SAM | Middle River Dispatches

Or coffee. Or a soda. You get the point—it doesn’t matter, just sit here and let’s talk for a few minutes.

At the end of Reed Galen’s piece Hope the High Road there is this call to action:

“Call your friends, your neighbors, your family and your co-workers. Tell them you want to talk politics. Not Trump or Hillary, but the politics of solutions and progress. Have a meal or a beer and ask, what can we do, here and now in our town, on our block or in our district. Then go do it.”

Sounds pretty good, and rather easy in theory, but then comes the asking.

If you are reading this, it is likely you have come to the point that political discourse has made you uncomfortable. And it often feels like that discomfort makes it hard to start a conversation about politics, doesn’t it?

If you spend any time on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter you know the scenario; one person posts a political point of view, the argument starts, and then rages in the thread. Others jump in or out as their levels of outrage, indignation, exasperation, or disgust dictate. These fights are increasingly just political squabbles without reason or content, a smorgasbord of smugness, sneers, and trolling. In the end, no minds get changed, and too often, some feelings get hurt.

In our day-to-day real lives, we rarely stop what we are doing and engage in this sort of behavior—perhaps social media, with the protection of the computer screen and keyboard, give us a sense of security to expose our more argumentative tendencies. Sure, we argue and debate, but rarely when sitting face to face with someone would we devolve to the behavior we see online.

The fallout from this type of behavior found online is that people don’t want to engage in essential discussions around tough topics like politics. They fall back to tribal beliefs, nurtured by the two parties, and relegate politics to an unpleasant task or conversation to be avoided.

When that happens, you become part of the base—subject to the dog whistle behavioral signals and counted upon to vote the straight party ticket. That reinforces the notion that the status quo cannot be changed: So why bother? Why engage in the dirty pettiness we see in politics today? And who would blame you?

But by avoiding that political conversation, you surrender to the party and let them put their interests ahead of yours.

Let me encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and help make political discourse a civil conversation again. Here is why changing civil discourse and having those political conversations are important:

If you think the country is headed in the wrong direction and that our elected leaders are not doing enough to change it, then you have to be willing to engage in politics. It is time to start electing leaders who are not wed to the tribal politics of the two-party system. By engaging in civil discourse, you can help make that happen.

The way you can do that with other people is by acting like you care about the person, and not their politics. Sit face to face with someone over a beer, coffee, or a meal and speak with respect of the other person’s point of view. Show them the SAM Principles and listen to what they say, think, and feel about them.

SAM has provided the leadership for a movement to build a new political party for those left behind by a political system that puts its interests ahead of those of the American people. And, to be frank, that is the easy part. By changing the narrative and engaging in civil, political discussion, I am asking you to take on a more important role.

First, let me tell you about the “first follower” theory and Leadership Lessons from a Dancing Guy from Derek Sivers’ “How to Start a Movement” Ted talk.

In the video Sivers shows a movement take place in three minutes. There is the first guy dancing to the music who is then joined by a second guy. The second guy waves others to join him, and slowly they are joined by others, and at the end, there is a crowd. Sivers narrates the action and offers some intriguing insights on what is happening.

“A leader needs the guts to stand alone and look ridiculous. But what he’s doing is so simple, it’s almost instructional. This is key. You must be easy to follow!

Now comes the first follower with a crucial role: he publicly shows everyone how to follow. Notice the leader embraces him as an equal, so it’s not about the leader anymore – it’s about them, plural. Notice he’s calling to his friends to join in. It takes guts to be a first follower! You stand out and brave ridicule, yourself

Being a first follower is an under-appreciated form of leadership. The first follower transforms a lone nut into a leader. If the leader is the flint, the first follower is the spark that makes the fire.”

SAM, through their leadership, has made it easy to follow. Your role then, is to ignite a spark. To help make civil discussions about politics the music that gets people to dance together. With your help, we can build a new political party for a new American majority. One where fairness, integrity and common-sense solutions work together to achieve real progress for Americans.

So please. Have a beer with me?

Author’s note: This article originally appeared on the SAM – Serve America Movement website.

If you want a copy of the principles, let me know in the comments and I’ll email you a copy.

It is time to serve America first and put people before party.

On Thursday, Nov. 9, Rep. Bob Goodlatte announced he was not going to run for re-election in 2018. I heard the news the day before the official announcement, and as I drove home to the Valley from my most recent trip to the D.C., I pondered what that opportunity could mean.

As I drove home, I called my wife and a couple of friends. “Goodlatte is going to retire, I’m thinking of running for Congress…” The response then and as I talked with others about it was encouraging, supportive and realistic.

It would be a long shot, but I wanted to change the narrative. The toxicity of party politics and the party over policy approach to governing appalled me. The issues I cared deeply about, conservation, small business, veterans, were becoming political casualties.

Mulling it over I questioned if it just ego or could a pull it off.

Thanksgiving morning I made the decision. Nope, not going to do it.

The reasons were pretty straightforward. To be competitive in a primary should I choose that route and then again in the general election I would have to stop everything else I was doing and focus all my time, energy and attention on the campaign. My work at the Marine Fish Conservation Network is enjoyable and rewarding. The thought of giving up guiding and teaching on the weekends, an essential mental and physical part of my life was almost unthinkable. The financial commitment was daunting. In the end, those factors made it a mountain too high to climb.

So where do I go from here? The system is broken, the change has to come from people who are willing to call bullshit and work for a better solution. If I’m not going to get in the campaign arena personally how can I work for change?

One of my favorite political scribes is Rich Galen of Mullings fame. Rich’s son Reed is no slouch behind the keyboard, and often, because of tips in his dad’s column, I will find my way to Reed’s articles. Such was the case right after my Thanksgiving decision.

Reed’s article, Hope the High Road captured my thinking and concerns.

“The last decade or so has brought into stark relief what many Americans have known instinctively for years: Our elected leaders far too often serve their own ambition or tribal beliefs rather than those they’re sworn to represent. This isn’t new news, it’s not even terribly surprising. It is however, time to do something about it.”

More importantly, Reed shown a spotlight on a path forward.

“Trump’s behavior, complete lack of ability (or desire) to govern and his obsession with trivial, anger-inducing issues is waking up voters to the idea that if we want to be better, we need to do better. That starts with us. It starts with good people saying enough is enough and putting themselves forward for public office. It means shedding 150 years of partisan snakeskin in favor of new, better options.

Of course, I agreed with what he wrote and thought “Oh crap, just got called out on the decision I made three days ago…”

Fortunately, he went on to add more steps that could be taken.

“The transformation won’t start on Facebook or Twitter or Fox News or MSNBC. It will start when citizens — like you and me — get together in their dining rooms, living rooms, union halls and VFW halls and start to say, “We’re here, and we’re ready. Let’s get to work.” So let’s do it. Call your friends, your neighbors, your family and your co-workers. Tell them you want to talk politics. Not Trump or Hillary, but the politics of solutions and progress. Have a meal or a beer and ask, what can we do, here and now in our town, on our block or in our district. Then go do it.”

OK, now I feel better about my decision. I’m a career lobbyist and enjoy my forays into journalism; I can talk “the politics of solutions and progress.” Where shall I start?

Let this article serve as the introduction. I am getting back behind the keyboard and starting writing about the politics of solutions and progress. I’ll focus on those topics near and dear to me as noted above.

And here is an opportunity to join me and become part of a movement to change the narrative from party over policy and the two-party system that perpetuates it.

Join SAM, the Serve America Movement. Check out the website, watch the video, read the principles, and if you agree that this is right path forward, sign up. After that sit down with your friends and family and tell them you want to talk politics; the politics of solutions and progress.