The One-Hour Activist: The 15 Most Powerful Actions You Can Take to Fight for the Issues and Candidates You Care About [Paperback]

Christopher Kush (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0787973009 | ISBN-13: 978-0787973001 | Publication Date: April 23, 2004 | Edition: 1

No matter what your political persuasion, The One-Hour Activist is your guide to influencing lawmakers, candidates, and reporters. The One-Hour Activist reveals fifteen powerful, proven grassroots actions that persuade lawmakers and candidates to see things your way. Each action is designed to grab the attention of your representatives and build relationships that serve your issues over the long run. And each action takes less than an hour to complete, so you can make a difference without giving up your life! The One-Hour Activist is packed with insider advice from elected officials, professional organizers, lobbyists, and journalists who share state-of-the-art tips for getting your message across. Real-life examples of effective letters, e-mail, phone calls, public testimony, and news story pitches from concerned citizens just like you illustrate the actions.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

PLUS: 5 WAYS TO SUPERSIZE YOUR EFFORTS!

DON’T GET MAD–BECOME A ONE-HOUR ACTIVIST

No matter what your political persuasion, The One-Hour Activist is your guide to influencing lawmakers, candidates, and reporters. The One-Hour Activist reveals fifteen powerful, proven grassroots actions that persuade lawmakers and candidates to see things your way.

Each action is designed to grab the attention of your representatives and build relationships that serve your issues over the long run. And each action takes less than an hour to complete, so you can make a difference without giving up your life!

The One-Hour Activist is packed with insider advice from elected officials, professional organizers, lobbyists, and journalists who share state-of-the-art tips for getting your message across. Real-life examples of effective letters, e-mail, phone calls, public testimony, and news story pitches from concerned citizens just like you illustrate the actions.

Tactics you will learn:

• How to distinguish your letters and e-mail in the flood of correspondence elected officials receive
• Why lawmakers crave your personal stories, local information, and opinions
• Powerful ways to influence candidates so you represent more than a single vote on Election Day
• Strategies for identifying, tracking, and analyzing current legislation
• Ways to neutralize the efforts of your opposition
• Political organizations than can coordinate your efforts with others who share your views
• What local newspaper editors seek to publish in letters from readers like you
• Advanced grassroots actions that include meeting with elected officials, delivering public testimony, and pitching news stories

About the Author

Christopher Kush is a nationally known grassroots advocacy expert. He has trained thousands of advocates to fight in a variety of issue areas. As president of Soapbox Consulting, he has created training seminars and Lobby Days for many national associations including the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Arthritis Foundation, and the American Psychological Association.

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (April 23, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787973009
• ISBN-13: 978-0787973001
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #64,682 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Success, May 8, 2004

By 

Vicki (Dover, NH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The One-Hour Activist: The 15 Most Powerful Actions You Can Take to Fight for the Issues and Candidates You Care About (Paperback)

I think we all know that lobbying is a great way to make change... but it is only great if you are effective. This week I had the opportunity to go to Washington DC to lobby on Capitol Hill and receive some great training. One of the trainings I was fortunate to have was Lobby Day Training by Christopher Kush. Having had many trainings I can easily and confidently say that it is the best lobbying training I have ever had. I have never learned so much about little things that make such a big difference so quickly. After the training I went back to my hotel room where I looked over the book and took some notes. (Granted I did not read the entire book because I got to my room at 10:30 and had only gotten 4 hours of sleep the night before.) After looking over the book and getting some sleep I found myself on the Hill the next day. My day on the hill was amazing... it was so successful! As many times as I have been on the hill I think that was the most successful. It was amazing. I received so much support. Since my visits I have returned home and have read "The One-Hour Activist" front to back. It is a great book with so many key things that really help in making your visit so successful. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in making changes through policy.

Thanks for all of your advice Chris!

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Democracy doesn't end with voting!, May 24, 2004

By 

Angela Taylor "ngrae" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The One-Hour Activist: The 15 Most Powerful Actions You Can Take to Fight for the Issues and Candidates You Care About (Paperback)

So many people think that all they can do is vote and then write angry letters or blogs after their candidates fail to perform as promised. This book is, first and foremost, about keeping the pressure on. Making legislators aware of your issues, aware of your story and aware that you aren't going away. There are so many avenues of communication available between constituents and legislators and so few get used (and, no, the email petition isn't one of them). This book will tell you how to get your voice heard!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful short work on political activism, June 14, 2008

By 

Steven A. Peterson (Hershey, PA (Born in Kewanee, IL)) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The One-Hour Activist: The 15 Most Powerful Actions You Can Take to Fight for the Issues and Candidates You Care About (Paperback)

"The One-Hour Activist" is a useful volume on how to advance your/your organization's political agenda. As the Preface says (Page ix):

"This is a tactical guide, not a civics class.

This is a book of action--a book you will put down to write, call. to meet with your elected officials or to engage in any of the twenty powerful grassroots actions explained in this book."

The author, Christopher Kush, sees this book as a tool for "Democracy in Action," the title of the book's Introduction.

Is this a fool's errand? Can political involvement actually make a difference? The reality is that it depends on your goals. . . . If you want to transform the system to create direct, participatory democracy, where "Power to the People" is the ruling credo, probably not. If you want to affect--even incrementally--government action, then the answer is that such grassroots involvement can have an impact. The question: Is that enough to justify such involvement in the first place? Lots of questions, eh?

The heart of the book is a series of 20 actions, most of which can be undertaken without an undue investment of time. The categories of action are five in number. A few words about each.

"Gather information and strategize." Information is important in the world of politics and decision-making. First, who is it whom you wish to influence? Are there already existing groups that you can join to amplify your voice? How do you analyze proposed legislation? How do you conduct the dread opposition research?

"Contact your local elected officials." There is, believe it or not, academic research that suggests that contacts with local officials (elected or bureaucratic) can have an effect. Is that effect enough to satisfy all? That's a separate question. Simple tactics like writing a compelling letter or e-mail are in play. Persuade others--create a group--to act. The more people making suggestions/demands to officials, ceteris paribus, the more likely to get a hearing.

"Get involved in elections." Pretty straightforward. To the extent that elected officials make a difference in policy, affect who is making those policy decisions.

"Work with news media." There are a variety of ways of using media for political muscle, including a simply letter to the editor.

Finally, a section on "Super-Powerful actions that take a little more time." Arrange a face-to-face meeting to present your case to an elected officials; testify at a public hearing; take part in protest activities (realizing that there might be some consequences); and so on.

If you want radical change, the preceding are unlikely to affect things. If you accept the way the system operates and want to have an impact within those confines, then this book can be a useful guide.