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Politics vs Policy

Discussions and Actions Systems Thinking
#1

I just finished reading this super interesting article by Jerry Taylor of the (Libertarian) Niskanen Center. Here’s how I curated it in my Brain.

Taylor, a Conservative who swung Left, describes how Lefties don’t understand how to organize to win the future, even though most of the country leans Left. I’m no Libertarian, but I agree with much of his diagnosis.

I’m interested in how this fits our tasks in OGM. I’ve put this under Systems Thinking because it’s about the interplay between policies, politics, power and perceptions.

Part of his advice is not to mirror the tactics of the Right, but rather to understand them and create countervailing institutions and simple narratives. That seems very OGM-y.

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#2

Sounds very much like “Changing the Name of the Game!”

#3

If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.
[Chang Yu said: “Knowing the enemy enables you to take the offensive, knowing yourself enables you to stand on the defensive.” He adds: “Attack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack.” It would be hard to find a better epitome of the root-principle of war.]

Sunzi. The Art of War (p. 18). Public Domain Books. Kindle Edition.

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#4

after working with several NGOs on policy and strategy, I totally relate. What comes to mind is a childlike sense of what the world should be like, and indignation that it isn’t so. But… once an idea catches on the energy that can be harnessed is awesome.