By way of introduction, I'm interning for the David All Group this summer before I return to Duke University for my senior year. Yesterday I was part of a bloggers' conference call with Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI).

Ryan introduced his policy plan "A Roadmap for America's Future" two days ago to tackle the tax system, health insurance, and the impending entitlement crisis. I skimmed it, I mostly like it, and it's received a good deal of praise in the conservative blogosphere. Its main appeal—at least to me—is that it moves the debate on these issues to the right in anticipation of negotiating back to the center. And the solutions are new(-ish) so, as Ryan said, it should at least be helpful in an effort to get legislators to "move beyond rehashing the problem." Amen brother.

What I have found most interesting about this process, though, is Ryan's nice footwork with the media. He launched the plan with a Wall Street Journal op-ed: a solid column in a widely-read, highly-respected newspaper. Good play with the traditional media. The following day Ryan reached out to bloggers in a conference call. In that call, he referred to the website set up to showcase the "roadmap," a website to which most blog posts and online articles have linked.

So Ryan gets buzz created in on- and offline efforts. Plus he gets to present his undiluted message to anyone clicking on his site from links in blogs or articles, as well as anyone Googling after the Wall Street Journal piece. Well-played indeed.