How to Win a Local Political Fight - Part 2
More Details about How Citizens Can Win
Although there weren’t that many public comments after Part 1, I did receive a large number of private emails, all positive. It became clear that there not only was a lot of interest in this topic, but that I should go into further detail for those citizens who are serious about winning such political fights. Thus Part 2.
A successful campaign will effectively utilize three (3) distinct types of ammunition. Below I’ll outline each and use fighting a local wind project as an example…
Ammunition #1: The FACTS.
Citizens need to get educated about the facts, as what is presented by the opponents will almost be: a) inaccurate, and/or b) incomplete. For example, wind developers frequently claim something like “Our project will power up to 10,000 homes.” The technical Fact is that no wind project will even power one home, 24/7/365. Citizens need to understand why this is and to use such deceptions to their advantage.
Since there are often a LOT of Facts involved, how do citizens know which Facts are most important? That is answered in Part 1. In the case of wind energy, it turns out that (on the local level) economic Facts are by far the most important.
Where do citizens get the Facts? This is a bit trickier, but the good news is that there are competent people in almost every area of conflict, who have posted helpful factual information online. You will have to do some research, but if you persist you’ll almost always find honest factual information — and it will usually be for free.
For example, my website, WiseEnergy.org has a slew of free science-based wind energy (and solar, etc.) facts to help citizens trying to defend their rights (e.g., here). This is augmented by a free twice-a-month Newsletter, multiple free Substack commentaries (like this), and free email/phone consultation!
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Ammunition #2: PUBLIC RELATIONS.
Many people believe that having the strongest Facts will win the day. It would be great if that were true, but often it is not. For example, the Facts indicate that there are no proven net societal benefits for wind energy, yet it continues to proliferate. This happens because there are other forces involved, and those have to be countered.
An example of another force is virtue signaling. Local, State, and Federal representatives can be easily inflicted with this highly contagious disease. The cure is to see it for what it is, and then provide the antidote.
Virtue signaling is nothing more than politicians trying to gain favor with their constituents. Their implied message is: “I’m doing great things for you!”
Once we recognize this tactic, the antidote is a strong dose of reality. For example, a PR campaign that exposes what they are doing as being ineffective (or better yet, harmful) can be amazingly powerful. Of course, to do this properly, citizens need to be steeped in the Facts (see Ammo #1).
Most citizens are not PR proficient, so they need to get educated about what to do (e.g., here), and/or get assistance from a PR person who is sympathetic to their cause. Good PR boils down to getting a sizable amount of the public to be on your side. Politicians want to be liked (especially on local levels), so once they realize that the public is against them, there is a strong chance that they will change their position.
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Ammunition #3: The LAW.
Sometimes after citizens have succeeded in the first two fields above, their opponent will try to take refuge in the Law. For example, the opposition may claim to have no choice about what to do, saying that they are legally obligated to go forward.
As in the prior two Ammunitions, the devil is in the details. For example, your community may not be able to prohibit an industrial wind facility, but they likely have the ability to regulate it. If so, it is easy to come up with reasonable regulations that will substantially reduce the interest of a developer coming to your community.
Another legal angle to take advantage of is that there are often legal conflicts (or gray areas) that can be used to your benefit. For example, a State’s commitment to wind energy can be in conflict with local representatives’ statutory obligations to protect the health, safety, and welfare of their constituents. Which matter takes priority?
That is a legal matter where citizens need to align themselves with a sympathetic, competent, aggressive legal person. Regarding sympathetic, finding an attorney who sees the issue as something they are genuinely interested in (vs. a business opportunity), can result in getting better and lower-cost legal help. Of course, as with Ammo #2, the more you know the Facts, the better your chances are of winning a legal case.
The good news is that there are often powerful legal angles that a clever, committed lawyer can come up with. For example, regarding the wind energy issue, informing obstinate local representatives that you are planning on filing a 1983 lawsuit against them, can have magical results — without ever having to go through with it.
One thing is for sure: if citizens do not aggressively defend their legal rights, they will be eroded away.
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Be proactive, be professional, be precise, be persistent — and you will likely prevail.
The bottom line is that citizens CAN win these fights...
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WiseEnergy.org: discusses the Science (or lack thereof) behind our energy options.
C19Science.info: covers the lack of genuine Science behind our COVID-19 policies.
Election-Integrity.info: multiple significant reports on the election integrity issue.
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Excellent strategy John. It's critical to have facts and truth on your side. But when facing opposition unhampered by either you need supporting documentation, compelling PR, and awareness of legal options. Most important, never be afraid to step up and speak out.
Another terrific resource (that supplements these excellent posts) for winning local fights is the late Robert Heinlein's nonfiction book "Take Back Your Government" - a 1930s manual on political activism (Heinlein was very active in politics back then, working in the Upton Sinclair "EPIC" campaign in California, a somewhat different political place than many would expect). The book was finally published in connection with the Ross Perot campaign in 1992. Some of the stuff is dated (lots of talk of 3x5 cards and pencils for gathering data) but the principles of winning local political battles are still relevant). Out of print now but used copies are around.