This is the last blog in a series of three on Saul Alinsky’s book “Rules for Radicals.” As laid out in the prior two blogs, Alinsky’s method details how the “have nots” (in this case the middle class) can exercise their power against the “haves” (in this case the Federal Government) in being heard and getting their needs met.
It is currently estimated that 70% of American citizens (based on a variety of surveys) feel the country is “going in the wrong direction.” The exponential growth of the Federal Government and deep development of an administrative state (often referred to as the deep state) is diagnosed daily by economic, political and historical experts as the end of a free, productive and prosperous American society after nearly 250 years in existence.
For Alinsky, who fought from the 1930’s to the 1970’s for the rights of Black Americans against the privileged corporate and elite white communities, organizing the Black community’s people power was the real objective. As Alinsky would often say, “men speak of moral principles but act on power principles,” so taking on the power to create change and initiate reformation guides the tactics and actions taken.
So many Americans are asking what they can do to save America from the power of their own government, a government specifically designed nearly 250 years ago to protect its citizens from their government. As we approach the 2024 Presidential election, the time is NOW to get engaged using some power principles and tactics that can help us take our country back for what it was intended – self-governance of, by, and for We the People.
I am specifically interested in talking to the “silent majority” of the middle class that makes up at least 50% of our citizenry. The time to be heard is NOW. The time to have our needs met for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is NOW. Among Alinsky’s rules for radicals, he lays out more than a dozen to follow in effecting change and reform. With only four months before the upcoming election, let’s look at only a few that any of us can utilize NOW to be heard loud and clear in our election results.
Power Principle #1. Claim Your Power
Alinsky states “power is not only what you have but what the opponent thinks you have.”
The Opportunity NOW is the power of our vote, the power to be accurately informed, and the power to organize with others Big government knows this so we need to be vigilant on how our vote is cast, the sources we use to be informed of candidates and issues and the organizations we choose to support (with our time and/or money) to make our voice even stronger on the needs we want met.
The Tactics to use are many but here are a few of my favorite that are easy to do:
- On the power of the vote: Vote in person if possible (avoids issues of possible fraud); Sign up to be a poll watcher (need this check and balance on the process); Find sources for fact-based information and share with your local community, family and friends on the issues and the candidates and encourage them to do the same with you (often too little information to make an informed decision especially on the candidate; candidate signs on your local roads doesn’t tell you much)
- On the power to be accurately informed: Listen to podcasts and read articles by people with different perspectives to gain a broader understanding of the issues and candidates (if you only watch mainstream media which tends to represent the liberal left positions, add some other social media sites on conservative positions; the reverse also applies); Do your own fact-based research on what each candidate is saying on the issues and make sure they are stating facts not opinions
- On the power to be organized with others: This could be the most powerful way to increase the volume of your voice as being part of a well-established, well-organized, and well-led organization also increases the power of the organization’s united voice.
Power Principle #2. Select Tactics then Keep the Pressure On
We the People need to get more fully engaged NOW, then stay on top of the tactics you choose to take over the next four months. Alinsky defines tactic as “doing what you can with what you’ve got.” He also adds that it should be something you enjoy doing.
The Opportunity NOW is using the two forms of power in political activism – money and people. The more you have of both, the more powerful your impact can be. Alinsky has shown that a lot of people giving a little money or time to a tactic can make a lot of impact in a short-term period. So can a group of highly committed and vocal people of any size.
The Tactics to use is to select the activities for you to claim your power over your government that you feel is not going in the right direction. Then make a commitment over the next four months to keep the pressure on in having your voice heard and your needs addressed to save your country, America. Select tactics that you can do with what you’ve got (e.g. time and money) and enjoy doing them.
Power Principle #3. Make your Opponent Uncomfortable
This is where Alinsky is masterful using creativity to undermine the opponent whether a candidate or a political group representing the wrong perspective on the issues you care about.
The Opportunity NOW is most likely working through the power of an organization (versus on your own) that you can get behind and play your part in executing on tactics that put the opponent in a vulnerable position.
The Tactics to use here are many but here are a few that Alinsky used very creatively to succeed at his targeted opponents:
- Call the opponent out on their own rules using their own words such as how the “rule of law” applies e.g. when interpreting laws to jail their opponent; how “democratic ideals” apply e.g. when censoring their opponent; how “social justice” applies e.g. when discriminating for one racial group over another
- Use ridicule as hard to counterattack e.g. “Let’s Go Brandon”
- Use threats backed by tactics you are willing to take e.g. exposing the voting records of your Congressional representatives that directly undermine We the People and getting it broadcasted to the local citizens to keep them from being reelected
This is a great time in America as we have always shown our best in times of crisis. We are in a full-blown crisis, but we can turn the tide that is rising against us. We can all show up in our own way and claim our power as We the People. We each need to do our part and execute a few tactics over the next four months that will send a clear, strong message – Save America and put We the People back into our government – Of the people, by the people and for the people!!!
Here are some great resources to check out:
Fact-based information – Use the more recent search engine, Perplexity, which does a much better job responding to any of your questions than Google
Poll watching – Lara Trump looking for 100K poll watchers to cover voting districts with fraudulent voting processes; Also, your local political party is always looking for poll watchers
Podcasts – Dinesh Desouza has a conservative view but does a good job in showcasing both sides of the issues and particularly the history behind it
Fact Checkers – Based on the search results, several fact-checking organizations are considered to be non-partisan or least biased. Here’s a list of some of the most reputable and unbiased fact-checking organizations. It’s important to note that while these organizations strive for objectivity, complete absence of bias is difficult to achieve. Many of these fact-checkers are signatories of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) code of principles, which sets standards for non-partisanship and fairness.
- FactCheck.org: A nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce deception in U.S. politics. It’s rated as dead-center least biased and very high on factual reporting.
- PolitiFact: A project of the St. Petersburg Times that helps people find the truth in American politics. It’s considered among the least-biased fact-checkers, though it leans slightly left of center.
- AP Fact Check: Associated Press’s fact-checking service, which is currently at the border of least-biased and left-biased but very high on factual accuracy.
- Reuters Fact Check: Operated by Reuters, an international media agency. It’s a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network’s codes of principles.
- Snopes: One of the oldest fact-checking websites, founded in 1994. While it receives complaints of both liberal and conservative bias, it insists on applying the same debunking standards to all claims.
- Lead Stories: Uses Trendolizer to track story trends and debunk fake news. It’s rated as dead-center least biased and very high on factual reporting.
- OpenSecrets.Org: A nonpartisan guide to money’s influence on U.S. elections and public policy. It’s rated as dead-center least biased and very high on factual reporting.
- Ballotpedia: A nonprofit and nonpartisan encyclopedia designed to connect people to politics using a neutral point-of-view philosop
Organizations – Heritage Action fights for America’s Founding Principles (free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values and strong national defense) and has a Sentinel Program that now counts 2 million people across all 50 states who express their views on all types of federal legislation and send it directly to Congress. They have an impressive record of stopping bad legislation and initiating good legislation. They make it easy online to submit your views which they use to support their recommendations to Congress. Even 250K views (from the 2M) has been enough for them to advance their agenda for America.
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