Unite and Conquer has been making its way around the Arizona State Legislature. Many of my colleagues, including Jonathon Paton, Karen Johnson, Eddie Farnsworth, Andy Biggs, Russell Pearce, and Lauren Hendrix, have received and read it and are passing the book around.
Have you read it? Post a comment letting me know what you think of the book so far and how you've used it.
It’s tempting try and convince everyone and their mother why your issue matters and why your policy or change is essential, but in order to really unite and conquer, it’s often more effective to find a central source.
With issues with religious undertones and debates, it’s important to educate the person who has the most control: the church, congregation or temple’s leader. This video shows how the HRC is reaching out to these people. While the video has a powerful message of people of traditional religious convictions changing their minds, the most exciting part about this outreach is the effect it is going to have. By reaching one religious leader, the HRC is reaching hundreds of people that those leaders have influence over.
Whatever change your are trying to make, find out if there are any influencers that you can educate in order to increase awareness and spread your message to a larger audience. By spreading this message, you’ll be able to unite and conquer much more effectively.
Too many progressives and politicians are still using old-school divide-and-conquer tactics. They're slinging mud, scheming and using fear tactics. It's no surprise that these strategies play a large hand in the fact that people are so frustrated and disheartened with politics. The sad thing is that these tactics go against every ideal that leads to progress: inclusion, reason, justice and hope.
Unfortunately, old habits die hard, but that's where I come in. As a reformed "stomp my feet in my office and alienate those with opposing views" type of politician, I understand that change isn't always easy and that, like building successful coalitions, it can take blood, sweat and tears. My book, Unite and Conquer, demonstrates how through small changes in our attitudes and behaviors, we can build broad-based coalitions that advance the progressive movement rather than make us feel good about the purity of our ideals.
