Title: Us vs. The Problem
Original CoS Document (slug): 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
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.
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.
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.
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.)