Conservative Infrastructure Beginnings…The Powell Memo and Advocacy Writing

This is part 1 of a 3 part series. Check out part 2 and part 3. 

Conservatism has been around for quite some time, however I believe that the rise of their infrastructure and media is a newer thing in the conservatism movement. Have you ever heard of the Powell Memo? I never had prior to taking my activists writing media class, which is curious because the Powell Memo plays a big role in the rise of conservative infrastructure. As a student, I never once learned this through all of my years of education, but why? I feel that it can be important to know how things came to be, especially since politics is a huge part of America today. Despite the fact that I do not have a large interest in politics, understanding some basics can help me become an educated citizen.

The Powell Memo was written by Lewis Powell in 1971 as a letter to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It is a great example of advocacy writing, something that anyone who has strong feelings and viewpoints should look into. Powell states the issue at hand: to defend free-market capitalism from the many organizations/people that are trying to harm it. He proceeds to suggest different solutions to the problem, one of them being the creation of think tanks across America. Although you may not have a clear understanding of what think tanks are, you will soon find out in my next blog post as I explain their role in the rise of conservative infrastructure and how they affect conservatism and politics today.

Powell’s memorandum is read best when looking at it in the following format that aids advocacy writing:

They have ______________.

I/we don’t have ______________.

So, they shouldn’t have ______________ either.

OR

They have ______________.

I/we don’t have ______________.

How do I/we get ______________ too.

These two formats are extremely helpful in advocacy writing as it allows the writer to establish the problem at hand and how to act upon it, not simply wait around for someone else to do something (which seems to be the problem these days).

It seems that Powell may have followed the format in his memorandum to get his point across, which it did. The memorandum was spread across America, suggesting political organizations to become more involved in matters.

Was he successful? I would have to say yes, even though I feel his memorandum is a bit over exaggerated and makes it seem like everyone except conservatives who hold the same ideals as him are the problem. Powell pushes his ideas onto everyone else, specifically the Chamber of Commerce, to act and act now. He wants them to follow his suggestions as they are the BEST suggestions. Basically, he wants the Chamber of Commerce to modernize their efforts and acts to lobby the federal government. So is Powell helping politics and America or did he simply create further problems? One thing is for sure, he helped bring the conservatives into the limelight quickly.