Wellstone Action!

The Do's and Don'ts of Coalition Politics

Don't:

• Don't objectify groups, which quite often happens when progressives "reach out" to poor people, black people, American Indian people, etc. Especially if the effort is to raise their consciousness by using an approach that says that these groups don't understand the most profound issues.
• Don't approach other groups with a sense of moral superiority. We need a sense of humility.
• Don't feel guilty about not being able to relate. This can be immobilizing. We need to give ourselves a break. As a populist professor at Carleton, I face this every day.
• Don't stop with formal endorsements - this is a lazy way of organizing. It deals more with structure than with getting people together.
• Don't spend lots of time with theoretical groping for common ground. It's like spitting in the wind.

Do:

• Show interest and commitment to issues. It is the right thing to do, and it helps call on people to be their own best selves.
• Invest time in establishing relationships. Systematic relationship building is the key.
• Emphasis our similarities, not our differences. Sometimes coalitions broadcast their differences rather than our common values: our commitment to life, peace, justice, human rights, and the general welfare of all in society.