The way spectrum of allies analysis works is that you categorize people and groups by where they stand in relation to you and your target on whatever issue it is you’re working on. Active opponents are against you, and fighting you. Passive opponents are against you, but they’re not fighting you. Neutrals are neither against or for you. Passive allies are with you, but they’re not fighting for you. Active allies are with you and are fighting for you.
The point of spectrum of allies analysis is figuring out who you can move one notch. Who can you move toward you? Who can you move away from your enemy? And how do you make sure you don’t push people away from you? You’re not trying to convert everybody to your exact position. All you’re trying to do now is move them *just one notch.*
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The hardest part of this request is getting the companies to go against their existing precedent. But it’s not like NRA members really use discounts much. Nobody joins the NRA for a discount, so members forget they’re there. Meaning when the companies look in their books, they see no strong material argument against it. The concession takes no effort and, the companies think, costs them nothing. And, of course, it avoids the activists making a nasty campaign against the company in question. So that’s a small thing.
But it’s not. Because if it works, the activists have a precedent. So now it’s easier to go to the next guy and request a disavowal: “Why won’t you? He did!” Once disavowal becomes a trend, it’s easier to get a disavowal than not.
The disavowal didn’t work out as expected in the case of Delta. USA Today reported that only 13 people ever used the NRA discount, and dropping it cost Delta a $40 million tax break. While I wouldn’t be surprised to see lawfare, or an attempt at it, against the revocation of the tax break, the larger issue is that most companies with NRA discounts are not as vulnerable as Delta was. This is in large part because, unlike the activists, the NRA and its members haven’t done months of research to know what the targets’ weaknesses to pressure are.
Here’s The Playbook Organizers Are Using As They Scheme To Take Down The NRA
The point of spectrum of allies analysis is figuring out who you can move one notch. Who can you move toward you? Who can you move away from your enemy? And how do you make sure you don’t push people away from you? You’re not trying to convert everybody to your exact position. All you’re trying to do now is move them *just one notch.*
[clip]
The hardest part of this request is getting the companies to go against their existing precedent. But it’s not like NRA members really use discounts much. Nobody joins the NRA for a discount, so members forget they’re there. Meaning when the companies look in their books, they see no strong material argument against it. The concession takes no effort and, the companies think, costs them nothing. And, of course, it avoids the activists making a nasty campaign against the company in question. So that’s a small thing.
But it’s not. Because if it works, the activists have a precedent. So now it’s easier to go to the next guy and request a disavowal: “Why won’t you? He did!” Once disavowal becomes a trend, it’s easier to get a disavowal than not.
The disavowal didn’t work out as expected in the case of Delta. USA Today reported that only 13 people ever used the NRA discount, and dropping it cost Delta a $40 million tax break. While I wouldn’t be surprised to see lawfare, or an attempt at it, against the revocation of the tax break, the larger issue is that most companies with NRA discounts are not as vulnerable as Delta was. This is in large part because, unlike the activists, the NRA and its members haven’t done months of research to know what the targets’ weaknesses to pressure are.
Here’s The Playbook Organizers Are Using As They Scheme To Take Down The NRA
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