How to win more votes? Be yourself, sense of humor and all.

Crooked Fingers: A Way to Get One More Vote.

In this clip, Crooked Fingers talks about how a sense of humor and, I don’t know, acting human, could do politicians more good than it would do harm. And he’s right.

Now, I’m not saying politicians should shoot for being the class clown, but it wouldn’t hurt to crack a few harmless jokes throughout their campaigns. While most of us would agree we want a President who’s cool, calm and collected, who won’t flinch during trying times and who is confident and strong enough to lead us all.

But whether it’s consciously (as it is with Crooked Fingers) or subconsciously, we all want to connect and be able to relate to who we’re voting for. Obviously, issues play a big part in the connection and being able to relate, but showing your personality can also play a huge role.

It’s important to remember, whether you’re running for public office or fighting to introduce green initiatives in your city, be yourself, crack a few jokes and make friends with people – all while remaining serious about accomplishing what it is you set out to change.

Report Card for Farm Sanctuary: A

Farm Sanctuary recently teamed up with Causecast to help get their message out about reducing our consumption of meat. They kept the shockingly cruel footage to a minimum and decided to focus on something else instead.

That thing? A value. No, it wasn’t mostly compassion; it was sustainability. The organization also communicates values such as compassion and equality on their website, but obviously learned what not to do from PETA since they keep the horrifying images to a minimum, always maintain an approachableness, focus more on what you can do (and not what you shouldn’t be doing) and focus more on success stories.

For stepping outside of the norm, communicating values and reaching new audiences, Farm Sanctuary gets a pretty decent grade.

Report card for Uruguay: A+

About a couple weeks ago, CNN reported that Uruguay just became the first Latin American country to allow same-sex couples to adopt children. And for that, they get an A+.

Senator Margarita Percovich stated that it was an easy decision. She says that it wasn’t really about the parents who were adopting the children, it was really just about the children. When asked about the bill, she stated, "It is a right for the boys and the girls, not a right for the adults. It streamlines the adoption process and does not discriminate."

Daniel Alonso, a resident of the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo, says that the new bill helps LGBT members feel like they are part of society.

Last year, lawmakers in Uruguay also, “approved a measure allowing children aged 12 or older to change their names, a measure aimed at transgender or transsexual youths. Uruguay also authorized same-sex civil unions last year, setting the stage for the current adoption law.” 

Josie Romero, a young child, teaches us to never give up

The story of Josie Romero, who was featured on “Sex, Lies, and Gender,” on Nat Geo TV last week, teaches us the power of acceptance and perseverance against all odds. You see, Josie hadn’t been known as such for her whole life. Prior to a few years ago, this adorable little girl went by the name of Joey. Josie is an 8-year-old transgender.

Her parents, both in a military and traditional family, did struggle with accepting their son’s desire to wear dresses, be referred to as a female and play with dolls. However, after a couple years of only allowing Josie to act out on her desires at home, they realized that they were impeding on her happiness.  Her father, an Air Force Lieutenant, had the hardest time accepting the changes, but as he states, only because he felt like he had lost a son. Both parents did an incredible thing by allowing Josie to be who she truly is; allowing her to go to school on base as herself, despite the turmoil it caused with parents and students, and even having her birth certificate changed to acknowledge that her name is Josie and she is female.

While the story of her family’s acceptance is extremely powerful, Josie’s own story is something that we can really learn from. Her mother states that she was constantly harassed and verbally and physically abused by her classmates only for being who she was. Josie was deeply hurt by the way she was treated, but refused to change the way she lived her life. At 8-years-old, Josie recognized the importance of persevering and trying again and again.

When working in coalitions, it’s easy to get downtrodden due to the bullies' comments. They’re saying mean things about you and what you feel passionate about. They don’t have much respect for you. They might even try to push you down. But, Josie serves as a precedent for how we too should act. Despite the naysayers, we need to keep moving forward, being who we are, spreading our message and being happy. And if we keep doing that, we really will be able to unite and conquer.

Legally Blonde 2: A surprising suggestion of how politics should be

No, I don’t just mean that D.C. should all revamp their wardrobes to be more befitting of Elle Woods, but that they should all take notes from the Delta Nu Alumnae. Granted it may not be the most profound movie of our time, but Ms. Woods actually took a lot of moves out of the Unite and Conquer handbook.

When fighting for Bruiser’s Bill, she communicates values such as compassion and equality and makes friends with unlikely people. She doesn’t compromise on her values, but is willing to compromise on how she goes about achieving her goals. She also doesn’t throw her opponents under the bus or talk about them negatively.

And if you’ve read Unite and Conquer, the ending of the movie shouldn’t come as a surprise. Miss Woods left Washington accomplishing her interest and left many seeing a new way to go about creating positive change.