Seven Conservative 'Power Players' to Watch in 2010

Much hand-wringing has occurred recently over the future of the conservative movement, but the truth is there really is a strong bench.

Following are seven top conservative "power players" to keep an eye on in 2010. Each person listed has an impressive list of accomplishments with many productive years ahead of them. The list includes bloggers, public relations gurus, and organization leaders -- most of whom the average American has never heard of -- but all of whom have dramatically impacted the political climate.

(Note: My goal is to introduce you to emerging, behind-the-scenes "power players," so you won't see household names such as Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter, and Tucker Carlson, or organizations like The Club for Growth. Nor will you see names of other "power players," Robert George among them, who have recently been profiled in major publications.)

In no particular order, here are seven important conservative names you should know.

1) Arthur Brooks -- Imagine if one of the guys from Freakonomics were hired to run a major conservative think tank. Now you can picture Arthur Brooks. In fact, Brooks has occasionally guest blogged on the Freakanomics blog, and he does run The American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Brooks seems, perhaps, too hip to oversee a think tank, much less the oldest and one of the most respected such organizations in the nation, where prominent conservatives like Newt Gingrich, Elizabeth Cheney, and former Ambassador Josh Bolton presumably spend time thinking.

Brooks' resume is by no means ordinary. He is an accomplished musician (he was a professional French horn player), a social scientist, and an economist. His recent books include, "Who Really Cares:The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism," and "Gross National Happiness, Why Happiness Matters for America-and How We Can Get More of It."

What to expect from Arthur Brooks in 2010: He will release a book titled "The Battle: How the Fight Between Free Enterprise and Big Government Will Shape America's Future" (Basic Books). At AEI, Brooks plans to focus on making the case (backed by data analysis) for why capitalism is a positive force in the world.

2) Leonard Leo -- If another Supreme Court seat opens up during the Obama presidency, which seems likely, nobody on the right will be more influential than Leonard Leo.

Leo is executive vice president of the Federalist Society. Founded by conservatives such as Ed Meese, Ted Olson, and Robert Bork, it is a social network of about 46,000 conservative and libertarian lawyers who foster the principles of limited government.

But it's not Leo's official title that makes him one of the most powerful behind-the-scenes conservatives in Washington. Over the years, he has assiduously cultivated relationships with numerous organizations, senators, and D.C.-based reporters.

In recent years, conservative organizations, which grew frustrated after Judge Robert H. Bork's appointment to the Supreme Court was blocked in 1987, formed an independent coalition to manage the nomination process for Bush's nominees and to oppose future liberal nominees who might want to legislate from the bench. Leo was chosen to head the effort. He also was frequently called upon to provide advice and guidance on the Supreme Court process to senators and the Bush White House.

Leo headed Catholic outreach for Bush's 2004 campaign and was chairman of Catholic outreach for the Republican National Committee. He currently serves as chairman of the U.S. Commission on National Religious Freedom, an independent federal agency that makes recommendations to the president and secretary of state. In that capacity, he has become a frequent critic of what he sees as the administration's failure to make human rights and freedom of religion a top foreign affairs priority.

What to expect from Leonard Leo in 2010: Look for another Supreme Court Justice retirement (likely John Paul Stevens) to touch off a firestorm on the right. If that happens, count on Leonard Leo being in the thick of the battle.

3) Smart Girl Politics -- With a cool logo and an army of feisty, young conservative ladies Smart Girl Politics (SGP) is the place for conservative online women. It all started when stay-at-home mom Stacy Mott noticed a lot of women posting comments on her blog. She asked her audience if they wanted to team with her. The group quickly flourished online, thanks to Twitter (#SGP is their hashtag), Facebook, and social media in general, and in the grassroots. On November 10, SGP celebrated its one-year anniversary and is closing in on 24,000 members.

Besides an online presence, SGP has regional directors and state coordinators. In 2009, members participated in the first Tea Party and registered voters at more than 75 events around the country. An event in Nashville in October included Liz Cheney, Michelle Malkin, and Michelle Bachmann.

The group continues to expand at a furious clip. It has an e-magazine called Smart Girl Nation, and just added two radio shows to the broadcasting lineup. SGP leadership includes co-founders Mott and Teri Christoph. Rebecca Wales, a former political operative, serves as SGP's communications director.

What to expect from SGP in 2010: The organization is expanding its online training classes, as well as sponsoring training seminars around the nation. SGP will also be a co-sponsor at the upcoming Tea Party Convention, the Conservative Political Action Conference, and Tax Day Tea Party events. In addition, SGP will host its second annual Smart Girl Summit in Washington, D.C., at the end of September. And next year, it will launch a major voter registration drive with an all-volunteer team.

