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Title: Us vs. The Problem

Original CoS Document (slug): [[https://conventionofstates.com/files/us-vs-the-problem|us-vs-the-problem]]

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Attached File: Us_vs_The_Problem.pdf

Guide for nonpartisan conversation

Created: 2023-04-11 18:52:38

Updated: 2024-04-11 23:00:00

Published: 2023-04-11 00:00:00

Converted: 2025-04-14T20:11:49.228513950


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**Us vs. The Problem **

** **

//**A Guide to Nonpartisan Communication **//

 

 \\
 

**Definition of Nonpartisan **

** **

** **

**Nonpartisan (adj) simply means: **Not Partisan. Free of affiliation or bias, especially towards a 

 

political party. 

 \\
 

**Synonyms:** Neutral, nonaligned, unbiased, fair, objective, detached, just, middle-of-the-road, 

 

nondiscriminatory, unaffiliated, uncolored. 

 \\
 

**Partisan (adj), by contrast, means:** Supporting or favoring a cause, political party, issue or 

 

person often based on affection, bias, prejudice, or affiliation. 

 \\
 \\
 \\
 

**Partisan Volunteers / Nonpartisan Organization **

** **

 

Each and every one of us is partisan. Our beliefs, values and personal experiences lead us to 

have biases, prejudice, and affiliations. Some of those biases, prejudices, and affiliations may be wrong \\
or inconsequential and can be compromised and changed over time. Others are the bedrocks we build \\
our characters and lives upon. \\
 \\
 

The Convention of States Team is made up of partisan individuals working together to achieve a 

politically non-partisan goal. We all have political affiliations, biases, prejudices, and affections that \\
color our actions, language, and responses in our everyday lives. When acting as a volunteer, we set \\
those political biases aside and focus our actions and language on the issues themselves. \\
 \\
 



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**Partisan Political Culture **

** **

**Political culture in America is heavily focused on the Us vs. Them model. **

** **

 \\
** **

 

 

Republican vs. Democrat 

 

 

Liberal vs. Conservative 

 

 

Right vs. Left 

 

 

Red vs. Blue 

 

 

 

Third party vs. Main party 

 

Far Right vs. Right 

 

 

Left vs. Radical Left 

 

Establishment vs. Grassroots 

 

Grassroots vs. Grassroots 

 

Me vs. You 

 

 

**With everyone busy pointing their finger at someone else, no one has time to **

//**notice or fix the structural issues in our federal government. **//

//** \\
 \\
 \\
 \\
 \\
 \\
**// 



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//**It's time for a new approach:**// \\
 

** **

**Us vs. The Problem **

** \\
 **

 \\
 

**The Problem** 

 

**We the People have neglected to hold our federal government accountable for so **

**long that it has broken the system it was meant to work within.**  

 

Regardless of who we send to Washington, the size and reach of the government continues to expand 

with the debt spiraling out of control.  

 

We must re-engage (//Grassroots Army//) and we must fix the broken system (//Convention of States//).  

  

//** **//

//**If we want to save our nation, it's time to **//

//**focus our attention on the problem rather **//

//**than the symptoms.**// 

 



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**Nonpartisan Language** 

 \\
**How do we keep our political partisanship from creeping into our conversations? \\
** \\
**1. Avoid political labels. **Examples: \\
 

•  Party Names (Republican, Democrat, Green Party, Libertarian, etc.) \\
•  Conservative, Liberal \\
•  Left, Right, Far Left, Far Right, Radical Left, right wing, left wing \\
•  Blue, Red, Purple (In reference to a political affiliation) 

 \\
In most cases using political labels simply showcases our personal political preferences – even when \\
that isn't our intent. \\
 \\
 \\
**2. Avoid political put downs or polarized phrases, especially in reference to individuals.  \\
 \\
**Examples: 

•  Woke \\
•  Nazi (use with care) \\
•  Communist (use with care) \\
•  Socialist (use with care) \\
•  Establishment (use with care) 

 \\
 \\
**3. Avoid talking about specific legislators, groups, or polarized public figures. \\
** \\
Where there is legitimate reason to bring a specific person up, stick to the facts and maintain a neutral \\
tone regarding that individual/group. \\
 \\
Be careful about naming names. Once you publicly call someone an opponent, you pretty much \\
guarantee that they stay one.   \\
 \\
 \\
4. **Talk about the Problems we are trying to solve.** \\
 

•  Trillions in National Debt (Rising each year regardless of which political party is in control.) \\
•  Career Politicians \\
•  Federal overreach \\
•  Original //4,440-**word** version// we learn about in school vs. the **3,000 //Page// Constitution**  \\
•  Help others see how COS can address //**their**// governmental concerns 

 \\
 

5. **Talk about the Solutions.** \\
 

•  An engaged army of grassroots activists \\
•  A Convention of States //(Fiscal restraints on the federal government, term limits for federal //

//officials and members of Congress, limiting the size & jurisdiction of the federal government.)//