Tips on how to Fight the Right

[ck4829]

Even though the lines distinguishing the far right, the Religious Right, and ultra-conservatives have blurred, many of their themes are the same. Their ideological and organizational overlap must be exposed. We offer the following strategies for consideration by the progressive movement:

* Build strong think tanks for progressives so that the ideology and strategies of the right can be countered.

* Increase the use of media, especially talk shows and talk radio, to get our message out to the majority of the public that gets its information this way.

* Establish strong relationships with mainstream religious groups and churches to counter the sanctimonious claim that only the Religious Right are people of faith.

* Democratize access to the information superhighway, such as the Internet. This valuable resource is under-utilized by people who share our perspectives and is inaccessible to a large part of our constituency, yet over three million Americans now use the Internet.

* Start grassroots voter education about the true policy implications of the right; don't let them get away with clever soundbites without exposing the policy consequences of their proposals. For example, unfunded mandates would mean that many environmental regulations would be thrown out of the window.

* Decouple their sweet talk from their meanness. Make the right talk about real issues, not just slogans on moral values. Religious groups shouldn't act, or sound, like hate groups.

* Use a human rights analysis to link progressive issues together and offer a strategy for holding our government and individuals accountable to international standards.

* Work in broad-based coalitions that unite all of those affected by the right. Single-issue and identity-based politics have their limits and are inadequate for tackling the complexities of the right.

Understand that the key to combating the right is at the grassroots level, so build and strengthen local organizations that can mobilize people community by community and block by block. Don't get discouraged. The backlash politics of the right are just that--a response to the success of our movements for social justice. We will win again!

http://www.publiceye.org/eyes/cdr_fite.html

[Ksec]

1. good points all

One more. Do your best to show the people that you are working for them and their interests are yours. People are disillusioned with "governemt" because they dont seem to care about their lives . They feel left out to make way for the most priveledged amongst us. And they would be accurate. Time to give it back to the everyday people.
Dont just say it. Do it.

[TroglodyteScholar]

2. ...over three million Americans now use the Internet.

Really? That many?