as relatively unimportant.

2:43 PM  Anna Curran: What motivates you stay politically active? Do you have anyone in particular who inspires you to keep going?

2:52 PM Liz Mair: While I don't think of myself as being tremendously ideological, there are key issues that I care about deeply, and that's a big motivator. Also, though, every campaign one works on, whether it's fighting a particularly problematic economic policy proposal or fighting to elect a candidate, presents its own unique challenges-- and much like athletes who are always looking to be better, stronger and faster, those involved in the political and public affairs world are often looking to be more aggressive, persuasive and effective. That's a motivator for me, too. As to who inspires me, there are so many people I've drawn inspiration from that it's hard to name just one, quite honestly. I have always admired Margaret Thatcher, her toughness and her tenacity, though-- I will say that.

3:02 PM Liz Mair: As to the "others who inspire you" portion of that question, what I will say is that I think the guys at betaworks do some very cool stuff, I value and respect anyone who is trying to increase the use of mobile in political campaigns within the US, and my former boss, Cy Krohn, and the RNC's current New Media Director, Todd Herman, always provide me with much food for thought.

The issues that most get me going are probably spending, trade, and transparency. I'm pretty big on health care and energy/environment as issues, too.

3:00 PM Anna Curran: Lastly, What book do you think should be on everyone's bookshelf?

3:05 PM  Liz Mair: As a political type and someone who spent four years studying International Relations, I have to say Machiavelli's "The Prince." I think it's one of those things that one simply must read at some stage if one is involved in politics in any way, shape or form.

---

Liz Mair is an online communications expert, new media adviser, political consultant and blogger-- and Account Services Director with Hynes Communications.

During 2008, Liz served as Online Communications Director at the Republican National Committee, where she led an aggressive and groundbreaking online media outreach effort aimed at electing John McCain, Sarah Palin and Republicans across the country. In her work for Hynes Communications, she utilizes that experience, her extensive knowledge of the blogosphere, new media, and politics generally and diverse array of media contacts to further client objectives.

Liz is also a sought after guest speaker, having presented on a diversity of new media topics at conferences including CPAC 2008, BlogHer 2008, and the 2009 Personal Democracy Forum. She has also guest-commentated on CNN, CNN.com, C-SPAN, NPR, the Lars Larson show and countless other radio shows across the country.

Born and raised in Seattle, Liz lived in the United Kingdom for ten years. There, she earned an MA in International Relations from the University of St. Andrews and attended law school, ultimately practicing corporate law in the City of London for three years. Liz also holds a certificate in Political and Social Sciences from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris. She lives in Arlington, Virginia, with her husband, Mark.

Know someone who I should interview? Email your suggestion to me at anna@personaldemocracy.com.

Attachment	Size
Liz_Mair.jpg	27.17 KB