4) Erick Erickson -- Two things tell you a good deal about 34-year-old RedState editor in chief Erick Erickson's significance and chutzpah: Rush Limbaugh describes him as a friend, and he once asked his readers to participate in a protest against Sen. Mitch McConnell for "spreading a cancer of capitulation throughout the Senate Republican Conference."

Erickson's rise as an online conservative personality has been nothing short of meteoric. Just a few years ago, at the age of 30, Erickson quit his job as a lawyer to blog full time at RedState. In a recent post, he described how he informed his wife of this decision: "Three weeks before my wife gave birth to our first child, after much prayer, I told her I was quitting law to blog. The reaction was what you would expect."

Residing in Macon, Ga., Erickson frequently travels to D.C. and New York (where he is a regular guest on "The Great American Panel," on FOX News' cable show "Hannity," ) but I suspect living outside the Beltway allows him the freedom to say what needs to be said. (Unlike the last generation of conservative leaders who -- because of the limits of communications and technology -- were essentially forced to live in Washington, D.C., or New York, technology has allowed many of the up-and-coming leaders to reside outside the two power cities.)

Erickson does not shy away from controversy. As his Twitter bio reads, "We fight the left and clean up the right." Indeed, Erickson has made enemies on the right and on the left with his blunt, conservative rhetoric. He is so influential that the liberal site Media Matters is constantly going after him. It even has a blog titled, "RedState, so dumb it hurts."

I've known Erickson for years. For his courage and sticking to his values, Erickson is indeed one of the people I most admire in this business.

What to expect from Erick Erickson in 2010: Look for him to have a major impact on Republican primary campaigns for U.S. Congress, where his endorsement has tremendous weight. Also, don't be surprised if he lands a cable show or a radio show of his own this year.

5) Greg Mueller -- Every movement requires a PR guru who can connect members with the mainstream media, and Mueller is one of the best and most connected conservative public relations professionals in America.

Having worked on three presidential campaigns, served as lead communications strategist for Swift Boat Veterans, and spearheaded external communications for the Alito and Roberts Supreme Court confirmation battles, Mueller's resume is impressive. He's also a co-founder and president of CRC, a public relations firm with more than 30 staffers comprised of vets from journalism and politics and energetic 20 and 30 somethings.

What to expect from Greg Mueller in 2010: Look for Mueller and CRC to combine their already vast expertise in traditional media -- including a Rolodex of the nation's top columnists, producers, editors, bloggers, and talking heads -- with an aggressive emphasis on New Media tools like Facebook and Twitter.

6) Andrew Breitbart -- No blogger had a bigger impact in fighting the Obama administration in 2009 than Andrew Breitbart. A protégé of Matt Drudge, he helped design and launch The Huffington Post before making a huge splash with conservative sites Breitbart TV, Big Hollywood, and Big Government. In recent months, the liberal Media Matters has credited Breitbart with helping oust former White House "green jobs" adviser Van Jones, getting National Endowment for the Arts communications director Yosi Sergant "reassigned," and for helping distribute the anti-ACORN videos filmed by James O'Keefe and Hanna Giles.

What to expect form Andrew Breitbart in 2010: He will launch his newest Web site, Big Journalism, in January.

7) Tim Phillips -- There are two conservative movements today. Many of the old guard leaders are still active. But there's also a new energy out there driving things, and Tim Phillips is helping lead it. While most conservative organizations were founded in the 1970s, Phillips' group, Americans for Prosperity, came together in 2004, and is, perhaps, the most significant modern group to arise on the right in decades.

In 2006, Phillips was named president of both Americans for Prosperity and Americans for Prosperity Foundation. Under his leadership, AFP now has chapters and staff in 25 states. This past year, Phillips has overseen two initiatives, the "Hot Air Tour" and the NoStimulus.com petition, both aimed at limiting the size and scope of government.

AFP Foundation has also taken the lead on training activists around the country in using the Internet to collaborate and make their voices heard through its annual Right Online Conference (at which I recently spoke). It also hosts a yearly, "Defending the Dream" Summit in Washington, D.C.

What to expect from Tim Phillips and AFP in 2010: According to AFP's policy director Phil Kerpen, the organization plans to be the best-organized opponent of what it calls runaway tax and spending policies. Other projects including fighting to keep the Bush tax cuts and mobilizing activists to argue in favor of "private control of the media system and Internet, and against expansive new regulations that would, in our view, lead to huge government subsidization...and eventually outright government control."